Evening star., 1951-08-30
Witness Linked
To Nelson Heard
By Grand Jury
His House Described
| As Place Used by
Numbers Bucker

Henry Clay Hogan, colored.
whose house in Northeast WASH
ngton has been linked by police
% Charles E. Nelson, testified for
more than an hour today before
he District grand jury investigat-
ng crime.
Hogan's house in the 600 block
If l. street NE. was raided in
July, and Inspector Roy Blick
;aid it was one of the places used
oy Nelson. the Prince Georges
resident, who admitted
packing a numbers operation.
Hogan had been expected to
testify yesterday but was not
:alled because of the prolonged
Jury examination of a mystery
witness. When cameramen at
tempted to photograph him yes
terday he made a menacing ges-
ture and ordered them to get
away.
Wife Also Testifies.
Mrs. Hogan followed her hus-
band as witness. Their attorney.
Clifford Alder, said he had advised
both to stand on their constitu-
tional rights of not answering
questions tina tmight incriminate
them.
The Metropolitan Police sad
Hogan has been charged with at
least % offenseS, ranging from
possession of numbers slips and
selling whisky without license to
conduct, in the years
since early 1888.
When the grand jury recessed
for lunch. Hogan again refused to
pose for photographers. Although
in jovial mood while answering
questions, he covered his
face with a baseball cap and shuf-
fed cautiously from the court
building, then across the street
through heavy traffic. With the
photographers still trailing hope
fully, he was last seen entering a
store, the cap close to his face.
Insurance Broker Testifies.
Senate Crime Committee mem
bers charged early this month
that Nelson has been operating a
syndicate here, in Mary
land and Virginia which crossed
as much as $4,000 a week. He
is a wealthy horsebreeder who
lives on an estate at nearby
Md. and operates the
Uncle Billie's amusement center
on a pier at North Beach, Md.
Yesterdays mystery witness was
identified as William B. Francis.
an insurance broker who lives at
202 Hancock street, Takoma Park.
Both Mr.. Francis and Assistant
United States Attorney John w.
Fihelly. who is conducting the in
vestigation, declined to discuss
reasons for the surprise appear
ance. The witness entered the
grand jury room after a marshal
called "Mr. Francis" Court at
taches would not divulge any other
information about the witness.
Traced Through License Plates.
After he left the grand jury, re-
porters traced his identity through
license plates on the automobile
in which he drove away. It was
later that Mr.. Francis
is an insurance broker and Mr..
said he could state only
that Mr.. Francis is a reputable
business man.
Mr.. Francis testimony followed
the appearance of Mrs. Virginia
Madge Nelson, wife of the ad-
mitted numbers backer. Mr..
Fihelly said she spoke only in
monoSyllables and was an unco-
operative witness. He had applied
the same term earlier to Nelson
and Sam Beard, Washington area
gambler. both of whom were
called before the jury last week.
Sobbing as she left court, Mrs.
Nelson wrapped her head in a
scarf to hide from photographers.
Others Waiting to Testify.
Others on hand yesterday but
not heard, and therefore sched-
uled to appear today, include
Heber McWilliams, sr., described
as a Nelson lieutenant in the
North Beach area; Arthur Beach,
300 block of Del Ray street,
Alexandria; Mrs. Leona Weight
man. stenographer at Nelson's
farm; Ray Brooks. general man.
ager of the Nelson establishment
at North Beach, and Robert Main
Of Seat Pleasant, Md. The latter
is a son Of Irwin I. Main, who re-
signed as board chairman of the
Seat Pleasant Bank after it Was
disclosed that he approved an un-
secured $4,000 loan to a Nelson
associate.
Another prospective witness. to-
day is Mrs. Pat Brady. wife of the
trainer Of Nelson's string of race
horses.
The jury will delay until after
Labor Day its examination of
John w. Lewis, an amateur sleuth
who tried to expose Nelson's re-
outed operations to the Prince
Georges County police. He was
1t court yesterday after a Florida
'acation with his family, but Mr..
Tihelly said the jury has so many
'ther witnesses subpoenaed that
Mr.. Lewis will not be examined
,efore next week.
In addition to Mr.. Francis and
Mrs. Nelson, the jury yesterday
Questioned Milford Burkley. 81.
who recently sued Nelson
or $50,000. based on an alleged
In the suit Burkley
states that numbers operations
we're protected under a compli-
'ated code system.