Evening star., 1951-08-16
Wife of Mon Accused in Uncle Billie Cose
Ends Life With Gun. Poee BIZ
Hughes Urges Prince Georges to Probe
Sinister" Conditions. Poee A-3

Hughes Urges Prince Georges to Probe
Sinister" Conditions. Poee Al
farmer and numbers game finan-
cier whose testimony before the
Senate Crime Committee touched
off repercussions in Maryland, Vir-
ginia and the District, will be the
principal target of the grand jury
probe, according to United States
Attorney George Morris Fay.
Maj. Robert j. Barrett, superin-
tendent of police; Inspector Roy
Blick, chief of the vice squad, and
Detective Sergt. Nunzio Bonac-
corsy were the first witnesses be-
fore the grand jury this morning
Maj. Barrett was closeted with
the grand jurors from II am. to
1890 pm. Il have nothing to
say" was his only comment when
he left the grand jury room.
Meanwhile, in Prince Georges
County demand for continuing
grand jury investigation there Ito
clean up this 20-year -old mess"
was voiced by Delegate William R..
Hughes, Republican.
Inspector Blick's statement
Tuesday that police had known
that Mr. Nelson has been operat-
ing in Northeast Washington for
the last seven years was the spark
that touched off the grand jury
investigation, Mr.. Fay indicated.
No Information on Nelson.
''If Inspector Blick has known
about Nelson's operations for
seven years, the grand jury should
know that" the United States At
torney said.
His Office has received on in
formation from police about the
wealthy Maryland horse breeders
connection with the gambling
racket, Mr.. Fay said.
Mr. Fay made it clear that the
grand jury will not confine it's at
tention to Mr.. Nelson, but will
investigate amy one else in the
numbers business.
He will have to depend on
Metropolitan police to do all the
investigating for the grand jury
because he has no staff of his
own and no funds to hire special
investigators, MI. Fay said.
Barrett Is First Witness.
The United States Attorney de-
cided yesterday that the steadily
accumulating mound of sensa-
tional reports growing out of Mr..
Nelson's initial appearance before
the Senate Crime Committee
warranted grand jury investiga-
ton.
He called Maj. Barrett, 1nspec-
tor Blick and Inspectors Robert
V. Murray and Robert S. Bryant
to his office. They conferred for
an hour and Mr.. Fay asked the
police chief to appear at II am.
today as the first witness before
tQe granQ jury.
Mr.. Fay said he could not dis
cuss the evidence which will be
presented to the jury, but added:
I'VE have read what you have
read in the newspapers. We felt
the grand jury should know about
MI. Nelson or any one else in the
numbers game business.
Mr.. Fay pointed to suit pend
ing in District Court in which a
former numbers operator quoted
Mr. Nelson as saying he paid 10
per cent of his income for police
protection.
Tip-off' Story Mentioned.
The United States Attorney also
referred to newspaper stories of
an investigation underway in
Prince Georges County into
charges that a carefully planned
raid on Mr.. Nelson's associates
was spoiled by an advance tip
off"
The Senate Crime Committee
Is expected to decide some time
today whether a copy of tape
recording said to hold the key
to the "tipoff" will be turned over
to Prince Georges County Off
cials.
Amateur Sleuth John William
Lewis, District Government en-
(See GAMBLING. Page A-3O