Evening star., 1952-01-31
Jury Expected
To Get Nelson
Case Tomorrow
Final Arguments
Continue Today in
Gambling Conspiracy
BY w. n. Shippen

Final arguments were being
completed today at the conspir-
lacy trial Of Charles E. Nelson and
|l4 co-defendants accused of run
ming Q big numbers ring here.
The racket was described to o
District Court jury as % cancer
|Sapping the economic life Of this
community for the profit Of q
few" Later this statement Of
Assistant United States Attorney
Alfred Hartman was fatty con-
|tradicted by Defense Counsel r.
Edward O'Connell. who declared:
IAN that stuff about a cancer
Gus growth Is . lot Of hokum and
bunk Z"
Points to Kirby, Lowry.
Mr.. Hartman outlined the Gov
|ernnert's case from the begin
ming Of the trial on January IA
and declared there was little
doubt that the rich syndicate en-.
joyed the active assistance Of q
homicide squad sergeant and .
retired precinct detective.
He was referring to Sergt. Rob-
|ert @. Kirby. who was suspended
from the force after his indict-
|ment on October "a. and James
E. Lowry. who resigned as . de-
tective In 1947.
Mr.. Hartman made only passing
reference to Inspector Albert I.
Bullock. wso was acquitted by the
Judge Tuesday for lack Of evidence
associating him with the conspir-
acy within three-year period
prior to the indictment.
Lowry began to act as a guard,
Mr.. Hartman said, while still on
the police force. This occurred
after a syndicate messenger was
robbed of $50 near the Seat Pleas
ant (Md.) headquarters of the ring
in 1945, it was said.
Says Lowry Collected.
"Lowry prevented another hold
up when the headquarters was at
North Beach, while he was on the
police force or had just retired"
Mr.. Hartman continued. He said
Lowry also collected bets.
when Lowry couldn't make it.
Kirby would be there-we find
him spelling of Lowry in the OPP
Grafton" !" it was said.
Judge James r. kirkland an.
nounced he hoped final arguments
Twill be completed today. 1t seemed
likely the jury would receive the
lease tomorrow morning
| Mr.. OsConnell,s summation In.
Icluded a personal attack on As.
sistant United States Attorney
John w. Fihelly.
| He ridiculed the denial Of Mr..
Finely. Mr.. Hartman and
Thomas Walden, another Assist.
lant United States Attorney, that
they had offered threats or in
Iducements to employees Of the syn.
Idicate who turned States evi.
Idence.
Sees Them rs Perjurers.
| Referring to the prosecutors.
who had been called to the stand
learlier by the defense. Mr.. O'Con-
Inell declared:
"AlI the witnesses, including
these three, perjured themselves
when they said no offers Of Inn
munity were made"
The attorney told the jury Of
nine men and three women that.
you'll never see more evasivO
witnesses than these three. .
Do you think they told the truth
when they said no inducements
were of1ered?"
None Of the former employees Of
the syndicate, according to Mr..
O'Connell,s wanted to come in
and give evidence against their
friends. We all know they
made a bargain.
"What were they offered, al
Though the prosecutors deny It?
They were offered freedom from
prosecution"
| Mr.. O'Connell declared that ''if
there was q conspiracy in this
case It was q Maryland conspir-
acy." He said Mr.. Fihelly had
I"snatched" the case from Mary
land authorities, and he urged
the jury to find the defendants
not guilty and to allow Prince
Georges and Calvert County ofii-
Icials to take responsibility.
i Mr.. Hartman reviewed the
lledgers, payrolls, books Of check
stubs. income tax data and other
documents turned over to investi-
gators by Nelson at his stock farm
lin Ritchie. Md.
/ He went over the evidence In
support of the Governments con-
Itention that the bulk Of the syn
tdicate's multimillion dollar IN
lcome came from the District, and
Ihe asked the jury to flnd all IS
guilty on both counts-conspiracy
land operating q lottery.
In closing he cited a French
lproverb: -.
whoever profits from crime Is
guilty Of it."
II d.