Evening star., 1951-09-07


not otherwise operating-a num-
bers business, is the prime target
of District grand jury investi-
cation of Washington area gam
bling
The grand jury is in recess un-
til next Wednesday with scores
of witnesses still to be heard in
an investigation which Mr.. Fihelly
said is ''far from being completed"
The assistant United States At
torney, who is heading the Gov
ernment presentation of the Nell
son case. emphasized that the
protection payments cannot be
pinned down through the records
themselves to Washington, Mary
land or Virginia.
Able to Interpret Meanings.
1--WE know he operated in all
those places" he explained, land
we can now show he paid pro-
lection. We can't show from the
accounts themselves where it was
paid. That is a matter being fur
ther investigated"
Mr.. Fihelly hailed the breaking
of Nelson's code as an important
development.
Nelson, according to the prose-
cutor, kept separate accounts for
police protection. BY studying all
of Nelson's books. Mr.. Fihelly said.
he and his aides were able to in
terpret the meaning of headings
on particular accounts.
The Senate Crime Investigating
Committee, which first got Nell
sor's books made several refer
ences to code names and terms
which could be interpreted as re-
f1ecting numbers operations.
The committee, in its final re-
por, also called attention to q
figure of $4,000 charged of an
nually by Nelson for good will
advertising"
$4,000 Offer Disclosed.
During the final committee
hearing focused on Nelson, the
committee heard testimony from
Prince Georges County Sheriff
Carlton G Bean that Nelson had
approached the sheriff with an
offer of $4,000 monthly to be
Isplit three ways in exchange for
permission for Nelson to operate
without being molested by police.
The District grand jury, which
has been meeting since August l6,
has been following a pattern Of
Wednesday and Thursday sessions
with the rest of each week devoted
to studying Nelson's books in the
light of the testimony and going
over the piles or records produced
by grand jury witnesses.
One set of records was brought
to the session yesterday by Fred
erick L. Wight, jr., who was presi-
dent of the Seat Pleasant Bank
until he recently succeeded Irwin
I. Main as chairman of the bank
board.
Mr.. Main, another witness yes
terday, resigned from the bank
board after public disclosure that
he approved an unsecured $4,000
loan to Nelson associate.
Jury Gets Record Books.
A cardboard box full of black
bound record books was turned
over to the grand jury by Frank
Weightman, who managed the
bonding business in which Nelson
and Mr.. Main were once asso-
ciated. Mr.. Weightman's wife
keeps books for Nelson at his
Ritchie (Md.) farm.
Another witness yesterday was
Heber McWilliams, ST., who is said
to be the owner Of Ranch House,
an establishment near North
Beach, Md, which crime COM
mittee witness described as a sus-
pected numbers headquarters.
Mr.. McWilliams testified for
more than an hour and told news
men later that he was treated
courteouSly and they didn't hol-
Ter at me-" This was an obvious
reference to the four women wit
nesses who have sobbed as they
left the grand jury room and have
complained they we're yelled at"
Mr.. Fihelly has insisted that the
witnesses have been treated with
the greatest consideration and
courtesy.