Evening star., 1949-01-13
! Police Chiefs
To Testify Today
In Ke|eher Trial
Race Wire Manager
Supports Story. on
Closing Of Office
K

tendent of Prince Georges County
police. and Police Chief Eugene
Plumer of Mount Rainier, are
scheduled to testify today in Dis
trict Court in the divorce suit
against John B. Black jack" Kele-
her. ST, of 2400 Sixteenth street
NV.
The Maryland police officials were
subpoenaed after Mrs. Anna r.
Keleher, 81. wife of the veteran
Washington gambler, testified her
husband told her he "had nothing
to fear from Chief Brown or Chief
Plumer" while he maintained gam
bling headquarters in the 1900 block
of Rhode Island avenue, Mount
Rainier.
Attorney James J. Laughlin, rep
resenting Mrs. Keleher, said he will
attempt to prove through testimony
of the two policemen that Mr..
Keleher is a well-known gambler
and that he has continued to oper-
ate the establishment on Rhode
Island avenue. despite his statement
that he has retired.
Commissioners Back Brown.
Chief Brown told the Prince
Georges County commissioners yes
terday that he visited the Rhode
Island avenue establishment with
squad of policemen Tuesday and
found it dusty and deserted. The
board gave him vote of confidence.
Mrs, Keleher's exposure of her
husbands gambling activities have
overshadowed all other issues in the
divorce trial. She is seeking a lin
tied divorce and maintenance on
grounds of cruelty.
Mr.. Keleher has countered with
cross suit for divorce on grounds
that his wife was cruel to him
when she took funds from his two
safe deposit boxes while he was
vacationing in Florida in January,
1916. He says she took $4,000, but
Mrs. Keleher has testified it wasn't
more than $4,000.
Race Wire Removed.
Mr.. Keleher's contention that he
retired from all connection with
gambling year ago received un-
expected support yesterday, when
the manager of sports wire which
furnishes race results testified that
Mr.. Keleher had the wire removed
from the Rhode Island avenue estab-
lishment in December, 1947.
The witness, Bilson Ing of Balti-
more, was called by Mr.. Laughlin.
He testified that, from January to
September Is, his firm collected $50
weekly from Mr.. Keleher for serv-
icing the Rhode Island avenue estab.
lishment. On the latter date, the
establishment stopped paying for
daily service, but continued to pay
$40 weekly for standby service until
the end of the year, he said
Mr. Laughlin introduced about
40 more telephone company records
yesterday to join the several hum
dred already in evidence. The rec
ords purport to show that the Rhode
Island avenue telephone was active
through December. 1948. and that
la number of long distance calls
were made to the Paterson IN. j.
headquarters of Frank Erickson
said to be the wealthiest gambl
in the United States.
Mrs. Blake Testiies.
Late yesterday, Mr.. Laugh
shifted back to earlier issues in
case, when he called Mrs. Do
thy Blake, attractive 44-year-
divorce of the Dorchester HouS
in the 2400 block of Sixteenth sire,
NV, to the stand.
She said she has known N
Keleher for II to IA years.
Mr. Laughlin told Judge Tam
he hoped to show that Mr.. Kele
spent large sums of money on N
Blake. She testified that she
ceives her income from stocl
which she bought while working Il
20 years as an executive of a bakery
chain.
Mr.. Keleher denied he ever spent
any large sums on Mrs Blake, but
he admitted he pays $40 a month
garage rent for her car.
She had offered to pay me for
the garage rent" he explained but
she has been so nice about inviting
me to dinner and breakfast at her
apartment that would be ashamed
to take it,"