Evening star., 1952-01-21
Chief Murroys Answers at Crime Probe

A. was IN charge OF the rob.
berry squad the first part of 1948
Q. Do you know Detective Sergt
Reuben) Nichols, now retired?
A. I do. was appointed to the
police force the same day and was
in the same police class with him
@. Was he working under you
in 1913?
A. He was assigned to the rob-
berry squad.
Q. Do you remember an Incl
dent during the early part of that
year when Maj. Barrett CORNER
police chief asked you to bring
Nichols to his Office? ...
A. Yes, sir.
Asked to Tell Story.
@. Will you tell the committee
what happened?
A. Well, it was Saturday morn
ing. and shortly after morning
roll-call. I got a call to bring
Sergt. Nichols to the Majors Of
fee. I got hold of Nichols and
told him we had TO go to the
Majors Office. and on the way up
I thought I knew what it was
about. Nichols picture had ap-
peared in the Afro-American
newspaper just a day or so before
and being assigned to plain
clothes work, the policy of the de-
partment is that pictures not ap-
pear in the paper.
@. Did you 60 to Maj. Barrett's
Office?
A. We did.
Q. What happened?
A. When we entered to the
Office I was taken completely by
surprise about the subject be-
cause I thought it was about one
thing and it was something else.
@. Tell what the conversation
was.
Recounts Conversation.
A. When we entered the Office,
Maj. Barrett rebuked Nichols and
told him he had information he
was trying to shake down a man
for $5.000-Simkins. Nichols is a
very emotional man. He broke
down and started to cry and pro-
tested it wasn't so. Maj. Barrett
was accusing him of going with a
woman by the name of Odessa
whom learned later was Odessa
Madre-to the home of Nelson and
trying to help Nelson to get money
from SimkinS because ne had
been shot while in the employ of
Simkins at the Brass Rail. He
also told him he had information
that he had talked to Simkins at
a prize fight in Cleveland and
Odessa was along with him at that
time and she tried to get Simkins
to compensate Nelson for his in
juries. At the same time Maj.
Barrett said he also tried to get
money from Henry Leake-who
himself was shot in the same fray.
He stated that Nichols had tried
to get money from him to compen-
safe Nelson. The major was very
angry and did say that he would
send him to the penitentiary and
that the matter would be placed
before the grand jury. He had
told me to make an investigation
and to go to Nelson.
Cite Rarrett Accusa finn
@. Before you come to that, did
Maj. Barrett accuse Nichols of
working both sides against the
middle?
A. Yes. sir. He meant he was
trying to get money from Leake
and Nelson.
@. You were told to make an
Investigation?
A. That night I was in charge of
a detail in the Statler, and Capt.
Strange came up and was told to
accompany me in the investiga-
ton.
Q. What was the nature of the
investigation the major directed
SOu w CUIlQQCt.
A. Nichols had stated that off,
cers-members of the department
were in collision with Simkins
and that they had accepted money
In envelopes.
G. Before you get to that, was
one of the purposes of the inves-
tigation to learn whether or not
Nichols was taking any money?
A. Yes, sir, that was part of the
investigation.
Told to Take Strange.
@. DO I understand that Mai.
Barrett directed you to take Capt.
Strange?
A. He told him personally, yes.
sir.
@. Did you go to see MFR. Nelson?
A. Yes. The next day I met
Capt. Strange at. No. 2 and we
drove out to see Nelson. We went
in and I introduced myself and
Capt. Strange. I told him that we
had information that Sergt. Nj
chols had become involved in this
shooting caSe-from the testi-
mony that I have read in the
papers, he forgot quite a bit of
that conversation.
@. Yes, he said he didn't re-
member most of the conversation.
A. I told him of the informa-
ton that had come to the atten-
ton of the major and that if he
had any information concerning
any member of the police de-
partment of whatever rank that
was in colluSion with Simkins or
any other member of the under
world. it was his duty to tell me
who they were, and if he would
tell me I would report it back
both to Maj. Barrett and the
district attorneys Office. He was
reluctant to talk about it, and
asked if Nichols had been out to
see him and he sal he had called
Sergt. Nichols and that Nichols
was trying to help him.
We stayed there about is or 20
minutes talking about it and I can