Evening star., 1947-06-27
Prosecutor Hits May
As FaithIess Public
Servant in Summation
By Robert K. Walsh

NY R0kGit ~ fF1t%h
Government prosecutors in Dis
trict Court today attacked former
Representative Andrew j. May of
Kentucky as faitfless public sery-
ant who conspired with munition-
makers Henry and Murray Carson
to use the war emergency for fraud
and bribery.
Ellis L. Arenson, special assistant
to the Attorney General, began the
eight-hour summa-
ton with a scathing denunctation
of what he called defense attempts
to "assassinate" the character of
former Senator Mead of New York
and Francis Flanagan, assistant
chief counsel of the Senate War In
vestigation Committee.
Under a stepped-up arrangement
for longer daily sessions, Justice
Henry A. Schweinhaut hoped to give
the case to the jury by next
Wednesday. May and the Garssons
have been on trial since April %,
charged with conspiracy 10 defraud
the United States.
Attacks Lumber Company.
Mr.. Arenson directed his attack
largely on the organization OF the
Cumberland Lumber Co., Ken
lucky concern of which May claimed
he was unpaid agent for the Cars
sons.
He declared that May was the
real owner of the concern and that
the Garssons used 1t as a means OF
paying him bribes totaling more
than $53, 900 in return for his serv-
ices while he was chairman of the
House Military Affairs Committee.
The Cumberland Lumber Co.
was conceived in fraud and used
under necessity of the war as a.
scheme whereby the defendants
sought to conceal payments to May,
Mr.. Arenson charged. In a war
involving millions of men, why was
the chairman of the House Military
Affairs Committee fiddling around
with lumber company and claim
ing he acted only as an unpaid
agent?"
Criticizes Defense Attorneys.
Mr.. Arenson told the jury that
it was no coincidence that the Cars
sons in their reported efforts to
locate lumber during the war,
learned that lumber could be found
only down in Kentucky and only in
the congressional district of May"
He added that it also was no
coincidence that May was chairman
of the House Committee when the
Garssons became associated with
him.
Mr.. Arenson criticized defense at
torneys for the manner in which
they oss-examined Mr.. Flanagan
as witness earlier this month.
He declared that defense counsel
brought up a charge which had no
with the issues Of this
trial when they asked Mr.. Flanagan
whether his father and former Sen
ator Mead owned a boatload Of
liquor seized during prohibition days
by the Government.
THAT was character assassina-
tion," Mr.. Arenson declared. De
fense counsel went out of its way
to try to give the impressions that
Mr.. Mead and Mr.. Flanagan's father
we're bootleggers. But the defense
did not and could not produce a
bit of evidence to prove such a
charge"
Refuses to Direct Acquittal.
Justice Schweinhaut denied de-
Tense motions late yesterday for d.
rected verdict of acquittal for May
and the Garssons.
But he allowed the Government |
to withdraw one of the four counts
in the indictment charging the To-
year-old former chairman of the
House Military Affairs Committee
and the munition-making Carson
brothers with conspiracy to defraud
the United States.
The effect of this would be to
lessen the possible maximum pen
atty. If May and Garssons are
convicted on all three remaining
counts, each defendant could be
sentenced to six years in prison and
fined $4,000, if convicted. May
also stands to lose the right to hold
amy Office of honor, trust or profit
under the Government of the United
States"
Argument Time Cut.
Each side agreed to cut It's total
time to eight hours instead Of the
II previously allotted by the court.
They also agreed that today's ses-
sion will run until pm. and that
night sessions will be held Monday
and Tuesday, If necessary, so that
Justice Schweinhaut can read his
charge to the jury not later than
morning.
The withdrawal of Count in the
indictment came as no surprise.
Government counsel indicated sew
eral weeks ago they would drop that
count because it is substantially the
same as Count 3. Both counts
charged that the GarSsons inf1u-
enced May, by means of specific
5000 payment, to violate the Fed
eral statute prohibiting members of
Congress from receiving or agreeing
to receive compensation for services
in connection with any proceeding
to which the Government is a party.
italy expects to have it's war
damaged highways back to prewar