Evening star., 1947-10-22
O. 81.
Schoo|gir|Tel|s
0fWarniing in
Gambling Probe
Arlington Continues
Inquiry Into Threats
Reported by Four

Arlington police today con-
tinued to investigate reports OF
threats against four persons
connected with a county grand
jury investigation of gambling
which is scheduled to resume at
10 am. tomorrow in Circuit
Court.
The threats have been reported
made against three grand jury wit
neSses and the niece of. one of them
The latest person reported threat
ened is 15-year-old Joyce Daven-
port, niece of w. r. Smith, former
county policeman, whose complaint
resulted in gambling raid last
week, circumstances of which are
the subject of the grand jury in
quiry.
Others who have told police they
were warned to keep quiet" are
Daniel A. Dugan, Arlington County
board member; Mr. Smith and I. C.
Goings, Arlington Post Office en-
ploye.
III witnesses summoned.
Fourteen witnesses were ordered
summoned by the six-man grand
jury after Mr.. Dugan testified
before it Monday. The jury, con-
vened for the opening of the Oc-
tober term of court, was ordered
by Judge Walter T. Mccarthy to
investigate rumors of a connection
between gamblers and police. The
jurist's instructions followed a re-
quest by Mr.. Dugan for an i'm
mediate and detailed investigation
of circumstances surrounding the
raid which resulted from Mr..
Smiths complaint.
Arrested in the raid was Russell
CPeanuts) Scheele, At, who is sched-
uled to face trial Friday in County
Court on charges of operating a
lottery and taking bets on horses.
He is at liberty under $500 bond.
In statement today, Mr.. Dugan
declared the grand jury investiga-
ton should uncover a clue to the
solution of this mess, providing the
witnesses are not afraid to talk"
"When school children become
subject to abusive threats by imi-
tation gangsters. it is time some
thing was DONE" Mr.. Dugan de-
clared.
He said the fact that four people
have been threatened is indicative
that someone is in deadly fear of
being exposed" He added that if
Scheele docs not receive the max
imum penalty Friday morning the
citizens of Arlington are going to
want to know why"
SCOTS at Threats.
Mr.. Dugan said he has no fear
of the persons who are making the
threats for it is they who are really
afraid" He added that he would
be glad to meet the persons who
threatened him face to, face, COM
menting there is no time like the
present"
Meanwhile, T. Oscar Smith, a
candidate for the Arlington County
Board, today promised that if
elected, ''the citizens of Arlington
can depend upon me to give 100
per cent support to all efforts to
see that law enforcement officials
do not protect gamblers and other
law violators."
He added he would support ade-
quate salaries and tenure in office
for policemen 80 there will be as
little temptation as possible for
them to ignore their duties
The Davenport girl, according to
Mr.. Smith, was first accosted Sat
urday afternoon as she came out of
movie in the 1900 block of Wilson
boulevard. Five men in car asked
her about her uncle, but she refused
to answer their questions. On the
next afternoon, Mr.. Smith related
as, Joyce again was leaving the
movie two of the five men, accom-
panied by blond woman, ap-
preached her. Joyce started to run
when she saw the car and the wom-
an called out that they would not
harm her, Mr.. Smith continued.
Offer Is Turned Down.
En- route to Westinghouse High
School on Monday, Joyce was ac-
costed again by the two men and
the woman. They told her, he said
that they had information to sell
her uncle about Arlington Police
Chief Harry woodward and Detec-
tive Chief Hugh Jones, and asked
her to tell Mr. Smith Yesterday
morning, the trio stopped his niece
Mr.. Smith said, and asked forFkis
reply to their offer. She told them
he was not interested.
In that case" the girl was said
to have been told, I'VE have some
information We think Jones and
woodward would be interested in
Before she got to school Joyce
was accosted again, but there were
three men in the car and the wom-
an was not with them, Mr.. Smith
said. The third man, after asking
her if the woman had told her to
advise Smith to leave Arlington, in
structed Joyce to forget seeing him
and the others. He told her also
to forget the kind of car they drove
and the tags.
e. ''If you don't" he warned, accord
Ing to Mr.. Smith, "the same thing
will happen to you that is going to
happen to the woman who was with
us earlier"
Alexandra Hearing Set