The Wilmington morning star., 1946-07-13
Fair Enough
By WEsTBROOK PEGLER

copyright BY King Features Syndicate, Incl
NEW YORK. - The career OF Murray Cars.
son, the promoter who seems to have imposed
upon the sturdy but highly credulous honesty oil
Andrew Jack May. of Kentucky. presents a
delightful study, as we'll pursued in court rec
ords and in the remniscense of policemen
in New York as in the meager records reveal
ed in Washington. Mr.. May. a backwoods con.
gresham and chairman of the Military Al
fairs committee of the House of Representa-
tives, knew Murray Carson for years but
knew nothing questionable about him.
The outline Of Carson S bankruptcies, his
association with eminent New York gangsters
of the prohibition era and his arrests, and data
on his brother, Henry, Rave been entered in
the Congressional Record.
Mr.. May would seem to have been no more
careless, however than others in times past or
the Army officers who dealt with the Carson
corporations. The F.B.I. had the records of
both and Gov. Tom Dewey. of New York, Ed
Mulrooney, the retired police commissions
and a number Of others here had picked up
their trail. particularly Murray's, now and
again for years.
Mr.. Dewey remembered Murray as a figure
in a bribery case in the federal court when
Carson was a special assistant to William
Doak, who was Secretary of Labor under Her
bert Hoover.
The most Interesting 6etail disclosed in a
days search here was a loan of $3.50, 900 worth
of stock of the Twentieth Century Fox Cor
poration to Murray Carson by Joseph
Schenck.
Willie Biof the old brothel keeper who had
found his so,ial level among the aristocracy
Of Hollywood, testified on his trial for extor-
ton tina. Joe had loaned Carson $500, 900. A
later witness, Joe Moscowitz, Mr.. schenck's
book-keeper, vent into more detail. He said
Schenck loanel S202 837.5 50 to himself and Cars
son which WIS paid for the stocks and that
5000 shares, worth then approximately $3.50,
900 was Garson's share of the loan. Carson
endorsed the sock in blank to Schenck. Had it
gone up, Carson, apparently, would have had
a profit. This point was rot developed. 1t was
later sold FOR $l20, 900. Moscowitz said Cars
son got rome If the proceeds. Nor, said he,
did Schenck t:ke a lax loss.
Mosccwitz sad Carson was a close friend
of Schenck.
This loan wa. made in Nov. 1897. At that
time. Carson vas Windjng up a career of
tire years as IN investigator for the House
committee investigating corporate reorganiza.
tons and bond-holding companies with the
ostensible purpoa of protecting investors from
fraud. There hat been many reorg anizations
and receivershipsin the motion picture indus
try in which the FOX interests were involved.
and Garsson's Official duties as investigator
took him to Hollywood. He was in a position
to make accommodations to the cmmittee
known as the sabth Committee, in honor Of
its chairman, the HIN. Ad SABBATH. Of Chicago
He could favor he companies, INCLUDING
schenck's. or he cold, Il. for any reason. he
felt preju6iced against the magnates Of Hollv.
wood, turn thumbs down. The nature of his
recommendation asto the Schenck interests
l DO not yet know. BUT I do know that Moe.
cowltz resumed that Murray Carson got a loan
VI pioo'oou from a ma whose interests he WAS
IN a position to serveor 10 harm.
! mat such a man, with such a record az
Garssons' would get rch a job, with its inn
plcatlons OF great trus and honor. hardly vim.
a1cates Mr.. MAYS gullbi!:ty. Mr.. SABBATH. how
t ever was equally naiv, If so mild a word il
appropriate. WAN 10
y Herbert Hoover said he was surprised 10