Evening star., 1953-12-13
Judge and WeIker
Clash al Hearing in
Jury Tampering Case
BY the Assoeiosed Press

DENVER, Dec. 12.-Federal
Judge Willis w. Ritter reiterated
today that he had been told the
Justice Department had refused
to order the Federal Bureau OF
Investigation to assist in a jury
tampering case.
The judge read from a pre-
pared statement details Of the
case and the hearing was spiced
with sharp exchanges between
the Democratic judge and a Re-
publican member of the Senate
Judiciary Committee, Senator
Welker of Idaho.
It was the statement by the
Salt Lake City judge from the
bench in Denver November %
that prompted the hearing. The
hearing was called by Senator
LANCER. Republican Of North
Dakota, chairman.
The judges statement from
the bench became the basis of a
political controversy set of by
Clayton Fritchey, deputy chair
man of the Democratic National
Committee.
Called Smoke Screen.
Mr.. Fritchey charged that At
torney General Brownell's attack
on the Democratic administra-
ton in the Harry Dexter White
Communist spy case was q smoke
screen to cover up "a serious
situation" in Denver in the JUS
tice Department.
Earlier in the day-long hear
ing, Charles S. Vigil, Democrat,
who was fired from his job as
United States District Attorney
for Colorado, denied he had
agreed to stay on as special
prosecutor to handle the jury
tampering case.
He also denied he had pro-
vided Mr.. Fritchey with the in
formation which led to his
charges against the Republicans.
udge Ritter. in his prepared
statement, told how the Treasury
Department agents had assisted
in gathering evidence in the jury
tampering case. which involved
Clyde and Eugene Smaldone,
convicted gangsters, and others.
Querried BY Walker.
He said Mr.. Vigil had told him
he had been unable to get JUS
tice Department approval from
Washington for the FBI to assist
in questioning the entire jury
panel, from which the jury in
volved in the tampering had
been selected.
After the judge had completed
his statement, Senator WelEer
asked him if he were a hard
shelled New Dealer" Il don't
know what a hard-shelled Demo-
crat is. I supported Franklin D.
Roosevelt and Senator Ebert
Thomas of Utah and that rep
resents my political thinking"
the gray-haired Judge answered.
Senator Welker then askeddtS
uhen the Judge was with the.
Office of Price Administration,
he signed 10 expense vouchers
for trips not made. n.
The Judge answered. mo-" and
explained he wasn't asked about
them at his confirmation hearing
and added that the only trouble
he had with an expense account
was on telephone calls. the claim
for which was turned down by
the General Accounting Office
because such calls were not ap-
proved as expenses. This, the
Judge said, he did not then know.
Objects to Questioning.
"I didn't come down here to
bring up all over again my con-
f1rmation, but to give my knCWi-
edge of the Department of JUS
tees refusal to give to the court
and the district attorney assist
ance in the interrogation in the
Smaldone jury tampering case, "
the Judge added sharply.
Senator Welker asked the judge
If he had anything to do with
the release of political publicity
on the jury-tampering case.
The judge said he did not. and
ct resent the developments on a
political level"
Senator Butler, Republican. OF
Maryland led the questioning OF
Mr. Vigil and read a letter from
Warren Olney III of the Justice
Department which confirmed ex-
istence of an alleged agreement
that Mr.. Vigil would remain as a
special prosecutor until all the
cases were cleared up.
Statement Denied.
Mr.. Olney denied Judge Ritz
ter's statement and said - FB1
agents had worked on the case
and taken an important part in
the convictions of five men on
charges of tampering with Fed
eral jurieS.
MI. Vigil insisted he had not
started the criticism of the JUS
tice Department.
Senator Welker cited an Asso-
ciated Press dispatch printed in
The Washington Star, which
Quilted Mr.. Vigil as saying the
Justice Department had denied
FBI help.
Senator Welker asked, "is that
story correct?"