Evening star., 1946-03-29
Gill Trial Board
Clears Him Of
Ignoring Rules
II Charges Remain;
Penal Superintendent
Testifies on PRIVILEGE.

Tenol SuPerIntendent
Testifies on Privilege!
The Board of Inquiry hearinI
charges OF ineficiency agains
Howard B. Gill, suspended pena
superintendent, today ruled mo
guilty" on one Of the 13 remain
ing charges and part of anothe,
1t was the first time the inquir
board has ruled on any of tn
charges. Assistant Corporatio,
Counsel Chester H. Gray, represent
ing the Board Of Public welfare. al
ready abandoned of the 16 orig
NAL charges, and had amended tn,
charge that was thrown out today
The inquiry board found N,
merit" In the charge that Mr.. Gil
ever issued verbal order contrar,
to existing written orders.
MI. Gill later denied charges O.
msuoord1nation and contradictet
testimony Of board members that h,
had interferred with their investi.
cation.
Charge on Visits Limited.
Walter M. Bastian, chairman O,
the inquiry board, also announce
IT would limit to a single instance
the charge that Mr.. GIL permitted
divers inmates" to be visited by un.
authorized persons. There Is moth.
ing In the rules governing the Dis.
trict Jail to prevent newspapermer
from visiting inmates awaiting trial
he said.
Mr.. Gray agreed that he had Of
fered testimony that only one man,
other than newspaper men, had
visited a prisoner in violation of
jail rules.
Fighting for reinstatement, Mr.,
Gill testified he authorized the visi-
tor in question to see an inmate in
connection with request for parole.
The jail always has made special
concessions in matters pertaining
to parole, he explained.
The defense won another point
when Mr.. Gray conceded the only
testimony to support a charge that
NE. Gill authorized special privileges
for certain inmates concerned a
prisoner who was permitted to wear
civilian clothes while working on
detail.
Certainly, I permitted the man
to wear civilian Clothes" Mr.. Gill
said.
He recalled that the prisoner in
question, whose name was withheld.
had suffered from chronic indiges-
ton and could get along neither
with guards nor prisoners. The
penal superintendent discussed the
problem with the medical officer and
offered to permit the prisoner to
work In his Office compiling psychi-
atric information, Mr.. Gill reported.
The inmate recovered from his
illness and worked diligently, Mr.
Gill said. He pointed out that
prisoners often are allowed to wear
civilian garb while working on
detail.
When Jail guard asked permis-
sion Ito keep this prisoner s1n his
place." Mr.. Gill told him that 1t
was not only his right. but his
duty to do SO, the witness testified.
Given Yard Privilege.
The charge which was thrown out
today pertained to testimony that
Mr.. Gill permitted prisoners on
kitchen detail to use the recreation
yard on hot summer night in spite
Of written rule that prisoners must
wait 80 days before they are given
yard privileges.
Mr.. Gill noted that the men he
let into the yard were repeaters
serving 10 to 30 day sentences and
were well known to the guards.
Mr.. Bastian halted the questioning
by Defense Attorney John j. Wilson
with the statement that the charge
did not interest the inquiry board.
The hearing, which resumed today
after a five-day recess, will continue
tomorrow. Mr.. Bastian agreed to
hold evening sessions next week In
an effort to hurry completion of the
case.
Mr.. Gill asserted he never was or
dered by any member of the Welfare
Board to stay away from meetings
OF committee he had appointed to
investigate the escape of five prison.
ers from the jail November "a. He
added that he was not told to report
by November 80 on the cause of the
jallbreak, as the Welfare Board
charges.
The first time the penal superin-
tendent heard the claim he dis
obeyed instructions to stay away
from the committee meeting was on
January IA, more than a month
after his suspension by the Welfare
Board, he reported.
The report of the Institutions
Committee accompanying a letter
from Ray L. Huff, welfare director,
which nforced Mr.. Gill of his sus-
pension on December 6, did not men,
ton violation of any instructions,
Defense Attorney Wilson pointed
out.
The Institutions Committee ar
rived at the Jail December 4 unan-
nounced to conduct its own investi-
CATION and asked MIR. Gill whv his
committee was taking so long, Mr..
Gill testified.
Told Of Attendance.
"In answering that question. I
told them had attended the meet
ings," the witness said. "They ex-
pressed neither surprise nor disap-
proval. believe they knew all
along I was attending those meet
ings."
The witness fatty denied testi-
mony by members of the Investi-
eating Committee that he had inter-
ferred with their investigation and
said he never even asked question
at the meetings without first get
ting permission from the chairman.
The penal superintendent was
asked on November % by Edgar
Morris, chairman of the Welfare
Board, at a meeting of the Institu-
tions Committee, if it would be pos
sible for him to have a written re-
port on the jailbreak by November
30.