Evening star., 1949-11-30
ParneII Thomas Drops
Not-GuiIty Plea 10
Kickback Charges
Continued From First Page.)

cess. Mr.. Collins conferred with
the judge and prosecution staff
during the recess.
When the judge and opposing
counsel returned to the court
room Mr.. Collins arose and ad-
dressed the court:
THE defendant, Thomas. desires
to enter plea of nolle contendere.
It is my understanding the Gov
ernment has no objection"
District Attorney George Morris
Fay said the Government had no
objection and the court then &C
cepted the plea.
Attorney John Fitzpatrick asked
that the conspiracy charge against
Miss Campbell be dismissed.
Judge Holtzof then replied, 1T
seems to the court that in view Of
the fact that defendant Campbell
acted merely as an employe and
did not personally profit from the
transactions, and in Niew of the
fact that she made a free, frank
and full statement, the ends Of
justice would be served if the Gov
eminent would move for the dis
missal of the charge against her"
Acted Under "Compulsion."
Mr.. Fay agreed and the charge
was dismissed. .,
Miss Campbell contended at
the beginning of the trial Monday
that all of her acts were under
"compulsion" from Thomas due
to their employee employer rela-
tionship.
Mr.. Fitzpatrick told the court
then that it was true that Miss
Campbell had arranged for a
niece. Myra Midkif, now Mrs.
Dean D. Chilson, and her maid,
Annette Minor, to go on Thomas
pay roll. The government con-
tended that neither ever did any
real work; that their salary
checks were deposited to Miss
Campbell's account in a bank
here, and that Miss Campbell in
turn transferred funds to Thomas
bank account at Allen-Dale. N. j..
Thomas change of plea came
when the Government was ready
to put Mrs. Chilson and Miss
Minor on the stand.
Just before that, Frederick D..
Vechery, an FBI accountant at
tached to the Washington field
Office, testified he had examined
bank and payroll records and
these bore out in detail Miss
Campbell's statement to him about
how the congressional payrolls
had been padded.
S8,872 Paid Out.
The expert testified he had
totaled Government payroll checks
which showed S8.872 had been
paid out in. Government checks
issued in the names of Miss Mid
kiff, Miss Minor and Mrs. Hill.
Mr.. Vechery testified that so
Federal checks issued to Mrs.
Chilson totalled s6,14s80 over a
period beginning January 1. 1910,
and ending in January of 1945
Checks totalling $375 were issued
in the name Of Miss Minor, while
the checks showed Mrs. Hill drew
$1.467 while listed on Thomas
Office staff and $3.50 more while
she was supposed to be working
for the Committee on Un-Ameri-
can Activities.
The witness said that Sc or so
checks issued to Mrs. Chilson had
been indorsed by Miss Campbell
and deposited to her personal ac-
count at a branch of the City
Bank here.
Mr.. Vechery told the jury of
six men and six women that the
bank records here bore out Miss
Campbell's statement that she
sent her personal check to
Thomas bank at Allendale within
a few days after depositing the
Government checks. and for ap-
proximately the same amounts.
Paid Difference in Cash.
The witness declared the record
Of, the First National Bank at
Allendale showed that these
checks from Miss Campbell were
deposited to Thomas personal ac-
count, according to her instruc-
tions. The FBI agent said Miss
Campbell told him Thomas or
dered her to round off" the
amounts and pay him the diff
ference in cash or use the cash
for petty Office expenses.
The last witness was Edward
Hamilton, cashier of the Allendale
Bank. who was identifying the
checks received at his bank from
Miss Campbell and testifying as
to Thomas accounts at his bank
when the recess was ordered. Mr..
Hamilton had identified As of the
checks and was still on the stand
when the jury was excused for a
brief rest.
The story of how Miss Campbell
received payroll checks from her
niece and later from her maid.
and transferred the money to
the personal account of Mr.
Thomas first was related in detail
to the jury yesterday by Mr..
Vechery.
Says Relatives Involved.
He said Miss Campbell also told
him, during interviews in Wash
ington and New Orleans last Sep
tember that Mr.. Thomas had on
his Office payroll a 71-year-old
bed-ridden relative and still an
other relative who lived in New
Jersey. -
The FBI agent said Miss Camp
bell told him that Grace Wilson