Evening star., 1951-10-28
Prince Georges
Gaming Inquiry
Called Skinny
Public Figures Are
Critical of Results
In 6-Doy Probe

J
pared to begin the eleventh weel
Iof its anti-gambling probe in tht
District, public figures in Primes
George County were registerin.
la slow-burn yesterday over tn,
results of the county's own grant
Jury inquiry.
Still going strong after return.
ing gambling conspiracy indict,
lments against 16 area residents
Including Charles E. Nelson, tn,
district jury Is expected to re.
sumo deliberations on Tuesday.
/ Police Superintendent Robert ]
Barrett, back on duty after {
!. weeks leave, ois due for recall a,
a witness.
Since his last appearance befor,
the panel, Mai. Barrett has seer
one OF his top aides. Inspector AL
bert I. Bullock, and one of hi
lace homicide squad detectives
Sergt. Robert G. Kirby, named il
the conspiracy indictment. A re,
ttired policeman, James Lowry
also was indicted.
Turner Is Disappointed"
In it's whirlwind six-day inyesti.
Igation. the Prince Georges jur,
last Wednesday wound up indict.
ing eight Of the is defendant:
charged in the District two day,
before. Nelson, whose farm is il
Prince Georges. near Ritchie, wa,
among the eight.
The county panel also submitted
a report in which it concluded, ir
part, that although there may bt
some (organized gambling) condi.
tons yet to be cleaned up, there
is little of it at the present time
William r. Turner. executive
secretary Of the Citizens Commit.
tee for Good Government. SAID
yesterday that he was "disap.
pointed" with the report.
William r. "Huck" Hughes
county delegate to the State legis.
tlature termed the report "inade.
quate" and added the jury "onlJ
scratched the surface"
Mrs. William H. Wood. presi.
dent of the county League o.
Women Voters. declared she wa.
''skeptical" Of the jury's appraisa
lof gam bling conditions.
Sheriff Sees More Work.
/ Even County Sheriff Carlton G
Beall acknowledged last night thai
there's still q lot of work to b,
done"
Mr.. Turner, who voluntarily ap-
peared before the county jury dis
playing Photographic fruits of hi.
own independent investigation
said she had hoped for more
thorough" report.
He recalled that other granc
juries in Prince Georges in recent
years have given the county clear
bills of health regarding gambling
The Good Government Commit.
tee official. along with others
agreed with the jury's finding that
the county police force is badly
undermined.
| AS Sheriff Beall expressed It
I'VE have little to work with but
determination"
Police work has become a pro.
'fession. You just can't get a pro.
Ifessional policeman for $2.60t
starting pay. That's not even {
laborers salary" he said.
Beall Continuing Efforts.
Despite the handicaps, Sheriff
Beall said. his efforts to eliminate
gambling are continuing. II am
after every illegal operator, from
the lowest bookie to the biggest
man in the organization"
Mr.. Hughes, who campaigned on
an anti-rackets platform last No
|vember, declared There are still
bigger fish than Nelson in the
county"
Mr.. Hughes emphasized that
while the present police, sheriff
and prosecution forces did as
good a job as they possibly could
in the latest investigation, the fact
remains that Prince Georges has
only one-third the force of Mont
gomery County and has a greater
population to police.
| Nicholas Orem, jr., board mem
Der of the county Chamber OF
Commerce, reserved comment or
| the jury's action.
Arlington Inquiry Urged.
In the view of County Circuit
Judge Charles c. Marbuly, the
jury's report pretty well speaks
for ITSELF" He explained that the
panels term does not expire until
next April. At any time in the
interim 1t can be called back ints
seSsion either by the court or al
its own request, Judge Marbury
said.
In Arlington, meanwhile, DAME
A. Dugan of the County Boare
yesterday called for the convenint
OF a special grand jury to investi.
gate references made to Arlington
law enforcement in the Distric
and Prince Georges County gam.
bling probes.
Board member Robert w. Co,
commented; 81 think we've hac
enough of the sensational way O,
going about things and thinl
We ought to go about them in {
buSinesslike way"
The board agreed to hold con.
ference of law enforcement Off.
cials to consider whether to act OF
statements reported in the press