Evening star., 1951-10-22

Iuted to the accident.
cinct was the gateway to Prince
Georges County.
At the time. Maj. Callahan at
tributed the transfer to what he
termed "unsavory connections
made by the police officer while
he VISA in charge of the Eleventh
Precinct.
Lowry on Force 28 Years.
A week before the transfer, the
police gambling squad had broken
up a reported $4,000 a day
gambling establishment within
a block of the station house.
Lowry was a veteran of % years
on the Washington force when
he retired on physical disability
in 1947. He had served in the
Eleventh Precinct from 1885 until
his retirement and had once
shared an apartment with In
ISpector Bullock.
Sergt. Kirby has been on the
force since 1888 and is said to
be close friend of Lowry.
Nelson's troubles started on
August 8 when the Senate Crime
Investigating Committee called
him to testify.
Dairy Driver Testifies.
Before he took the stand that
day. one of the witnesses was
Waldo Roberts-whose name was
mentioned today in one Of the
overt acts. Mr.. Roberts, who lives
at 1922 South Third street. Ar
lington. was actually the first to
mention Nelson's name.
Mr.. Roberts, an Embassy Dairy
driver salesman and former Ma
rine, testified that Blight Lee
proposed that Mr.. Roberts take
over Lees numbers route az a
$60-a-week starting salary with
an ultimate commission basis and
a kick-bac to Lee.
Mr.. Roberts said he accom-
panied Lee on a numbers tour in
Northeast Washington. Lee, he
said. told him he worked for "a
Charlie Nelson" and that If Rob
ertS got into trouble Il would be
furnished with protection, that
bondsmen and everything neces-
sary. if did get picked up, would
be furnished"
Says He Feigned Deafness.
In the words of the committee
report which facetiously called
Nelson a gentleman farmer" "
Nelson attempted to masquerade
as country pumpkin even to the
point Of feigning deafness until
committee members, not satisfied
with his pretended naivete about
the source of his income, finally
elected his answer that "he
thought that his income was from
gambling"
Before the session ended, Mel
son agreed to turn over a little
red book" of his current accounts
to a staff Investigator. Instead
of a little red book" the inves-
tigator came back with a mass
OF ledgers and records dating back
to 1910.
The committee said its exam
ination of, these records re
t1ected receipts for bondsmen's S
fees. lawyer fees. fines of as
sociated individuals for gambling
arrests. receipts for vast pur-
chases of numbers books. adding
machines, coin wrappers anG
other accoutrements peculiar 10
the numbers business"
The committee report estimat-
ed that Nelson had netted $3.50 :
900 over a four-year period from
the business he thought" was
gambling and that in recent
years he had acquired properties
estimated to be worth over ST
million.
Sheriff Tells Of Offer.
Nelson's testimony, plus state
ments from police that they had
heard Nelson had been operating
in the District for the past six
or seven years, prompted United
States Attorney George Morris
Fay to launch a grand jury in
vestigation.
Before that was a week old. the
Crime Committee held another
hearing on the last day of its
public sessions. This time, with
Nelson repeatedly off fishing, the
committee dug more deeply into
Nelson's connections. Among other
items, Sheriff Beall told of being
approached by Nelson with an
offer of $4,000 a month to allow
Nelson and Sam Beard, one time
Washington gambling kingpin, to
operate unmolested in the county.
AS the session ended, the COM
mittee expressed the view that
Nelson had lied in his testimony
The voluminous Nelson records
together with a transcript of the
hearings went to Mr.. Fay to study
Il