Evening star., 1948-03-15
Meyers
Continued From First Page.)


substantiated by the defense.
Meyers was convicted on all three
counts in the subornation of per-
jury indictment. After appearing
before the Senate subcommittee,
Lamarre admitted later that he
lied in saying that Meyers had no
financial interest in the Aviation
Electric Co. of Dayton, Ohio, of
which Lamarre was wartime
dummy" president.
Lamarre has pleaded guilty to
perjury before the committee, but
has not been sentenced.
Perjury Case Continued.
Meyers also was indicted on per-
jury charges, but this case was con-
tinued indefinitely by Justice Holt
zoff on motion of United States
Attorney George Morris Fay. Meyers
was to have gone on trial today on
these charges.
Mr.. Fay explained the Govern
ment decided to move for con-
tinuance rather than dismissal of
the Indictment in order that the
perjury charge could be held over
the head of the defendant.
Today's session for the sentencing
lasted almost As minutes and in
cluded vigorous arguments by De-
fense Counsel Robert T. Bushnell
and equally vigorous comments by
Justice Holtzoff.
Jaunty Air Apparently Gone.
Meyers arrived at the court room
Is minutes early. He seemed to have
lost some of his jaunty air that he
kept throughout the Senate sub
committee investigation and during
his trial.
AS he came up the courthouse
steps he kept his head down. Much
of the old bounce seemed gone
His pretty wife, the former movie
actress Ila Ray Curnett, was absent
from the courtroom.
Meyers stood erect and apparently
unmoved as Justice Holtzoff SEN
fenced him. He will be eligible to
apply for a parole after serving one
third of the maximum five-year
sentence. This would be 20 months,
the equivalent of the minimum SEN
tence.
Justice Holtzoff said the former
general was guilty of a very grave
and serious offense." The maximum
sentence he could have imposed was
30 years.
Judge Explains Action.
He noted that Meyers was in
dicted under the District perjury
statute which has a ten-year max
imum penalty, whereas the general
Federal statute has maximum of
five years. He explained that under
the new Federal court rules, he had
discretion in deciding whether to
impose sentence under either of the
statutes.
In this instance, he explained, he
decided to act under the Federal
statute because he regarded the Of
fense as having been committed
before Federal agency, the Senate
subcommittee, outside the District.
Mr.. Bushnell opened the session
by announcing that Meyers seeks
no favored treatment at the hands
of this or any court. but he Is en-
titled to have his record taken into
consideration as is every one else
brought before an American court
for the first time"
Awards to Meyers Stressed.
Mr.. Bushnell read the citations
for the Distinguished Service Medal
and the Legion of Merit awarded to
Meyers in November, 1945. These
decorations were revoked by the
Army after the Senate hearings last
November.
What is the purpose of a SEN
tence against a man with this rec
cro?" Mr.. Bushnell asked. "Is it to
appease the howl of hungry pack
that has been whipped up into a
frenzy to seek the blood of a par
ticular defendant at the moment? ?
Is it to satisfy public demand for
a pound of hesh?"
The motion for the new trial as
serted among other things that
Justice Holtzof had displayed i'm
patience against defense counsel"
Justice Holtzoff replied he had
given defense counsel every lee
way during the trial and referred
to the "insinuations" that Meyers
had been blackmailed by Lamarre.
Probably no one was more sur
prised than the court was when de-
fense counsel, after making those
intimations, failed to put on the
stand any witness to back up such
charges the justice commented.
Meyers was then taken from the
courtroom and, as the barred door
in the courthouse basement closed
on the former general, he smiled
wanly at newspapermen. He had
nothing to say. '