Evening star., 1947-04-22
Jury Chosen al Trial
OF May and Garssons
lin Conspiracy Case
By Robert K. Welsh


Selection of the jury was COM
lpleted early this afternoon In the
trial Of Andrew j. May, former
Democratic Representative from
Kentucky, and three wartime off,
cials OF the $78,0O0,0o0 Carson
munitions combine who are charged
in District Court with conspiracy tc
defraud the Government.
Government prosecutors chal-
lenged only two Of the Jury panel
and Justice Henry A. Schweinhaut
excused two. But defense counsel
challenged Is so that shortly before
Il pm. the tentative list included
seven men and five women.
Only four of this group were Gov
ernment employees.
u. s. Workers Challenged.
Most of the defense challenges
apparently were directed against
prospective jurors who worked In
Government agencies such at the
Internal Revenue Bureau and the
General Accounting Office or other
bureaus concerned with accounting
Of investigative work.
May and his CO defendants,
Henry M. Carson, Murray Carson
and Joseph F. Freeman, were sur
rounded by battery Of attorneys
which completely filled two rows Of
long tables before the Judges
bench.
Justice Schweinhaut frequently
called on defense counsel to speed
their decisions on whether to ask
that prospective Jurors be excused.
The procedure was faster than had
been anticipated. ff" sf.o-r n
Indicted on Four Counts.
The four men on trial were indicted
by grand jury January 23 on four
counts The grand Jury investiga-
ton grew out of hearings last sum-
mer by the Senate War Investigat-
ing Committee and a subsequent
inquiry by the Justice Department,
particularly the FBI.
Besides containing four counts re-
lating to alleged conspiracy activi-
ties from January l, 1912, to last
December, the indictment named IS
covert acts"
These, according to the indict-
ment, were specific instances in
which May, with the aid or pysua-
sion of the Garssons and Ere, man,
worked to get war contracts, special
consideration or various favors for
the Garssons themselves or for the
Batavia Metal Products, Inc, and
the Erie Basin Metal Products, Inc,
Illinois afflliates Of the Carson
|set-up.
The indictment, in general,
charges conspiracy and violation of
the statute prohibiting a member OF
Congress from receiving, or agreeing
to receive compensation for services
to any person In proceedings to
which the Government is q party
before a Government department.
Counts Outlined.
The counts are based on Mays
alleged acceptance of a $1,000 check
from the Erie Basin company Au-
gust 20, 1914, and his alleged agree
ment to receive $53,634.07 "and
other compensation to the grand
jurors unknown" from the other
defendants and their companies,
Conviction on the conspiracy
charge carries a maximum penalty
Of $4,000 and two years imprison-
ment. Conviction under the statute
concerning members of Congress
has a similar penalty. 1t also would
bar offenders from holding any office
"of honor or trust" in the United
States Government.
May, defeated for reelection last
November after serving 16 years in
Congress, has denied he profited in
any way from his association with
the Garssons. In a House speech
last year and later in published
statement he declared he did no
more than any member Of Congress
would in helping to facilitate war
production.
Counsel for May at the trial are
Warren E. Magee and Daniel j.
Andersen. Charles j. Margiotti,
former attorney general of Penn
sylvania, and Allen J. Krause, former
assistant district attorney here,
represent the Garssons. Austin
Garfield, president of the District
Bar Association, is counsel for