Evening star., 1949-11-28
Trial Of Kopel
And PIummer
Gets Under Way
Chief U. S. Witness
Heard in Charges Of
Betting at HommeI's

1lS 5oAkASAAA1S
case against Harry Kopel and
Walter C. Danny Plummer of
Hammels Restaurant got under
way in District Court today with
the prosecution chief witness,
Wilfred D. Barrett, on the witness
stand.
A jury is hearing the case be-
fore Judge Richmond Keech. Both
Kopel, co-owner of the restaurant
at 416 Tenth street NV, and
Plummer, waiter there, are
charged in a f1ve-count indict-
ment with horse betting activities
at Hammel's for several months
before United States Attorney
George Morris Fay's anti-gam-
bling raids here and in the sub
urbs last March 25.
Mr.. Barrett, a clerk in the
United States attorneys Office.
has the status of the Govern
ment's star" witness on the basis
of his undercover Investigations in
the restaurant, starting last Janu-
ary.
He testified that on at least
three occasions he saw apparent
horse betting transactions there
directly involving Plummer, and
the witness added that some Of
these were conducted in Kopels
presence.
Reports Placing Bets.
Mr.. Barrett said that on two
occasions he and a stenographer.
also employed in the United States
attorneys Office. visited the res
taurant, where they had lunch on
two dates just before Mr.. Fay's
raid.
On March II. Mr.. Barrett testi-
fled, his companion, Edith Wild
rick, placed a bet with Plummer
on horse named Busy World.
Plummer then handed the bet
money over to man named
Doc" who then went across the
street from Hammel's and shortly
afterWard returned with payof
money, according to testimony.
Six days later, the witness con-
tinued, he and Miss Wildrick
placed another bet with Plummer
who interrupted a conversation
between Kopel and a man known
only as "F. B." Mr.. Barrett said
that IF. B." took the money from
Plummer, in Kopel's presence and
that "F. B." left the restaurant
with it ostensibly to place another
bet. Mr.. -Barret did not say how
this bet panned out.
Earlier the witness told of a
day in January when he observed
Hammel's from a second-hoo
vantage point in a building di-
rectly across the street. Although
a sign on Hammel's front door in
dicated that the restaurant would
remain closed from 2 to pm.
Mr.. Barrett said he observed
patrons" enter and leave the
place from 20 to 80 times during
those hours. Other persons, he
noted, were turned away from the
door.
Visit of Fish Described.
During the same day he said
he also saw man named Henry
Fish enter by the front door of
Hammel's. Fish. he added. fire.
quented Hammels and was seen
travelling between the restaurant
and a building across the street
identified as "Jimmy's."
Henry Fish also was charged
with gambling law violations in
the March Is raids, but the in
dictment was dismissed earlier
this month with no objections by
the Government, which admitted
it had insufficient evidence against
the defendant.
Under further questioning by
Prosecutor Arthur Mclaughlin,
Mr.. Barrett testified that on
March "a he saw Fish talk with
Kopel at a counter in the res
taurant on which Fish had placed
several piles of bills"
Attorney Alvin L. Newmyer is
representing Kopel, while Attor-
nies T. Emmett Mckenzie and
Leonard L. Leimback are counsel
for Plummer.