Evening star., 1946-02-07
Connors Scheduled
To Testify Tomorrow
In Own Defense

Raymond ConnorS, 32-year-
automobile salesman of Yonkers,
NY, will take the stand in District
Court tomorrow in his own defense
in the Barker murder
trial, his attorney, James J. Laugh
lin, said today.
The trial of Connors on charges
Of shooting Edward Barker, Four
teenth street used-car dealer, and
his friend, Pany Casbarian, after
both men were bound hand and
foot in a robbery February %, in
Mr.. Barkers automobile trailer Of
fee, was in recess today due to
death in the family of a juryman
Leonard N Raffell, 4811 North Cap
itol street, a real estate man, was
excused for a day to attend the
funeral of his father at McKeesport,
Pa.
The prosecution and the defense
this afternoon were to present
requests to the court regarding the
courts instructions to the jury. This
step in criminal trial usually comes
after all the testimony is in.
Mr.. Laughlin drew from Detective
Sergt. Edgar A. Scott yesterday,
over the prosecutors objection, the
admission that an anonymous letter
accusing Connors of the crime had
come to the police.
Letter Produced.
Justice DAVID A. Pine overruled
the objection Charles B. Murray,
Assistant United States attorney.
then waived further objection in
regard to the letter and produced
it from his portfolio.
Postmarked $50 pm. on July 25
at Yonkers, NY, it was addressed
to Capt. Clyde N. Strange, WASH
ington Police Department. Capt.
Strange is assistant chief of de-
tectives. Both address and contents
were typewriter. The paper on
which the letter was written was
the torn part Of an envelope. It
read:
Your man in that car dealers
murder is Ray Connors, 73 Radford
street, Yonkers, NY. The pistols
he used are in his cellar. His part
ner Is Little Joe of Wiliamsbridge.
The stone in the ring was removed
by jeweler at 472 South Broad
way, Yonkers. The stone was
hooked at Unger Bros, fremont
and Third avenues, the Bronx. for
$500 The note was unsigned. Will
liamsbridge is section of the Bronx.
Tells of Seeing Diamond.
According to testimony already
taken in the case, 1t. Robert Muir
ray and Sergt. Scott went to Yonkers
and enlisted the help of Yonkers po-
lice. There was no jewelry store at
/ 472 South Broadway, but there was q
jewelry and watch repair shop at
478. The police asked Elias Hoff-
man, the jeweler, If he knew Con-
nors. Mr.. Hoffman, who came here
and testified, said he had lived in
the same house with him for year
and that early in March, Connors
had come to him with a "a -carat
diamond in mans ring.
i A similar ring was worn by Mr..
Barker and taken from him when
The was killed.
Mr.. Hoffman said Connors asked
him to remove the stone from the
setting. He told Connors, he said,
that he would have to file it, which
would destroy the ring. The stone
was set flush in the ring, he ex-
Iplained, not supported by prongs.
Connors told him, Mr.. Hoffman
said, to go ahead and file it. Con-
nors waited, the jeweler said, while
he filed the ring. 1t took about half
an hour, he said, adding that Con-
Inors then paid him rs cents and
took the stone and setting with him.
/ Loan Ticket Produced.
i Police went to Unger Bros. pawn
shop in the Bronx. The manager,
Herman Hill, did not know of any
Raymond Connors, but he checked
his tickets and produced one on a
$500 diamond loan, signed Ray
Corners, 73 Radford street, Yon-
kers."
The police then arrested Connors
They found a .38-caliber revolver in
I a paper bag in the basement of his
house The murders were committed
with a .25-caliber automatic pistol
according to ballistics experts.
j After Connors' arrest, police dis
| covered that Little Joe" was Joseph
4 Vinci. Vinci was not arrested until
! after the trial started. He turned
lState's evidence and testified for the
prosecution. He said he was on his
way to see Connors when he saw five
men go into Connors' house and take
him away.
| "I just kept walking" he said.
Printino Trades Council