Evening star., 1950-03-04
Warning Says He Discussed Crime Probe With Police Officials

~~0>S~o~S
ing police officers what the con
gressional crime probers were in
vestigating highlighted series o
charges and countercharges tosset
about yesterday at a public hear
ing.
Emmitt Warning was the witnes
who smoothly recounted his en-
counters with Police Inspector
George Wallrodt, Capt. Beverl,
Beach of the seventh precinct ane
Capt. Anthony Richitt, ex-com.
manding officer of the third pre-
cinct.
His testimony. along with
wrangling over times and dates
virtually smothered the main busi.
ness of the hearing before the
House District Subcommittee in.
vestigating Washington crime. The
emergency session had been calico
to determine the reasons behind
Capt. Richitt's transfer from the
third to the eighth precinct.
Charges Recorded.
The official charges on which
Police Chief Robert j. Barrett
said he based Capt. Richitt's trans
fer were put into the subcom-
mittee's record a matter of min
utes before the hearing ended at
7:30 pm. ...
Chairman Davis, however, Or
dered the charges kept secret un-
til Capt. Richitt makes his formal
reply. The chairman said both
sides of the controversy should
be aired simultaneously.
Capt. Richitt was handed the
summary of alleged complaints
after Maj. Barrett testified he had
not informed Capt. Richitt, either
before or after his transfer, of the
reasons given for his transfer in
the f1ve-page document.
At the same time, Specia.
Assistant Corporation Counse.
Daniel B. Maher. who prepared
the summary, said he would pro-
vide Capt. Richitt with the docu-
ments on which Mr.. Maher hac
based the summary. These docu-
ments, he said, were prepared by
Capt. Richitt's superior officers.
Warnings Visit Reported.
Capt. Richitt himself had laid
the groundwork for the contro-
versies aired at the hearing with a
sensational press conference the
night before the hearing. At that
time, he described a visit paid
him by Warning. During that
visit, he said, Warning told him
of receiving a call from Maj.
Barrett to the effect that the Con-
gressional investigators wanted to
know why there had been no
gambling arrests in the Third and
Seventh Precincts during the 1949
fiscal year.
From that jumping g-off point,
the subcommittee got these high
lights of testimony yesterday:
/. Maj. Barrett insisted he did
not even know the subcommittee
was concerned about the lack of
gambling arrests in the two pre-
cincts until February /.
2. Capt. Richett was equally in
sistent that he was called by Maj.
Barrett about the subcommittee S
concern and visited by Warning on
January 81.
8. Warning and Maj. Barrett
both emphatically denied they had
talked to each other about the
subcommittee no-gambling ar
rests complaints at any time.
Payoff Story Denied.
4. Capt. Richitt testified that
Warning indicated he wanted to
"pay me off Warning "posi-
lively" denied he had indicated
any such thing by word or ges-
ture and denied just as fatty that
he had ever given any money to a
policeman or requested any one to
make a pay-of for him.
S. Warning told the investiga-
tors he met Inspector Wall
rodt by appointment to ask
him if he had found out what the
Congressional investigators we're
doing or planning to do.
6. Inspector Wallrodt testified
he had met with Warning in a res
taurant but that Warning did not
ask him anything about the sub
committee.
7. Warning stood on his Con-
stitutional rights and refused to
answer questions relating to his
business. the jobs of some of his
friends and whether he has ever
paid bond premiums or legal fees
for persons arrested on gambling
charges. He fatty told the sub
committee he would claim immu-
nifty and thereby escape response
to a subpoena if the subcommit-
tee tried to subpoena his books
8. Under questioning, Warrinp
said he thinks the man he pays to
figure out his income tax is an
employe of the Bureau of Internal
Revenue. He identified the man
as Ward Burdine. At the home
of Ward P. Burdine, sr., 8 Ash
avenue, Takoma Park, Md, Mr.
Burdine's son said he works in the
Bureau of Internal Revenue. He
was not available for interviews
this morning.
9. For the first time, it was re-
vealed by both Warning and Maj
Barrett that the police chief knew
about the January 9 robbery OF
Warnings home the day it hap
pened, although reporters were
told three days later police had
received no complaint.
Warning 2 Hours on Stand.
The appearance of the one time
numbers kingpin before a SUBJ
committee that already has indi-
Gated its interest in gambling
prompted the investigators to dig