Evening star., 1946-10-21
Fields Trial SET
For Nov. 70 in
Contempt Case
Defense Dismissal
Motion Denied by
Justice HoItzoff

Benjamin F. Fields, Washington
promoter indicted for contempt OF
Congress, pleaded not guilty in Dis
trict Court today after Justice Alex
ander Holtzoff denied motion to
dismiss the indictment.
Justice Holtzoff Immediately set
November 20 as the trial. date over
the protest of Alton S. Bradford, de-
fense counsel, who told the court he
needed two months to prepare the
case.
Although the stocky promoter was
In court well ahead of time for the
argument of the defense motion, his
only words today were: mot guilty"
He was expressionless as his coun-
sci charged that the House Surplus
Property Committee, which insti-
tuted the contempt action, had or
dered him to produce records ''in a
fishing expedition in hopes some
thing diSagreeable would show up
Judge Bars Personal Attacks.
On several occasions Justice Holtz-
off interrupted the defense plea to
speak sharply to Mr.. Bradford. Once,
when Mr.. Bradford was discussing
the state of mind" of the House
committee headed by Representative
Slaughter, who failed to win renom-
ination in his Missouri district, the
defense counsel said, 1--WE have on
the committee a defeated, die-hard
politician"
+Just moment" Justice Holtzoff
interrupted, II will not permit you
to make personal attacks on mem
bers of Congress or any one else"
To Mr.. Bradford's contention that
the presense of IA Government en-
ployes on the grand jury which in
dicted Fields was grounds for dis
missing the indictment, Justice
Holtzoff commented that raising
this issue was an "unjustified, un-
necessary and uncalled for aspersion
on Government employees"
~They're citizens as well as en-
plcyes of private concerns" Justice
Holtzoff remarked. "It must be
borne in mind that Government en-
ployes form the largest single group
of the population in Washington
and it is natural that they would
form the largest single group on any
jury panel
Indictment Held Sufficient.
In answer to Mr.. Bradford's
charge that Fields had been
dragged through committees and
through newspapers and this is the
first time he has had a chance to
come into court" Assistant United
States Attorney Charles B. Murray
replied that Mr.. Bradford had been
advised well in advance of the grand
jury's meeting and had not brought
his client before the grand jury.
Mr.. Bradford contended that the
committee had made impossible de-
mands" on Fields in asking him to
produce a contract between the
Government and third party. On
that score, Justice Holtzof respond
ed that the indictment referred to
documents relating to the contract
and not the contract itself.
Justice HoltZon also dismissed MI
Bradford's contention that the in
dictment was insufficient by declar-
ing that the new rules of the court
discard many of the centuries
old rules under which indictments
were drawn and call only for a
plain, concise and definite written
statement of the essential facts"
The Surplus Property Committee
sought records to show how more
thsh $4,000 in commissions was split
in a bronze wire screen transaction
Fields is accused in the indictment
of failing to produce the records.
The indictment contends that the
records were available to him and
that he could have produced them.