Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1950-11-06
Judge Tamm TO Nam
Attorney 10 Defend
Puerto Rican Rebel

A. Iamm today Will appoint an
attorney to defend Oscar Collazo
the Puerto Rican revolutionist
held for the murder of White
House Policeman Pvt. Leslie Cot
felt.
The jurist announced he will
make the appointment after hear
ing Attorney William E. Leahy
report on a conference with the
would assassin of President
Truman. Mr.. Leahy was serving
as an Officer of the court" ap-
pointed after officials had been
unable to learn from Collazo if
he intended to provide for his
own legal defense.
In an interview with Collazo al
his Gallinger Hospital jail ward
Saturday, Mr.. Leahy reported. the
Puerto Rican at first said he
wanted his wife, Rosa, to arrange
for lawyer.
Uncertain Where Friends Are.
Mr.. Leahy told the court he
asked Collazo If he knew his wife
was being held in New York in
lieu of $4,000 bail on a conspiracy
charge, and that Collazo answered
he had not been told of this. In
that case. the lawyer said, he
asked if Collazo wanted to have
a friend arrange for an attorney
To that. Mr.. Leahy reported, Col
lazo said he didn't know just
where my friends would be in
New York now"
Collazo then agreed that he
wanted the court to appoint an
attorney, if efforts to have his
wife make the arrangements were
not successful, Mr.. Leahy report
ed. He added that he so advised
United States Attorney George
Morris Fay on Saturday.
FINELY Suggests Move.
John w. FINELY. chief Assistant
United States Attorney. told Judge
Tamm that Mr.. Fay got in touch
with New York authorities, and
they quoted Mrs. Collazo as say
ing she did not have any money.
MIR. FINELY recommended that
Judge Tamm appoint a defense
lawyer since he (Collazo) prob
ably will be charged with first de-
gree murder"
Mr.. Fay told reporters earlier
he expected to present the Collazo
case to the grand jury this week
and ask for first-degree murder
indictment. A conviction under
this statute carries the death
penalty.
Visitors Cause Scare.
Last night four Virginia youths
who got lost in Gallinger created
a general Juror when they wan
dered too near Collazo's second
floor jail ward.
Reports got out that four wild
eyed, foreign-looking" men were
trying to storm the heavily
guarded room.
The four Immediately were ar
rested by District police and a
deputy marshal on guard there,
and Secret Service agents were
summoned hurriedly to question
them. 1t was quickly learned, Of
flcials said, that the men had
visited a relative in the hospital
and had lost their way when it was
time to leave. They were re-
leased from custody shortly be-
fore midnight.
/ A Secret Service spokesman
said the men actually did not ap-
proach the heavily guarded ward
But the fact that they were
wandering in a corridor where
they weren't supposed to be, and
were peering into rooms, was
enough to raise suspicion" he
added.
Early Transfer Indicated.
United States Marshal w. Bruce
Matthews said he thought Col
lazo would be transferred from
Gallinger to the District Jail las
soon as his medical condition
warrants it." Routine policy. he
said. is that prisoners are kept
at Gallinger only until they can
be moved safely.