Evening star., 1955-11-20
Prince Georges
Prosecutor Acts
ToCrush Betting
Rv WILLIAM r. TALBOTT

All gambling cases pending in
Prince Georges County police
court will be withdrawn from
them and presented to a special
session Of the grand jury set for
December 5. State Attorney
Blair H. Smith said yesterday.
A Circuit Court decision to
recall the grand jury. which has
been in recess since october 49,
was made on the recommends
ton Of Mr.. Smith.
Mr.. Smiths, new attack on
gambling in Prince Georges was
looked on by law enforcement
officials as a major move Of the
Democratic administration to
keep numbers operations at a
minimum, If not stamp them out
completely.
The grand jury was impaneled
October 8 with j. Frank Dent
of Clinton as foreman.
Mr.. Smiths decision to remove
gambling cases from the police
court will, if the grand jury
returns indictments. bring a
quick end to the legal maneuvers
by defense attorneys which have
marked every gambling case de-
veloped by police during recent
months.
Gambling Case Fizzles
The new approach to gambling
came on the, heels of a gambling
case Friday in Upper Marlboro
Police Court in which Trial Mag
istrate Nita S. Hinman Crane
found four defendants guilty OF
lesser charges Of possession OF
lottery slips and not guilty OF a
total of 10 other more serious
gambling charges - setting up
and maintaining a gambling
table, bookmaking. permitting
betting and permitting lottery.
The group. which police said
was operating q Sl.0Q0-a-day
numbers business in a Bladens-
burg house, paid 500 fines each
after entering guilty pleas on the
possession charges.
Judge Crane said the case was
disposed Of following q confer
nece with the defense attorney
and John Mitchell, an assistant
States attorney prosecuting in
the Upper Marlboro court. Judge
Crane said that Mr.. Mitchell
stated the defendants we're not
guilty Of the major gambling
charges.
Shifted to Upper Marlboro
Originally set by police in the
Hyattsville Police Court. the case
was removed after several con-
tinusnces to the Upper Marlboro
court following a request for o
ci1ange OF venue. The group
claimed they could not get q fair
trial before Hyattsville Trial
Magistrate Grover Lee Small.
The legal maneuyer has be-
come routine procedure for at
torneys defending accused NUM-
ber operators since last July rs
when Judge Small fined John
Wilton Taliaferro, Hyattsyille
barber, a total of $3.50 and sem
fenced him to 30 days in Jail on
three gambling charges, to which
he had pleaded guilty.
Judge Small suspended 20 days
Of the sentence because Of Tall
ferro's reputation in the COM
munity, but the barber appealed
the decision.
Since then there have been
seven gambling cases set BY po-
lice in the Hyattsville court and
changed by attorneys to the
Upper Marlboro court.
Judge Crane, when asked for
comment on the states attor-
ney's plan, said she would have
no objection to it.
Judge Crane questioned, how
ever, whether the States attor-
ney has a legal right to withdraw
gambling cases, which are mis-
demeanors. from the police
courts. She said the circuit
court has nothing to do with
misdemeanors unless they are
appealed by the defendant from
the police court.
Judge Small was unavailable
last night for comment on the
plan.