Evening star., 1951-07-24
Acquittal Of Five
In Bowie Trial
May End Case
County Authorities
Consider Dropping
Bookmokine Charge

Maryland gambling laws, may be
abandoned by Prince Georges
County authorities.
Cleared of conspiracy yester-
day in Upper Marlboro circuit
court, the five still face an addi-
tional indictment alleging book
making, but States Attorney
Carlyle j. Lancaster indicated the
true bill will be set aside.
Found not guilty were three
former track officials, General
Manager L. Edmund O'Hara, his
brother. Thomas j. O'Hare. inl
charge of pari-mutuels and cash.
ier Raymond c. Kohlhepp and two
comeback betting agents. Norman
Helwig and Richard Remer.
A sixth defendant indicted by
the April grand jury for con-
spiracy and bookma aking att
Bowie's two meetings last fall,
was found innocent of both ac-
cuSations on court-directed YER
dict. He is Paul (Coney Island)
Eckert, New York State gambling
figure and mystery man of the
case.
Two Ballots Taken.
The jury of II men and one
woman began deliberations at
3:08 pm. Two hours and 40
minutes later, they announced
their verdict to Judge J. Dudley
Digges. Foreman Raymond Rup-
pert of Ritchie said later only two
ballots were taken. and that the
first was 10 to for acquittal.
Court attaches termed the trial,
which began last Tuesday. one of
the most expensive in the county's
history. They recalled that is was
preceded by a three-month in
vestigation and that 235 persons
were questioned at a cost of SIS
each, before the jury was selected.
Trial attorneys said the case,
the first stemming directly from
the Kefauver crime probe, was
without precedent and the court
called the point at issue a mar
row" one.
Stripped of technicalities. the Il
question taken into the jury room
was whether betting agents at the
track became bookmakers when
they accepted wagers telephoned
to them by principals at outside
points. and whether aid given the
agents by the track management
made all defendants conspirators.
Advised on Illegal Bets.
In advisory instructions, Judge
Digges said the use of telephones
for transmitting bets is illegal on
the part of both the person who
calls and the person who receives
the call. The jury, which under
Maryland statutes decides both
law and fact, apparently disagreed
with this viewpoint.
Addressing the jurors in final
argument, States Attorney Lam
caster declared conviction would
mean the "kiss of death" for
racketeering of the comeback type.
His assistant, Wilmer D. Pyles.
made the prosecutions first sum-
nation.
The State based it's case on the
contention, admitted by all de-
fendants except Eckert, that big.
time bookies sent more than $780,
600 to their agents at Bowie last
tal. The agents took the money
to the track money room, where
no corporation records of the sums
were kept, and placed bets at
mutuel windows by vouchers
against their deposits.
Bowie officials encouraged the
practice by permitting the agents
to use track telephones, employees
badges and other facilities, the
State charged.
Larger Betting Involved.
Comeback or '1ayof" money is
sent to the track by bookmakers
who have taken larger bets on
certain horses than they believe It'll
wise to handle. Their wagers,
sometimes as much as $4,000 al
race, protect them by knocking
down the odds but reduces returns
for players at the track who have
picked the same horse.
Helwig. who lives at Pikesville,
Md, the testimony revealed, rep
resented Carroll and Mooney of
st. Louis. Remer, listed as resi-
dent OF Miami, Fla, handled bets
for Louis Rosenbaum of Cincin-
natl, it was said.
Eckert freed on motion of his
counsel, John S. White, becauseE
the State failed to prove that heI
used the track telephones, did notl
disclose the name of his en-
ployer. Checks drawn against his
deposits were made payable to anI
otherwise unidentified tx. K"
Defense Attorneys Douglas N.
Sharretts and George T. Bur-
roughS for the O'Hara brothers.
and Kohlhepp, Joseph G. Fin
nerty for Helwig and Thomas
Kenny for Remer contended that
comeback betting has been inI
vogue at Maryland and out-of-
State tracks for Is years. They
argued the practice violated mol
statute and that it was permitted
under State racing rules in effect
last year
The rules were revised last Feb
ruary to ban comeback betting.
Helwig admitted, however, that,
while he conducted his operations
in much the same manner at other
points. he was not allowed to use
track telephones anywhere but atI
Bowie. 4
Southern Duiries Wins |