Evening star., 1946-02-28
Attorney for Gill
Threatens Move
To Gust kogod
Will Be Recalled to
Learn if He Made
Charge Of Lying

Learn 1t He Made
Charge Of Lying
A threat to demand the removal
OF Fred S. Kogod as a member of
the Board of Public Welfare was
made today before a board of in
quiry hearing the case of Howard B.
Gill, superintendent of penal insti-
tutions.
i Defense Attorney John j. Wilson
j won the right in hot debate to re-
call Mr.. Kogod to determine
. whether he actually accused Mr..
Gill, while testifying yesterday, of
Lying" to members of the Welfare
Board.
L did not hear him say it, Mr..
Wilson declared, "but I am satisfied
that Mr.. Kogod made the statement
that Mr.. Gill lied to members of
the Welfare Board. If that is cor
rect and he is not prepared either to
retract or to Substantiate it, I shall
demand his dismissal as a member
of the Welfare Board
Occurred During Uproar.
Mr.. Kogod was quoted in the
newspapers as making the remark
in the midst of an uproar occasioned
by the witness objection to the line
of ross-examination.
Assistant Corporation Counsel
Chester H. Gray objected strenu-
ously to the recalling of Mr.. Kogod
"in an attempt to verify a vague
rumor nobody here heard" He de-
manded that Mr.. Wilson produce
some one who heard the remark.
In a two-to-one decision the board
Of inquiry ruled that Mr.. Wilson
could recall Mr.. Kogod before the
Corporation Counsel concluded the
case for the Welfare Board. Walter
M. Bastian, chairman, diSsented on
the ground that no one on the board
of inquiry heard the statement and
it was not included in the steno-
graphic report.
Irritated at Questions.
Newspaper reporters quoted Mr..
Kogod as making the controversial
statement when he expressed irrita-
ton at questions about why the In
stitutions Committee of the Welfare
Board had not included in report
recommending suspension of Mr..
Gill the charge that he disobeyed
instruction of the Institutions Com
mittee.
1--WE didn't expect all of the rig
marole. We didn't try to charge
Mr.. Gill. We had no idea of ever
having this hearing today. I could
make lot of other charges. He
lied to us" Mr.. Kogod was quoted
as saying.
At that moment Mr. Wilson was
objecting that the witness should
not make speech at my expense"
Turning from charges of insub-
ordination to reports of lack of disci-
pline at the District Jail, the inquiry
board heard John liner, a member
of the custodial staff, assert that
discipline was horrible" and Jail
inmates could do about anything
they wanted" prior to the escape of
five prisoners from the Jail Novem-
ber "a
Isolation Cells Unfeared.
Ordered to stick to facts and not
to expound his own opinions, Mr..
liner said that prisoners told him
they did not consider it any punish
ment to be confined in infirmary
isolation cells. Mr.. Gill substituted
the isolation cells for basement con-
troll cells as disciplinary quarters.
Mr.. liner also charged that Mr..
Gill refused to permit guards to
take any disciplinary measures
against juveniles quartered at the
Jail when they misbehaved A wit
ness described near riot" in
which, he said, several boys pum-
meled another juvenile until he was
bleeding. Mr.. liner said he took four
of the juveniles from a dormitory
and placed them in cell block, but
the next day Mr.. Gill returned them
to the dormitory and took no
fukher disciplinary action.
The witness also charged that Mr..
Gill "hamstrung" an investigation
of the jailbreak by insisting on sit
ting in at meetings of an investi-
eating committee and monopolizing
the proceedings. Mr.. Gill is charged
with diSobeying the instructions of
the Welfare Boards Institutions
Committee to stay away from the
meetings.
Opposed Police Presence.
When a policeman came into the
r1nnfir1n nrdnrc nf
sioners, Mr.. Gill was quoted as say
ing:
This is not the place to wash ,
dirty linen. We don't have to bring !
everything out before the Police /,
Department" F,
Mr.. liner accused Mr.. Gill of re- ]
marking that the Institutions Com
mittee of the Welfare Board is COM
posed of persons who know moth
ing about prisons.
Other quotations offered by the
witness included curse words direct
ed at the Institutions Committee,
the custodial staff of the Jail and
members of the committee Mr.. Gill
had appointed to investigate the
jailbreak.
The penal superintendent once
told Ray L. Huff, director of well
fare, that he was responsible for
the fact there are IA openings from
which Jail prisoners can escape, Mr..
liner said. Mr.. Huff was acting su-
perintendent of penal institutions
when the Jail was Femodeled prior
to Mr.. Gill's appointment.
In cross-eXamination, Mr.. Wilson
established that Mr.. liner changed
his name from John Sinsheimer
that he once operated a tavern at
Edgewater, Md, and that he lived
in 1888 at 504 E street NV.
After lengthy pause, the attor-
ney asked:
And what was your business at