Evening star., 1946-02-15
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WASHINGTON NEWS
FRIDAY. FEBRUARY Is, 1916.
Judge Rejects
|Connors' Plan
Attend Fight
Defendant Pleaded
Thot He Might Find
Witnesses to AIibi

Justice David A. Pine in District
Court today denied permission for
Raymond Connors, defendant in the
Barker -Casbarian murder trial, to
attend boxing bouts In Madison
Square Garden, New York, in an at
tempt to corroborate an alibi.
Connors, whose fate will be placed
in the jury's hands Monday, had
testified he was at the Friday night
fights in the Garden on February
%, 1945, the night he is alleged to
have shot and killed Edward Barker
and Pany Casbarian in trailer on
a used-car lot at Fourteenth and N
streets NV.
Permission to attend the fights
was sought in a formal motion
stating that "the defendant believes
he can identify certain persons with
whom he placed wagers on the night
of February %. 1945," as well as
other persons he claims saw him
there.
Found No Precedent.
Justice Pine asked James j.
Laughlin, defense attorney, If he
knew of any case in which such
motion had been granted. Mr..
Laughlin said he did not.
In ruling, Justice Pine said: This
defendant has had compulsory at
tendance of witnesses at. Govern
ment expense. Many of the wit
nesses brought here by the defense
threw little light on the issue, but
were brought here for the purpose
uI uev~..--.,aining whether their testi-
mony would be helpful to the de.
fendant.
THE defendant has had at Gov
eminent expense the benefit of ex-
pert witnesses, daily copies of the
transcript and the services of an
attorney appointed by the court who
has been diligent In his efforts and
has spent weeks in presenting testi-
mony in the defendants behalf-all
because the defendant signed an
affidavit Of indulgence.
Motion Is Denied.
Il cannot grant the motion and
permit the defendant to leave this
jurisdiction to make some explora.
ton in Madison Square Garden"
The court then, in the absence
of the jury, which has been excused
until 10 am. Monday, took up mo-
tions to strike various portions Of
the transcript which is now 7ap-
preaching 1000 pages as the trials
fifth week draws to a close.
Before closing the defense rebuttal
yesterday Mr.. Laughlin put on three
witnesses. Miss Adelaide Sturgis,
the friend of Mr.. Barker who dis.
covered his body, appeared to testify,
attired modishly in black. After
consulting with her, Mr.. Laughlin
announced she would not be called.
Joseph G. Farrier, president of the
bookbinders' union at the Govern
ment Printing Office, testified it
would be impossible to examine 900
hotel registration cards in IS min
utes, as Ira Gullickson, police hand
writing expert had testified he had
done. Mr.. Farrier said it would take
more than two hours.
Testifies on Traffic.
Montgomery Davis of the record
room of the Capital Transit Co.. read
records to show that "A street cars
going in either direction in Four
teenth street had passed the used.
car lot between pm and 7::30 pm,
a period in which the crime occurred.
His testimony was presented to rebut
Vinciis statement that he noticed no
street cars and that of Marvin
Beach, car dealer across the street,
that he heard four sounds like gun
fire shortly after 7.
Joe Fulkas, meteorologist of the
Weather Bureau, read into the rec
ord weather conditions in Washing
ton, Wilmington, Del, and Trenton.
N. j., on the conflicting dates on
which Vinci and Connors made a
motor trip to Washington prior to
the murders,