Evening star., 1950-02-22
Crime Probe Recesses
With Completion Of
Bottle Club Phase
BY Miriom Gutenberg and
J. Theodore Grown

pollce testify the CLUBS are detrl-
mental to the community and
Legitimate business"
The House District subcommit-
tee investigating Washington crime
and its punishment was in recess
today, and no further meetings
are scheduled for this week.
There was no announcement
made on when the public hearings
will be resumed, but it was point
ed out the subcommittee has not
yet finished delving into the work
of the Police Department.
After that, according to the pre-
viously announced schedule, it will
go into the work of the prosecu-
tors, courts, probation officers and
parole officers.
To Hear Bondsmen.
In addition, a committee source
said the subcommittee still plans
to hear from some bondsmen in
connection with who pays the
bond premiums for arrested gam
blers.
Other special studies, such as
the three-day hearings on after
hours clubs. are also likely.
AS the questioning of bottle club
operators was winding up yester-
day, police were called to cite in
stances of law violations in the
clubs. The description of one in
cident brought shouted contra
dictions from Albert Glickfield,
president of the Gold Key Club
in the 600 block of E street NV.
His shouts came when Capt.
Howard V. Covell of No. precinct
described a 1948 raid on the club,
which brought charges of illegal
sale of whisky and a 5000 fine.
Capt. Covell said an analysis of
the conf1scated whisky, which was
later returned to the club, showed
that II bottles had been refilled
with another brand of whisky
from that on the label. He said
further that comparison of
club membership cards with the
names on the bottles showed that
$50 bottles had the names of
members on them and 223 bottles
had names for which there we're
no matching membership cards.
Some of the names on the latter
bottles were patiently fake names,
he added.
Denies Whiskey in Gases.
Mr.. Glickfield held his peace
until Capt. Covell said he found
s232 worth of whiskey in cases.
The whiskey, he said, came from
the Mid-City Liquor Store. A
check there, he added, brought
the information that the proprie-
tor had sold this whiskey. to a
cousin in Philadelphia but had
neglected to make a record of the
sale.
At that point. Mr.. Glickfeld
turned on Capt Covell.
There wasn't a case there, "he
shouted. You put the bottles in
cases. And every bottle had a
name on it,"
Some of them were fake
names" Capt. Covell retorted.
There were no fake Names"
Mr.. Glickfield shot back.
1t. Blick Heard.
1t. Roy Blick, head of the
Vice Squad, said prostitutes fire.
quent some of the after-hours
clubs. He also said that, in most
of the clubs, "if you are known
or vouched for you can buy drinks
without any difficulty"
Most of the police testimony
came after the subcommittee had
finished hearing operators and
former operators of after-hours
clubs. They included:
Richard O'Connell and Eugene
Augusterfer, who with Thomas
Wiman, operate the Turf and Grid
Club in the 1900 block of Four
teenth street NV; Garrett Fran
els Quinn, president and general
manager of the Atlas Club and
William Edwards, who owned the
noW-defunct Stardust Whist Club.
Mr. O'Connen said, in answer to
questions, that he and his asso-
ciates had been running the club
as business, that no one was ad-
mitted to the club who was not a
member or accompanied by
member and that unescorted
women were not admitted. a.
When Mr.. O'Connell said the
three organizers had gotten their
legal advice from Attorney Charles
E. Ford, a ripple of laughter went
through the committee room.
Subcommittee investigators have
told OF trying, without success, to
get IN touch with Mr.. Ford since
last Friday. They have been told
Mr.. Ford went to Florida on Fri
day, returned here on Saturday to
attend a funeral and went back to
Florida on Monday.
Club Breaking Even."
Special Counsel Hyman I. Fisch-
bach gave Mr.. O'Connell an elab-
crate statement on his rights not
to answer questions about what
MIR. O'Connell had said to Mr..
Ford and vice versa. Mr.. O'Con-
nell replied he wanted to answer
any question Mr.. Fishbach put to
him. He then told of getting legal
advice as to how to get club
charter.
Mr.. Augusterfer, former Cath
olic University football star and
athletic coach at St. Johns Col
lege, said that when the club was
organized, its founders wanted to
give an annual scholarship to
send needy boy to college. He
said none has been sent to college
by the club. Financially, he said,
the club is "just about breaking