Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-04-09
Gill Says Huff flushed Scandal;
Tells Hearing That District Jail
Is Run by Clique Of Guards
Charges Engineers
Group, Recently in
Court, Formed There

Charges that the District jail
is run by a clique of guards and
that Ray L. Huff, welfare di-
rector, flushed up one of the
hottest scandals in the history
of the District, were made today
before a Congressional commit
tee by Howard B. Gill, suspended
penal superintendent.
Mr.. Gill told a special investigat-
ing committee of the House District
Committee that in 194l a clique of
eight. guards ran the jail. permitted
SWIhdle to be organized there, al
lowed prisoners to walk in and out
of the Jail at will and participated
in wild parties at the Jail, and that
when Mr. Huff discovered these
things, he never took any action eX-
cept to fire a deputy superintendent.
Mr.. Gill told the committee that
Engineers Group, Inc. a company
formed to act as broker in obtaining
War contracts. was organized and
put into operation by two prisoners
IN the jail between February and
June l94l, while MI. Huff was super
intendent of penal institutions.
Three Later Convicted.
Three men, including Representa-
tive Curley, Democrat. of Massa-
chusettS, who also is Mayor of Bos-
ton. recently were convicted in Dis
trlct Court in connection with waI
contracts obtained by Engineers
Group, Inc.
Mr.. Huff conducted a secret inveS-
tigation and never Informed Mr.
Gill, the Commissioners or the Board
Of Public Welfare of his findings
Mr.. Gill said.
Mr.. Gill said he obtained the story
after his own suspension as penal
superintendent, from one of the two
prisoners who turned informer for
the Truman Committee Investigate
ing war contracts.
Mr.. Gill declared the information
explained many conditions that had
puzzled him at the Jail.
CLAUDIA o. Botkin, resident super
intendent, is not master in his own
house" Mr. Gill asserted. He said
the jail actually is run by clique
of employees who have been there
for many years.
Prisoner in Own Jail.
Then he is a prisoner in his own
iail," said Representative Hebert,
Democrat, Of Louisiana, and chair
man of the investigating commit
tee
Mr.. Gill said the two prisoners in
l94l incorporated under the State of
New Jersey a company to promote
recreational enterprises in the vi
cinity of military installations. A
representative of a New York vice
syndicate was allowed to visit them
at the Jail to ask for the vice con-
Cession at their recreation centers.
he reported.
The two prisoners used stationery
with the seal OF the United States to
write some of the most prominent
citizens of the Nation from the Jail,
ne said. One very prominent" man
replied with letter of congra tula-
lions addressed to 200 Nineteenth
street Sc, not knowing that was
the address of the jail, he said.
Besides carrying on their CORE
spondence, the two inmates were
allowed to visit the MayfoWer Hotel
and other places in the District for
business appointments, Mr.. Gill
charged
Held Party at Jail.
After lavish tipping of sundry
lau officials, the inmates imported a
case of whisky and two models for a
party at the Jail" Mr. Gill charged
He said that guards assigned tc
them participated in the party.
In four months their business had
so expanded that one of the in
mates decided it was time for him
to get out of Jail, and HE actually
got his sentence reduced from 81 to
+ HlOnIllS, Mr.. CHI SAID.
And yet Mr.. Huff sat where l am
sitting yesterday and told you that
he had no serious personnel prob
lens while he was penal superin-
tendent," he shouted.
The deputy superintendent fired
by Huff was Edward McGlynn, Mr.
Gill said, but the rest of the infor-
nation as given by Mr.. ellis in
formant was so hot that even the
Justice Department would not
touch it
Mr.. Gill read several passages
fgom a 100-page memorandum he
said was given him in December by
one of the two inmates. Repre-
sentative Hebert asked him to put
it in the record Mr.. Gill said he
would offer it for the confidential in
formation of the committee, but told
them that it contains the names OF
many prominent persons and should
not be in the record, Mr.. Hebert
agreed that criminal charges
might be involved.
Names Two GUARDS.
Mr.. Gill named Murphy and
Sweeney" as two of the guards
who were involved with McGlynn
and still are at the Jail.
This information explained to
me why a clique there right now
mas inherited the theory that they
run the Jail. That is why they
could say that they wanted to use
basement control cells and would