Evening star., 1949-12-09
Three Police Officers
Expected 10 Testify al
AcaIotti Trial Today
By w. n. Shipper

Trial OF Attilio Acalotu on
charges of two attempts to in
timidate a Government witness
was to be resumed in District
Court this afternoon. with the de-
Tense prepared to call three police
officers named In testimony as
having received "pay-offs" from
gamblers.
Judge Alexander Holtzoff ex-
cused the jury this morning while
he disposed OF other court mat
ters. 1
The officers, according to De-
fense Counsel Charles E. Ford,
will have an opportunity to an
swer charges of the prosecutions
chief informer, Miss Bernice
Franklin. IS. who has admitted
she lived with Acalotti before
turning against him.
Other defense witnesses were
to be two employees of a drug
store on Thomas Circle near the
news stand operated by Acalotti.
a..
The defendant is under three
additional indictments on gam
bling charges in connection with
widespread raids here and in
Maryland on March Is. based
largely on information furnished
by Miss Franklin. Trials under
the indictments have been set
tentatively for next month.
Testifies on Activities.
Miss Franklin, an attractive
red-headed waitress, who had
worked in q restaurant near
Thomas Circle, named five police
officers In her version of Acalotti's
alleged gambling activities.
She testified under examina-
ton by Assistant United, States
Attorney William Hitz that Aca-
lotti and several associates in
numbers and horse race bets met
regularly in the Office of Herman
Cohen. street sales manager of
The Times-Herald.
She said the men settled up
their accounts there.
Miss Franklin at first partly
identified five policemen, 80.
she said, took graft money from
Acalotti. In response to a ques-
ton from Judge Alexander Holt
zoff. however, she narrowed the
names down to three.
Names Detective.
Miss Franklin said one of the
policemen was a No. 2 Precinct
detective named Burns, another
was Officer Morrison of No. 2, and
the third. Sergt. Fridette, whom
she described as a might hawk"
Asked to explain, she added he
was supposed to check on the Of
f1cers on night duty to see they
were not "out on their feet"
Miss Franklin, a divorcee and
mother Of six children, told the
jury of six men and six women
she lived with Acalotti in his
apartment in the 900 block of |
Fourteenth street NV. from Feb
ruary, 1913, until shortly after
Thanksgiving of that year.
She kept up the association
Occasionally" for several months
thereafter, she said. The witness
declared she helped Acalotti
operate his gaming activities.
She left Acalotti when he re-
fused to quit the gambling racket.
she said. Miss Franklin first told
her story Of Acalotti's activities
to The Washington Post in Feb
ruary. 1948, and on March l she
testified before a special grand
jury investigating gaming.
Her story that Acalotti threat
ened to have her face dashed
in when she telephoned him
three days after appearing before
the grand jury was backed yes
terday by two other mattresses
employed in the Thomas Circle
area, Miss Ruth Ensor and Miss
Nola Andrews, who shared an
apartment in the 1900 block of
Twelfth street NV.
The latter two witnesses told
the jury Acalotti was in their |
apartment when the call came
through to him and that they |
heard him address the other party
as "Bernice" and say to her he
would "bash" her up unless she
kept her mouth shut and quit
bothering him.