Evening star., 1946-04-11
ellis Defense Seeks
To Show Huff Behind
Custer Attempt

The animosity of Ray L. Huff
welfare director, led to the current
attempt of the Board of Public
Welfare to remove Howard B. Gill,
suspended superintendent of penal
institutions, his attorney tried to
show today.
Mr.. Huff tried on three separate
occasions to remove Mr.. Gill, giving
various excuses, before the welfare
board filed charges being heard
today by an inquiry board, accord
ing to Defense Attorney John J.
Wilson.
Mr.. Gill testified that he did not
know Mr.. Huff had previously rec
commended his dismissal until Mr.
Huff himself said so before con-
greSsional committee investigating
the Districts penal system.
Assistant Corporation Counsel
Chester H. Gray, representing the
welfare board, objected to "the
effort to show the animosity of Mr..
Huff. Even assuming that Mr.. Huff
did bear animosity toward Mr.. Gill,
the matter is immaterial to the
charges before you"
Board Minutes Produced.
Mr. Wilson demanded that Mr.
Gray produce the minutes of the
welfare board showing that it ap-
proved the suspension of Mr.. Gill
on the basis of the 16 charges of
ineff1ciency presented to the Com
missioners. Mr.. Gray then pro-
vided minutes of the meeting on
December 5, at which the welfare
board recommended dismissal of
Mr.. Gill.
The charges offered on December
s bear no resemblance to the charges
on the basis of which the Welfare
Board now hopes to remove Mr..
Gill, his attorney pointed out.
After Mr.. Gill had objected that
the original charges were not spe-
cific, the Welfare Board submitted
new charges in January, Mr.. Gray
recalled. Mr.. Gill was suspended on
December 6.
Walter M. Bastian. chairman of
the Inquiry Board, ruled Mr.. Wilson
could attempt to show the origin
of the effort to remove his client,
although it agreed with Mr.. Gray
that it had little to do with the
validity OF the charges.
Dismissal Asked October 5.
Mr.. Huff recommended dismissal
of Mr.. Gill to the Executive Com
mittee of the Board of Public We'll
fare on october 5, two months before
the board suspended him, its coun-
sci agreed to stipulate.
The Executive Committee did not
act on the recommendation, which
was for administrative reasons
only" according to Assistant Cor
poration Counsel Gray.
The defense expects to complete
It's case this afternoon and closing
arguments will be heard tomorrow.
Mr.. Bastian doubted, however, that
it would meet to decide on the
charges until next week.
A possibility that the inquiry
board will not make public its recon-
mendations to the District Commits
sioners developed today when Mr.
Bastian said it might be up to the
Commissioners to make the report
public.
The Commissioners will have final
authority to rule on the welfare
boards request for dismissal of Mr..
Gill. They appointed the inquiry
board to hear the charges and make
recommendations.
Abusive Language Denied.
The defense produced two wit
nesses today who denied a charge
that Mr.. Gill directed abusive Ian
guage at his subordinates during
one of three staff meetings Decem-
Der S.
The third witness, Thomas R.
sard, deputy superintendent at the
District Jail, asserted, however
that Mr.. Gill called guards on an
other shift dumb" for failure to
find contraband in search OF the