Evening star., 1949-03-29
Court 10 Hear
Plea Today for
Train Bandit
Mother to Tell Story
In Effort to Minimize
Ashton's Sentence
By Jones J. CuIIinone
by Jones }. SuIllnone
Stor Stoff Correspondent

stof stoff Correspondent
FAIRMONT, w. Va, Mar. 90
A mothers love for her wayward
son will be called upon by defense
counsel in Federal Court here
today, in an effort to minimize
the punishment facing George L.
Ashton, 20, for his part in the
armed robbery of a Baltimore &
Ohio passenger train on March 8.
Ashton, who was captured in
Washington, when his partner.
Luman Ransdell, %, was shot by
police the day following the rob-
berry, is scheduled to be arranged
before Judge Harry Watkins in
the United States Court for the
Northern District of West Vir-
ginia later today.
Ashton has arranged to plead
guilty to an indictment charging
violation of the anti-racketeering
provisions of the Federal law.
forbidding interference with COM
mon carriers in interstate COM
merce. The maximum penalty he
faces is 20 years Imprisonment
and a fine of $4,000.
Mother First Witness.
Attorney John Webster OF
Washington said Judge Watkins
has agreed to hear testimony Of
fered in mitigation of the crime.
The first witness the lawyer will
call will be Mrs. Ruth Ashton
Unger of Youngstown, Ohio,
mother of the accused youth.
Mrs. Unger will tell the judge.
according to Mr.. Webster, that
her son, eldest of three children,
never had a chance" in the en-
vironment that led to her divorce
from her first husband.
Mr.. Webster said Mrs. Unger
will go fully into the circum-
stances which led to her son be-
ing declared ward of the Juve-
nile Court in Youngstown when
ne was only IL.
He is hopeful, Mr.. Webster said,
that Judge Watkins will weigh the
chances of socially rehabilitating
the youthful train robber against
the possibility that a maximum
sentence might result in his be-
coming another Dillinger" when
he is finally released from prison.
Agreed to Guilty Plea.
Ashton agreed to plead guilty to
the Federal charge, it was learned.
in preference to taking his chances
standing trial in West Virginia
State Court on charges of armed
robbery. The maximum penalty
under this charge is life imprison-
ment in the State penitentiary.
Ashton, and his relatively WELL
to-do companion, Ransdell, we're
en- route home from a vacation in
Florida, when they terrorized and
robbed about 100 passengers on a
crack express train of the Balti-
more & Ohio Railroad near Mar
tinsburg, w. Va.
The youths were drinking in a
club car, when they became in
volved in an argument with a
steward over the quality of their
drinks.
Breaking off the argument, the
youths returned to their seats in
a day coach and obtained guns
from their luggage. Then they
went methodically through several
coaches, lining up the passengers
and forcing them to hand over
their valuableS. Four passengers
who were slow in obeying the rob-
bers' orders we're whipped about
the face with guns.
Got Less Than $1,000.
After obtaining less than 81 1000,
the youths pulled the trains emer-
gency cord and alighted. In the
course of their flight to Washing
ton, they stole two automobiles
dllO lOUUCO d VCoG v IL l1l1d OdfCl lie
The driver of a bus on which
the two gunmen completed their
trip to Washington gave police the
"tip" that resulted in their arrest
in a pawnbroker's exchange in the
2100 block of Pennsylvania avenue
NV. They had entered the estab-
lishment to buy suitcases and new
clothing.
Ransdell was shot in the abdo-
men by Policeman Elwood G. Lo-
max of No. 3 precinct, when he
drew a gun. When he RECEIVERS
sufficiently from his wound, Rams
dell will be brought here for ar
He already has in
dicated a desire to plead guilty to
the Federal charge, rather than
face the sitter State law.