Evening star., 1950-03-05

appear AZ tHc nearing Win u
Barrett, Inspector John r. Je
not reported it, Mr.. Fischbach
asked him why he did not draw
attention to this matter before.
Il had no reason to-" replied
Capt. Ritchitt.
Before taking up Capt. Richitt's
nter-charges, the committee
delved further into Maj. Barrett's
order to Capt. Richitt to submit a
report on gambling in his precinct
during the 1949 fiscal year. 1t
had been brought out earlier that
Capt. Richitt sent in a report on
gambling offenses but all of them
occurred after the end of the
fiscal year.
Responsibility Debated.
Questioning of Capt. Richitt
and Maj. Barrett brought these
responses:
l. That Maj. Barrett never told
Capt. Richitt the report he sub
mitted was not what the major
wanted nor did the major ask the
captain to send in another report.
2. That the report turned in by
Capt. Beach, who was given the
same instructions also dealt only
with offenses after the end of the
fiscal year.
Capt. Richitt contended that as
precinct commander he had no
direct responsibility for vice en-
forcement until a new order came
out last July-after the end of
the fiscal year.
Mai. Barrett refuted that. He
read the subcommittee an order
dated October %. 1941. which
specified that precinct command
ers would be held responsible for
conditions in their precincts.
The subcommittee then went
back to one of the principal
points of Observation-Disclosures
Maj. Barrett called Capt. Richitt
on January 81 or February l to
say the subcommittee was con-
cerned about the lack of gambling
arrests in the Third and Seventh
Precincts. Capt. Richitt has con-
tended the call came on the
morning Of January 81 and that in
the afternoon of the same day
Emmitt Warning paid him a call
to say the boss" had told him
the subcommittee was concerned
about gambling in the two pre-
cincts.
To support the February l
contention. Maj. Barrett had the
subcommittee call Dave Herman.
public relations man, who testified
that he went to Richmond with
Mai. Barrett on January 81. Maj.
Barrett repeated his contention
that he could not have called
Capt. Richitt on January 81 be-
cause he was in Richmond.
Pvt. Ernest N. Reid of the
Third Precinct testified for the
January 81 date. He said he
knew that was the day Maj. Bar
rett called Capt. Richitt because
he recalled he tried to locate Capt.
Richitt when the major called and
did locate him by checking the vi
cinity of a call box from which
a corporal with Capt. Richitt had
called a few minutes earlier. A
check of the patrol signal system
book for January 81, he said,
showed that a call had been
made from that call box on the
morning of that day.
Most of yesterdays witnesses
argued with each other. Capt.
Beach, however, came into the
hearing with the obvious deter
mination to speak his piece.
g.. Asked About Barrett Query.
When the questioning got under
way, Capt. Beach was asked when
it was called to his attention that
no gambling arrests were reported
in his precinct for the 1949 fiscal
year. He said he couldn't recall
the exact date. He went on:
Maj. Barrett called me at my
precinct in the afternoon and told
me he had a complaint-and that
it was in the nature of a complaint
from the District Committee.
Capt. Beach said Maj. Barrett
told him Mr.. Fishbach had ex-
pressed interest in finding out
why no gambling arrests were re-
ported in No. during 1949.
In response to questions by Mr..
Fishbach, he said he must have
"misconstrued" Maj. Barrett If
the latter had said fiscal year 1949,
because he though the Major
meant the calendar year 1949.
In response to other question,
Capt. Beach said he Immediately
typed out a report in response to
Maj. Barrett's inquiry and dated
it January 81, 1850. He said il
there were any question as to
whether the conversation with
Maj. Barrett was on that date,
he would have to admit the pos.
sibility of a mistake, but could
offer only the date on his report
to support his recollection.
How do you explain that there
were no arrests?" Mr.. Fischbach
asked.
"I think the best way to explain
that is that there was no SUBJ
stantiai evidence obtained that
would substantiate the obtaining
of a search warrant or warrant
of arrest" Capt. Beach said.
i Mr.. Fischbach asked whether
Capt. Beach. ever had been told
either directly or indirectly by
any superior in the department