davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-07
THE ACCUSATION

Mrs. Markward made her
accusation against the Shonicks
at the request of the Velde sub
committee Of the House IN
American Activities Committee
on June IL, 1851. The subcom-
mittee was investigating Com
munist activities in the District.
Her brief testimony on the
Shonicks::
@. What is the nature of your
acquaintance with Helen and
William Shonick?
A. Their transfers came from
an underground organization of
the party here. The transfers
came at approximately the time
the Communist Party was being
reorganized. Elizabeth Searle
(onetinae chairman of the party
here) told me that they had held
quite, responsible positions In
the underground organization.
but had been more or less re-
moved from these positions be-
cause they were not quick
enough in rejecting the (Earl)
Browder line and accepting the
change in party line. 7 am not
certain whether they were re-
moved from their jobs at the
same time: however, they did
change employment at about
that time"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-07
Fit to Sell Pianos?
By John W. Stepp

Should a man in private bust
ness be denied a public license
to earn a living because he in
voked the privilege, guaranteed
by the Fifth Amendment, of re-
fusing to testify against himself?
This is the question to be aired
tomorrow when a secondhand
piano dealer presents his appeal
before the hearing examiner of
the Board of Appeals and Re-
view of the District Licenses and
Inspections Department.
At that time William Shonick
will protest the recent license
Office decision that he is not a
eft person" to pursue his piano
trade in the District, since he
refused to tell a congressional
investigating committee of his
alleged Communist Party affinity.
It is a case without precedent
here or elsewhere. so far as Gov
eminent or legal authorities
know. t&
4 The Shonick case brings into
sharp relief the opposing con-
cepts of whether claiming the
privilege embodied in the Fifth
Amendment shall constitute a
tacit admission of guilt or
whether the claimant is still
entitled to be presumed inno-
cent of any wrong doing until
proved otherwise by competent
evidence.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-07
THE REFUSAL

Secondhand dealer licensing
regulations are stringent. They
are designed to curb transac-
tons in stolen goods, insure that
the licensee is of reputable char
acter and that his place of BUSH
ness fits into the neighborhood
surroundings.
District License Officer Thorn
as A. Helan forwarded Mr.. Sho-
hicks application to Capt. Reid
Hammann, commander of the
9Th precinct, in which the
piano dealers store is located.
Capt. Hammann referred the
application to the Police Special
Investigations Squad, which. he
said. in his official report, had
information that the applicant
sis or has been an active mem
Der in the Communist Party"
Detective Sergt. Joe Y. Chen
nault Of the squad conducted the
checkup on Mr.. Shonick. He
recommended against renewing
the three-year-old license to deal
In secondhand pianos.
Sergt. Chennault's conclus-
ions won the concurrence Of his
superiors all the way up from
Capt. Michael j. Mahaney, the
squad chief, to Police Chief
Robert v. Murray. It was on
the strength Of this report that
License Officer Helan refused
further renewal.
C. r. Nottingham, the Dis
trict's Licenses and Permits Of
ficer. who approved License Of
f1cer Helan's decision, said that
he did so on the basis of more
than the police recommendation
alone.
Two additional reasons he
gave were that Mr.. Shonick. in
moving his shop from 3l7 Cedar
street NV, around the corner
to 69l2 Fourth street NV.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-07
Fit to Sell Pionos?
District Mans Fight for License
Raises Fifth Amendment Issue

failed to give written notifica-
ton to the License Office, and
that the dealer had been in "hot
water" with the fire marshal's
Office "many times"
On the question why the piano
dealer was permitted to have a
license for the period 1873.
even though Mrs. Markward's
accusation against him had been
made public, Mr.. Nottingham
said he could offer no explana-
ton.
A high police official, however.
explained that police did not re-
port adversely before the 1854
license since Mrs. Markward's
testimony was only the "unsub-
stantiated accusation of one per-
son."
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-07
THE PROTEST

AS soon as he received official
notification of the Districts ac-
ton. Mr.. Shonick mailed of no.
tice of his intention to appeal.
His attorney, Joseph Forer,
dashed out at the police report
as the work of political Boy
Scouts caught in wave of gen.
eral hysteria.
In the first place, Mr.. Forer
said, the piano dealers refusal
to answer questions "has moth
ing to do with qualifying for a
license"
Furthermore" he added, IT
don't know that the police are
qualified to pass judgment on
Shonick's opinions on whether
the Communist Party is SUBJ
versive."
For himself the piano dealer
directed the bulk Of his agrieve-
ment toward the performance of
the license Office.
He objected to Mr.. Noting
hams contention that he failed
to notify the Office either Of
moving his shop or changing his
home from 1853 Girard street
NV. to Silver Spring at about
the same time.
Mr.. Shonick said he was re-
peatedly in touch with the liz
cense Office before october 81.
the end of the license year,
checking on the status of his
license. He said, moreover, that
some one in the Office must have
known Of his change in business
location since he was issued new
occupancy and sign permits for
the new shop on October 20.
And before he moved he had a
sign in front of his old shop
announcing the move.
On his change of home adj
dress, Mr.. Shonick said. I'VE
simply needed a two-bedroom
apartment. since we had a new
baby. There was nothing secret
or furtive about any of it."
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-07
THE APPEAL

The machinery for hearing
appeals growing out of decisions
on the issuance of licenses and
permits was established as part
of the recent reorganization of
the Licenses and Inspections De-
partment Of the District govern
ment.
It is largely INFESTED, but
Charles w. Hart, the first hear
ing examiner and executive Sec
rotary of the new Board of
Appeals and Review. has mapped
out the overall procedures for
the Shonick case.
For one thing. Mr.. Hart. a
lawyer. has decided that the
burden of proof" lies with the
District. Consequently, the first
witnesses will be city employees.
probably the police officials who
prepared the report on Mr..
Shon1ck.
The duty Of the hearing on
cial is to take the evidence.
prepare findings and conclusions
and turn these over to the
Board of Appeals. The board
in turn may approve, modify Or
reject the hearing officers rec
concentrations. Should the APP
pellant be dissatisfied with the
board ruling. his next recourse
Is to the courts.
Members Of the departmental
Appeals Board are all District
employees: Lewis r. Watson.
Highway Department: Robert
Robson, Buildings and Grounds
Department. and Miss Mary E.
Bibb. Administrative Services
Department.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-07
400 Seek Charters
Under New'D {. Law

A first-day deluge of approx
mately 400 applications under
the Districts new corporation
law reached the Office Of Supt. of
Corporations Alfred Goldstein
yesterday.
The Office is located at Sixth
and D streets NV. Mrs. Flea
nor D. williams is deputy super
intendent.
About 40 of the applications
were processed. The first char
ter went to Albert Philipson Of
the law firm of Newmyer &
Bress. He titled it First New
District of Columbia Corpora
ton" and said it was for a real
estate business.
Mr.. Philipson, former chair
man of the District Bar Associa-
tons Corporation Law Commit
tee and current vice chairman,
was among those who helped get
the new law through Congress.
C. Roger Nelson is present chair
man of the committee.
The corporation Office. which
has had the help Of an advisory
committee including members
from the bar association, the
washington Board of Trade and
corporate trust companies, also
administers the old corporation
laws.
Domestic corporations may re-
incorporate under the new law.
and foreign corporations must
get q certificate of qualification
If they are transacting business
here for profit.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-07
6S-Foot BaIsam Tree
Arrives in D. {. for
Capital S Christmas
Star Stan Photo.

An arboreal patriarch arrived
here today-nearly 10 feet from
end to end-and when it's all
lit up on the Ellipse it probably
will be the tallest decorated
Christmas tree anywhere.
It is 60-year-old balsam
from Michigan. It rode on two
flatcars from Rudyard. Mich,
where it was loaded from Michi-
gan State University's expert
mental forest station.
The giant is to be put in the
ground tomorrow on the Ellipse.
It will be the Christmas center
piece for the Pageant of Peace.
A publicist for the pageant
said the tree, 10 inches thick
at its butt. is ST feet long. That
seems conservative. A Star re-
porter measured it at So feet
6 inches, using 12-inch rule.
Leads In Size.
At any rate, it is bigger than
the nearest known competitor,
Radio City's Yule tree, which
measures IS feet.
The tree will spend today and
tonight in the Baltimore & Ohio
Georgetown yards. Tomorrow
it will be hauled to the pageant
site. A hole already awaits ii
there, and workmen have buried
four dead men"-1ogs to anchor
guy wires that will keep the big
boy upright.
The tree will wear falsies. It
has thin spots in its foliage. The
Michigan donors sent along a
stack of spare branches. These
will be fitted into holes drilled
in the bald places, so the tree
will be symetrically bushy when
the show starts.
Standard Practice.
George Harding, chief horti-
culturist for National Capital
Parks, says this cosmetic rou-
tine is standard practice in dis
playing big trees.
Railroaders said the tree, plus
timbers and logs holding it on
the flatcars, weighed $4,000
pounds.
In rail yards along the way,
well-wishers pencilled greetings
"to Ike" on the trunks sawed
end. President Eisenhower
probably never will see them,
however. That end will be 4
feet underground.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-07
Mcmillan 10 Decide
Later on Resuminq
D. {. Craftsmanship
By Harold B. Rogers

Representative NJ C Mill a n,
Democrat, of South Carolina,
said today he has not decided
whether to resume his former
post as chairman Of the House
District Committee in the new
84th Congress.
Reached by telephone at his
home in Florence, S. c., he said:
IT haven't made up my mind
on that yet. I probably will not
decide until after I get back to
Washington in January for the
opening OF Congress"
Held Post s Years.
With the Democrats back in
power and ready to reorganize
the House, Mr.. Mcmillan has
the seniority as former chair
man OF the committee to take
over thai. post again. He would
succeed Representative Simpson,
Republican, of Illinois, the
present chairman.
The South Carolinian's COM
ments came after reports cir
culated in Washington that he
might give, up the post he had
held for eight years in four diff
ferent CONGRESSES.
If he should decide to give
up the Craftsmanship, the next
in line for the craftsmanship
would be Representative Harris,
Democrat, of Arkansas. He has
been an active member of the
House District Committee for
years.
To See Officials.
Mr.. Mcmillan said he wants
to talk to some department
heads in the District govern
ment before making up his
mind. From other sources, it
was learned Mr.. Mcmillan hopes
to find out what kind of CO.
operation he can get from Dis
trict officials, if he resumes his
old former post.
Acquaintances of the South
Carolinian said they feel sure
he will decide to continue as
head of the House District Com
mittee.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-07
Blast Rocks Area in City
And Burns Pepco Worker

An explosion in front of 1927
Howard road Sc. rocked the
neighborhood this morning and
hospita]lzed a power company
worker with severe burns.
Police said Relton Henry, Al,
colored, of 820-A Forty sixth
street NE, a Pepco employee,
was working in a manhole in
the middle of the street when
the explosion occurred in a con-
Meeting conduit.
Mr.. Henry was taken to Cas-
ualty Hospital with severe burns
to the face and hands. Doctors
said he is in questionable" con-
dition.
Police said the cause of the
blast which broke a window in
a house was unknown and that
the fire inspectors Office is in
veStigating.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-07
Bennett Becomes
MONTGOMERY Sheriff

Luke j. Bennett. jr., was sworn
in yesterday as sheriff Of Mont
gomery County.
Mr.. Bennett, 58-year-old re-
tired employe Of the Washington
Gas Light Co., defeated in
cumbent Sheriff Charles s. Law
renson In the November election.
Mr.. Bennett Is o Democrat.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-07
B. & O. Troins Delayed
By Freight Cor Accident

Trains on Baltimore g. Ohio
tracks between Washington and
Baltimore were delayed about
z am. today after a freight car
broke down.
Railroad officials said the
freight car stayed on the track
and no one was injured.
A crane was called to the
scene, just west Of Beltsville, and
the car was removed. Trains
were detoured for about an hour.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-07

flc and Motor Vehicle Regula-
tons. Section 10 tai, states:
THE driver Of any vehicle shall
obey the instructions Of any OFF,
cial traffic control device apple
cable thereto. placed in Accord
ance with the provisions Of these.
regulations. unless otherwise d.
rected by q police officer. subject
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-07
THE TESTIMONY

MIR. Shonick was called before
the same subcommittee three
years later. last July Is, to an
swer Mrs. Markward's charges.
Under questioning by sub
committee members and counsel,
Mr.. Shonick supplied q summary
OF his personal history and edu-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-07
Bethesda High School
Choir Plans Concert

The A Capella Choir of the
Bethesda Chevy Chase High
School will give a concert at
8:15 pm. Saturday in the Ma
tional Cathedral.
The choir. directed by Mrs.
Faye Finley Shaw, consists OF
200 Junior and senior students.
The public is invited.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-07
HeuIth Council TO Meet

The Executive Committee of
the Fairfax County Health
Council last night decided to
call a general meeting of the
Health Council at BIS pm.
Monday at the Health Center
in Fairfax, Va, to discuss the
water situation,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-07

Lost in q series Of joys for logging
memories regarding District troffic
laws.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-07


Mr.. Nye urged Rollingwood
residents not to be alarmed at
the threat seen in the Polinger
case. He Described it as another
attempt to get support for use
of the park for the road from
residents seeking a way to pro-
tect their homes and schools.
MIR. Nye. in a 25-minute ad-
dress that preceded the Roads
Commissions presentation, lev
eled an attack at Parks Com
missioner Donald E. Gingery.
This thing is just as deep in
the mud of politics as it can be
put there by any one man." Mr..
Nye said.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-22

The British colonial has
been damned up and down.
but usually by such unsympa-
thetic delineators as American
or Irish writer's or perhaps by
articulate natives Of countries
under what was called the
protection. Of the old, faded
British empire.
When an Englishman does
it, it's news. But an English
man usually does a thorough
job of whatever he under
takes, and nobody could have
written more acidly of a Brit
ish ZONE of influence" in the
Middle East than young Des-
mond Stewart. Those he de-
picts with his quietly corro-
sive phrases are the official
set of such q region. diplo-
matte representatives and
their wives.
:, This is Mr.. Stewards second
novel about asmythical coun-
try he calls Media. q city
named Cyropolis. The coun-
try, important for its oil,
sounds remarkably like Iraq.
the city uncommonly like
Baghdad, where the author
teaches English at the Uni
yersity College.
He Wanted Adventure
The title of this novel is
only one Of many apt and
amusing features. The I'M
suitable Englishman is youth
full Jason, who came to Media
for no reason at all-at least
none acceptable to the resident
Britons. All he could explain
was that he was fed up with
a routine job in England and
wanted adventure. Media
sounded romantic. despite its
desert stretches and for
bidding climate. Didn't it
reach clear back to the Ara
bian Nights? Jason had
saved what he could, but
when he crossed the borders
on a motorcycle-he had little
money left and urgently
needed a job. In the capital
city of Cyropolis a native taxi
driver took the young man
under his wing, taught him
some Arabic and familiarity
with the devious streets. The
upshot was Jason was en-
ployed as driver for Dari Sell
man, a Median editor who was
violently anti-British and the
nephew Of a rebel who had
been hanged by the masters
of the region.
OF course, those In the En-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-22

so well in English, translated
several of these stories from
the Africans in which they
were originally published in
South African magazines.
Death of the Zulu" a war
story. the first one he wrote
directly in English, appeared
in Harper's Magazine.
Mr.. Krige, like a good many
other current short-story writ
ers, Is somewhat preoccupied
with death. 1.-THE Coffin" is
not the only story centered
around mans ultimate earth
ly fate. The opening novelette,,
1.-THE Dream" also is a vari-
alton on the theme, though
1t is a fine study of q healthy
boys mind. 1.-THE Invisible
Shepherd" and LA Miseria"
/ are effective folk tales. one of
France, the .other Of Portugal.
Mr.. Krige's wide travels are
reflected in the scattered
locales Of his stories, The book
ends with a one-act play, Gall
Roads Lead to Rome" in
which the plight Of two Ital-
ian refugees in the latter days
Of the war Is described
touchingly. &C. B. j.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-22

bassy and officials of the big
oil company soon heard about
Jason. 1t simply wouldn't do;
the youth must be guided in
the proper path of a visiting
Englishman, thought it would
be better If he returned home.
They couldn't simply ship him
without an excuse-he had
passport and visa.
The Center Of Intrigue
Jason was no fugitive from
oxford or Cambridge, like
most young adventures in
English novels. He never got
to college. He was, all the
= same. no fool. When Hugh
Flodden, the cloak-and-dag-
ger man of the Embassy, sent
for Jason and beguilingly
offered him more money to
drive for him. Flodden, Jason
sensed that the idea was to
estrange him from the Arabs
who had befriended him and
then somehow get him home,
so he refused. Flodden de-
cided on more ingenious
methods. He found out Jason
was carrying on an affair
with Kareema. q glamorouS
night club singer. and Flodden.
playing on the giyls& ambi-l
tons, got her the 0fIsr6 Of b
contract in London. thinking
Jason would follow her. Mean
while, efforts to persuade
Jason that it was unpatriotic
for him to work for an enemy
Of his country and he
shouldn't associate with ma
tives anyway were futile.
This Flodden, a pervert and
double-croSSer. is presented
without a softening touch. His
unloved wife Sylvia chung to
him for no discernible reason,
except that she had a certain
position. but even she got
enough. The snobbish wives
of the diplomatic set, are
etched without makeup and
stripped Of their other little
polite lies. They criticised
Jason, but they couldn't help
being attracted to him-the
boy was so well built and good
looking. Jason, meanwhile,
found himself the unwilling
center of an intrigue. with the
issue much larger than him
self, no less than q revolt
against British rule and the
exposure Of the unsavory
Flodden.
1.-THE Unsuitable English
man" is, of course. fiction. just
the same 1t probably won't
endear the author to the
stufier of his countrymen in
Baghdad.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-22
CoIette: A Provincial in Paris
BY Margaret Grassland British Book Center Inc $500
NY Mothers House and Sido
BY Colette. (Farar, Strduss g. Young INC; $500
Reviewed by Edwin TribbIe

in webs Of their own weaving
and held there by the vaga-
ries of their own desires, habits
and manners. She wrote like
a very wise and witty old wo-
man, and that is exactly what
she was.
Few in English
OF her so books only q
handful are available in Eng
lish. Although she has had a
devoted following in this coun-
try 1t has never been a large
one.i Her play, "Gigi," has
been delighting Broadway
audiences this season. Farrar,
Straus g. Young have started
an excellent series of new
translations. A single volume
contains two of Colette's most
representative books, My
Mothers House and Sido."
Both are photographed, as
are so many Of Colette's books,
and they are an excellent way
to begin to make the acquaint-
ance Of the author. The trans
lation of MY Mothers House"
is by Una Vicenzo Trourbridge
and Enid Mcleod while Miss
Mcleod alone has translated
"Sido."
Timely and Good
Margaret Crosland's biogra-
ply of Colette is timely and
its good. The first half re-
counting how a young ignorant
girl from the provinces came
to Paris and became more
Partisan than the Parisians is
as good a story as Colette ever
wrote. The latter part of the
biography tells of. many years
of hard work and varied
achievements.
Colette wrote novels. plays
and a fashion column for
Vogue for years; she acted: she
played the Grand Dame Of
French Letters for visiting
celebrities: she ran q beauty
salon. She was incapable Of
only one thing: She coKld
never be dull.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-22

Colette, who died recently at
81, was the essence of French
gaiety and wit. Only in France
would it have been possible
for a writer of so volumes OF
wicked and impious prose to
have achieved membership in
so celebrated and staid a group
as the Academic Goncourt. She
was made a grand officer OF
the Legion of Honor and she
saw herself enter into the
pleasant status of a national
asset.
Why? Perhaps it was be-
cause she was so completely
and so consistently French.
She tackled no huge philo-
sophical problems in her auto
biographical novels. certainly
she pointed no moralsome way.
She simply wrote the simple
facts of human beings caught
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-22
The Iron Maiden
BY Edwin Lanham. (Harcourt, Brace: $685.

Her intrigues to do in the
city editor who made her life
miserable In the early days
and to take over control of the
paper are interesting to watch,
but Mr.. Lanham is not content
to let 1t go at that. His char
acters all have unhappy child
hoods and he goes rurnmaging
around In their subconscious-
nesses at a great rate. He finds
some pretty murky stuff, and
he writes about it rather
luridly.
One of the rewrite men with
q particularly bashed-in ego
finally submits to deep ,hyp-
nosis." Newspapermen are sup
posed to practice this on their
readers, but as I say. Mr.. Lam
hams staff are too busy for
anything like that.
M. McG.