Evening star., 1950-03-09
Perjury Charge in Rick,itt Case Studied
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tainly was not there on the morn
ing in question. After reporting
to the precinct at 8 o'clock, I went
to the rear of Blair House and
directly from there to a restaurant
near Eighteenth and L streets
NV.
1T was there I received mes
sage to call Maj. Barrett and ]
called him around 9 o'clock or a
few miutes later.
Policemen Refuse Comment.
Capt. Richitt fatty denied max
ing any erasures in the patrol sig
nal system book. He also denied
that he knew anything about an
alteration of the book.
Corpl. Causey and Pvt. Reid
said they had nothing to say.
Pvt. Reid spent most of yester-
day undergoing questioning at
police headquarters and at the
third precinct. Also questioned
was Pvt. James Salt of the third
precinct. Mr.. Maher said Pvt.
Reid had been confronted with
Pvt. Salt after Pvt. Reid told the
investigators Pvt. Salt admitted
to him he had made the erasures.
Pvt. Salt, said Mr.. Maher, denied
ever making such a statement to
Pvt. Reid.
Mr.. Maher read a prepared
statement and answered questions
at last nights press conference,
while Maj. Barrett sat silently be-
hind the big desk in his Office or
paced about impatiently when the
session was prolonged.
Barrett Calls Interview.
The interview was called by
Maj. Barrett, after he and Mr..
Maher discussed the alleged rec
ord book alterations with Chair
man Davis and officials of the
House subcommittee.
Others present during the dis
cussion Tuesday, Mr.. Maher said
in his prepared statement, were
Special Counsel Hyman I. Fisch-
bach; his assistant, John Woog,
and Sergt. Louis Peters, Maj.
Barrett's secretary.
The record book, Mr.. Maher
continued, was examined by a
handwriting and ink Identification
expert not connected with the Po-
lice Department. He refused to
identify the expert.
The report was discussed fur
ther with Chairman Davis yester-
day afternoon, it was said.
"Mr. Davis has conferred with
other members of his subcom-
mittee," Mr.. Maher stated, land
they are of the opinion that this
subcommittee should not hold pub
lie hearings" on conflicts in tes-
timony Friday and Saturday be-
fore the House group.
ID. C. Government Jurisdiction.
1t was agreed, Mr.. Maher said,
that the matter lay within juris-
diction of the District government
and not the subcommittee.
Finishing his written statement,
Mr.. Maher said that. on Tuesday
morning, Maj. Barrett received
information from a member of
the Police Department that, on
Saturday at approximately 4
O'Clock, he was listening to the
radio broadcast of the proceedings
before the subcommittee"
Mr.. Maher continued: i
I'm the course of the broad
cast, the officer stated, he heard
Mr.. Fischbach ask how long it
would take to bring the patrol
system book from No. 3 Precinct
to the Capitol. The reply given
by Pvt. Reid was that it would
require about half an hour.
This officer" (Mr. Maher de-
clined to name him) was at
tached to No. 8, and he went to
the precinct to make sure that
the 4 o'clock roll call would be
recorded on the book before it
was taken to the Capitol.
Notes Erasures.
when he looked at the book
for January 81, he observed that
certain erasures had been made
on the first line of space follow
ing the name of Capt. Richitt. He
observed other erasures on the
second and third lines of the book.
They apparently had been made
with an ink eradicator and not
an eraser.
''The book was placed in pos
session of Maj. Barrett Tuesday
afternoon. Mr.. Maher said the
conference with Chairman Davis
and committee officials followed,
and later the book was delivered
to the expert.
1t was found that, on the page
for Tuesday, January 81, Mr..
Maher said, that "erasures were
4IdoC Will SIlCllllCdlS Oll GllG llISl
column after the name of Capt.
Richitt and in front of the names
of Sergt. Gernhofer, A. B., Act
ing It.. and Corpl. Causey, G. E.
photographs were made of the
page to preserve the evidence be-
fore examination" Mr.. Maher
said, including normal size pictures
and enlargements.
THE eradicator was applied in
such quantities." Mr.. Maher con-
tinued. that the impression of
written lines remaining must be
handled with care or they will be
further destroyed"
Lines Made Visible.
Nevertheless, he said, the treat
ment of the expert restored the
lines to visibility under proper
lighting and angle of observation.
Before the erasure, it was said,
there appeared opposite Capt.
Richitt's name the notation "32"
for Call Box 80 at Twentieth
n