Evening star., 1950-02-17
Crime Probe
Continued From First Page.)

Crime Probe
Continued From First Page.)
stein when he told him yester-
day:
II think you should see some
of the people you've written bonds
for in this committee ROOM
The first four of more than a
dozen bondsmen and their agents
took the witness stand yesterday.
The rest of them have been told
to come back today for a hearing
beginning at 1870 pm.
From the first four, the sub
committee got these results:
Isaac B. Jones said he recog-
nized some of the names reeled
off by Mr.. Fischbach as persons
who had called him to arrange
bonds. One of those he recog-
nized was identified only as
Xxx"
James H. Conroy testified to
bailing out a self-styled ex-num-
bers writer who, his record card
showed. was recommended by
XXX"
Refuses to Give Names.
Meyer Weinstein conceded the
arrested numbers writer's don't
always pay their own bond pre-
miums but under nearly an hour
of sometimes heated examination
he refused to name a single indi-
vidual who put up the money for
somebody else.
Louis Weinstein, 73-year- old
father Of Meyer, said he owned
the property listed as the assets
for his sons bonding company
but didn't write any bonds in
Washington himself.
In the midst of calling bonds
men, the subcommittee paused to
see the picture from the other
side-from the viewpoint Of an
arrested numbers man.
This witness, John. A Edwards
of the 1400 block of Euclid street
NV, told how he was arrested
one noontime in April, 1947, for
possession of numbers slips. With
in an hour of his arrest, he said,
he was out on bond though he
hadn't made a move to help him.
self.
Promised Aid of "Boss."
He testified he had been told
during his one-month sally into
the numbers business that if he
was ever arrested "the boss would
take care of me-" That hearten-
ing word. he said, came from
man he knew as King" who in
troduced him to numbers writing.
When he was arrested, he said,
the arresting officer, without be-
ing asked, got in touch with a
bondSman for him.
The subcommittee at that point
called Mr.. Conroy, who said he
didn't know who had telephoned
him to bail out Edwards, but
whoever it was had told him to
take Edwards to the Office of At
torney Charles E. Ford. The bond
card on Edwards, the subcommit-
tee brought out, showed he was
recommended by XXX"
Edwards went on to testify that
in Mr.. Ford's office a lawyer asked
him how he got into trouble.
II told him a plainclothesman
put marked money on me-a dime
and quarter. He asked me,
Why did you do it?' I told him
I thought he was all right"
Asked Nothing in Court.
In court the next morning, he
added, II wasn't even asked any
thing. 1t was $50 or 60 days"
The lawyer, he said, gave him
the $50. He added, in answer to
questions, that he was never asked
to pay that back, never paid the
bond premium himself and never
paid legal fee.
The subcommittee ordered Mr..
Jones records searched, since Mr..
Conroy is Mr.. Jones agent, but
an examination failed to reveal
who paid the $3.50 bond pre-
MUM.
Edwards was excused from
further testifying, after being
asked about his current status.
He testified he is a guard at the
City Post Office.
Lawrence Testifies.
Another view of the bondsman-
prisoner relationship in gambling
cases was provided by United
States Commissioner Cyril S. Law
renee, who testified he sets the
majority of the bonds in gambling
cases.
Usually, he said, the bondsman
gets to his Office before the de-
fendant. In the great majority
of cases. he added, the defendants
do not know who their bonds
man or their lawyer is. He said
he had heard defendants men,