Evening star., 1948-05-17
Names Selected
For Grand Jury
meaning Probe
23 Tentatively Picked
As Is Are Excused
By Judge Pine
By Chris Mothisen

Selection of a special grand
jury to investigate gambling in
Washington was expected to be
completed this afternoon by JUS
tice David A. Pine of District
Court.
A total of Is prospective jurors
had been excused for various rea-
sons, and others we're due to be
eliminated before final selection
of q veniremen to form the special
investigative body
Meanwhile, the regular grand jury
returned indictments against two
persons on gambling charges.
After IA members of the special
grand jury panel had been excused.
tentative group of % was selected
by noon. Justice Pine later excused
one other, however. and the remain
ing %, together with the spares"
among the SO prospective jurors
originally brought before him, were
sent to lunch At the same time,
Justice Pine excused one OF the
spares, and it was learned one Of
the group of % also hoped to be
released when the selection process
resumed.
Three Women Excused
Three women were excused by
reason of their sex alone. Women
may serve on a grand jury here but
are not required to do so. The
others were excused as follows:
School teacher, two; student, two:
illness, two; poor hearing, two;
nurse at St. Elizabeth's Hospital.
one; needed to care for convalescing
husband, one; ordered to active
military duty, one; serious financial
hardship. one; indispensable to
business, one.
Justice Pine denied or deferred
action on II requests to be excused.
Pressure of work in Government or
private employment was the reason
advanced most among these. To
one prospective juror, he said:
"All of us enjoy the privileges OF
citizenship, we occasionally have
to assume it's burdens"
Those indicted by the regular
grand jury today on charges OF
operating lottery and possession
of numbers slips were Matte
Thomas, SO. first block of N street
Sc, and Burnie o. Love, 81, 1900
block of Eastern avenue NE. Both
are colored.
IA Indicted Last Week.
The same regular grand jury
indicted IA persons on gambling
charges last week.
The special grand jury, the first
ever ordered here to make q gam
bling inquiry. was requested by
United States Attorney George Nor
ris Fay with the approval OF At
torney General Clark.
Mr.. Fay said information reach
ing his Office over an extended pc
riod indicated organized gambling
horse betting, the numbers game
and other pursuits Of chance-was
crossing in excess Of $l00, 600 900 .
year in Washington.
When impaneling is completed.
the investigative body will begin its
work by hearing an exposition OF the
present gambling situation from Mr..
Fay and Assistant United States
Attorneys John w. Fihelly and
Charles B. Murray.
Meeting in Courtroom.
The special grand jury will meet
in secret in a courtroom of the Mu-
nicipal Court Criminal Division
Building.
There will be no announcement
of witnesses, and those heard will
become known only through being
recognized in entering the grand
Jury room. Police Supt. Robert j.
Barrett and other officials Of his
department are among those ex-
pected to testify.
The special grand jury will be able
to conduct its investigation on an
interstate basis through Federal
subpoena power crossing State lines.
During the last week. gambling
operators have been reported closing
down temporarily or conducting
business with increased caution. A
number of them. including at least
one major figure, have left the city
m "yacation"