Evening star., 1951-11-19
|CoIIazo' S Attorneys
Deny Puerto Riean
Tried 10 Kill Truman


convicted of murder in the as
sassination attempt on President
Truman. today renewed in the
United States Court of Appeals
their claim that Collazo and an
accomplice did not intend to kill
any one in the Blair House shoot
ing.
Attorney Leo A. Rover presented
this point orally before the appel
late court as Collazo's wife, Rosa,
listened stonily in the courtroom.
Judges E. Barrett Prettyman,
Charles Fahy and Kimbrough
Stone must decide whether to re-
verse the District Courts first
degree murder conviction or to
allow Collazos death sentence to
stand. He is scheduled to die
February /.
Set OFF Gun Battle.
Collazo, 81, and a companion,
Griselio Torresola. assaulted Blair
House in blaze of gunfire on
November /. 1850, as President
Truman was taking a nap in an
upstairs bedroom. Collazo was
shot in the chest and Torresola
was slain by guards stationed
around the presidential home.
The court appointed defense
counsel vigorously asserted today
that the trial Judge. the late T..
Alan Goldsborough. erred when he
told the jury to ignore Collazo's
testimony on the historical and
economic background of Puerto
Rico.
Mr.. Rover said this testimony
bore on the intent of the two
Nationalists in coming to Wash
ington from New York and try
ing to break into Blair House.
They intended to stage a
demonstration at the most out
standing place in the world on
behalf of a downtrodden people,"
Mr.. Rover declared.
Motive Not Murder"
Their motive and intent in
coming here was not a specific
intent to kill the President or
anyone else" the lawyer added.
In the shooting one White House
policeman was slain, and two
others were wounded.
BY teStifying On the background
and conditions existing in Puerto
Rico, Mr.. Rover argued, Collazo
was trying to show the jury what
prompted him and his accomplice
to come to Washington. The law
yer took exception to Judge
Goldsborough's instruction to the
jury that the situation in Puerto
Rico had absolutely nothing toI
do with the case"
The name of Police Supt. Rob-
ert j. Barrett was raised by Mr..
Rover in his arguments today.
This was in connection with the
trial judges refusal to permit a
Secret Service agent to tell the
jury OF two statements made by
Maj. Barrett in Collazo's presence
about two hours after the Shoot
ing.
Maj. Barrett was quoted as re-
to Agent Joseph j. Ellis
at Collazo's hospital bedside,
THIS - - ----- should be
dead" And then his admonition
to the defendant: why cont
you tell the man the TRUTH"
Sees Threat to Defendant.
Mr.. Rover contended the Jury
should have been permitted to-
hear testimony on the police
chiefs statements and to decide
whether or not they constituted
threats which may have forced
Collazo to say things he would
not otherwise have told authori-
ties.
Mr.. Rover also asserted that
the jury commission which ap-
pointed the grand jury, which in
turn indicted Collazo. had been
improperly sworn into office.
This may be a technical point
the lawyer told the appellate
Judges, but when Congress said
the jury commissioner should
take an oath, it meant just that"
Assistant United States Attorney
John Lane took the general view
that the trial court had commit
ted no errors in the lengthy trial.
Mrs. Collazo told reporters to-
day that she plans to visit her
husband in his death cell before
returning to New York.