Evening star., 1951-10-10

CHARLES E. NELSON.
Nelson
Continued From First Page.)
Georges County grand jury will
begin a separate probe Of inter-
state rackets next Wednesday.
The county jurors have been di-
rected by Judge Charles c. Mar
bury to dig deeply into the situa-
ton exposed by the Senate in
vestigators.
Swank First Witness.
The District grand jury called
suspended Police Pvt. Ray r.
Swank as its first witness today.
Pvt. Swank repeatedly talked
about open gambling in the ninth
precinct.
Other ninth precinct policemen
including all of the officers
lthere-are expected to testify
The grand jury has before it at
least two matters involving con-
ditions in that precinct:
In July, Henry Clay Hogan, 81
was arrested In a raid on his es-
Itablishment in the 600 block OF
IL street NE, which has been de-
scribed by police as "one Of Mel
sons places" Hogan is said tc
have operated for five years ano
to have escaped with fines and
collateral.
Robert Nowland. whose home
is in Alexandria, was arrested ir
another raid within the precinct
last December.
The threat of perjury action hac
hung over Nelson from the day
he testified before the Senate
Crime Committee and agreed tc
let the committee have his little
red book" Of current accounts
That was August 9 when Nelson
appeared without counsel.
The committee investigator who
went home with Nelson that day
did not get that ''little red book
but came away with a mass oi
records dating from 1910 to 1850
Nelson's attorneys recently lost
a court fight to get them back.
Avoids Reappearance.
On the last day of the com.
tmittee's public hearings, Angus
II, Nelson was to be the star wit.
ness in q return appearance bu'
was reported out fishing AMI
couldn't be located. Instead. ;
parade Of witnesses from Primo,
Georges County appeared 70,
questioning about him and his &C
tivities. @4
On the basis OF Nelson's records
! the testimony he gave himself ant
that given by other witnesses. tn,
committee decided to turn owe
the record of its Nelson hearing
to the District grand jury becaus,
of "glaring inconsistencies" In th'
testimony.
Testimonial Link 10 Crime.
The testimony of the other wit.
nesses and the Nelson ledgers CAV,
the committee a picture Of mar
with a criminal record. who pais
the fines and bondsmen's fees o.
his helpers, offered to bribe hi
way back into Prince Georges
County and personally operated 1
numbers business that grosset
$50. 900 a week last year.
Senator Kefauver, Democrat, O.
Tennessee. gave this summary o
why the committee thought Mel
son had committed perjury:
Nelson testified that he did no
know anything about gamblini
Operations other than that he hat
invested some money in Rober
Nowland Associates which h
thought" was gambling and tina
it was all Nowland's business
Nelson's record and other testi,
mony showed he was the mair
participant and that Nowland wa
working for him.
One Transaction Listed.
Nelson said his only transaction
with Lee, was to buy a cord o
wood. His records showed con
ltinuous business between Nelson
and Lee over many years.
/ Nelson testified he was arreste'
only once, when caught with kel
of whisky. His police recor'
showed a number of arrests ant
convictions in the District.
Nelson testified his only trans
action with Sam Beard. one-tim
;lkingpin Washington gambler no,
; under income tax Indictment, wa
+ the purchase Of bull. There wa
5 Substantial testimony" Of othe
transactions - particularly testi
< lmony from Prince Georges Count
S Sheriff Carlton Beall that Nelso
t told him of joining Beard in pay
ling out $4,000 a month for pro
S sltection.
: Before today's action, the Dis
trict grand jury had heard nc
2 only from Nelson but from h
= wife. Nowland. Lee, Beard an
S scores of present and past en-
e lployes and associates.
e RoinfoII Varies