Evening star., 1950-12-23
Hughes Renews
plea atoKefauver
On Crime Probe
Maryland Legislator
Seeks Investigation
In Prince Georges

" ~ ~ go
William r. (Huck) Hughes,
member -elect of the Maryland
House of Delegates, today renewed
a request to the Senate Crime
Investigating Committee, to come
ito the grass roots of big time
crime" in Prince Georges County.
Mr.. Hughes, a Republican,
pointed to Thursdays State police
raids in Anne Arundel and Howard
Counties. Eleven persons were
charged with gambling as a result
of the raids.
The raids on two crime syndi-
cate headquarters just over the
Prince Georges County line give
the answer to Senator Estes Ke-
fauver and his Crime Investigating
Committee as far as Prince
Georges County is concerned"
Mr.. Hughes said. THE Senator
dropped the crime potato back
into our lap last week"
Cant Beat Problem Alone"
Senator Kefauver, who I be-
lieve gave very fair consideration
to our request for a committee
probe of crime and political COL
lusion under the long Democratic
Party rule here, said last week that
we should try to clean it up our
selves.
But Thursdays raids .. should
show the Senator why we cannot
beat this problem alone" Mr..
Hughes continued.
The technique of the syndicate
is to keep moving across lines from
Anne Arundel to Howard to Prince
Georges in the very strategic area
of Laurel where the three counties
border one another. The syndi-
cate has moved over the Prince
Georges County line. When things
settle down, they can again shut
tie back and forth.
This type of maneuver stymies
our law enforcement officers. And
the multi-million dollar gambling
racket that emanates from the
Nations capital and dirties up
Prince Georges will continue. We
can't cross county lines to get at
the gambling fraternity but Sem
ator Kefauver can.
Passed Data to Senator.
II have channeled much infor-
nation to the Senator Especially
about the spots just raided with
the national wire service or
ticker which the racket boys keep
shutting back and forthD
Therefore. renew my request
for Senator Kefauver to come over
here to the grass roots of big time
crime and the lines leading into
the District" Mr.. Hughes said.
I The crime investigation commit
tee was informed in advance of a
gambling raid near Laurel. State S
Attorney James c. Morton of Anne
Arundel County said yesterday.
Mr.. Morton also explained why
county police weren't called on to
participate. 1T was in the nature
of a bi-county raid, and so it was
felt that the State police rather
than the county authorities should
handle it."
The apartment building in which
five men and four women were
arrested Thursday is near the
Prince Georges County line.
Notified Months Ago.
Mr.. Morton said the committee
had oeen notified months ago Of
the impending raid The commit
tee is trying to find links in re-
ported Nation wide crime hookup.
The States attorney said the
Laurel raid might give leads to
other gambling places" the AS
sociated Press reported from Bal
timore.
Neither the police chief nor
sheriff of Anne Arundel County
had known beforehand of the raid.
Mr.. Morton said the lengthy in
vestigation required before the raid
was believed to be beyond the
powers of the undermined Anne
Arundel County police department.
Released on Bail.
The nine persons arrested were
released on $4,000 bail each. Mr..
Morton said they will be given
hearings early next month on
charges of lottery and bookmak-
ing.
A simultaneous raid was made
in Ellicott City in Howard County
by State police and the sheriff.
They arrested two men and
charged them with bookmaking.
Among those arrested in the
Laurel raid was Patrick J. Clarke,
56, of Baltimore. He had served
six months in Jail after a raid last
year on the RocWay Towers on the
Washington boulevard. He was
convicted as operator of the
Towers as a gambling establish
ment.