Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-14
Chief Surveyor
Questioned on
Route Stakes
By CHARLES L. HOFFMAN

Idence.
That was the situation in the
trial that is the longest in the
memory of Circuit Court Clerk
Clayton K. Watkins, who has
been in the clerks Office for 40
years. The trial is in its eighth
day.
/ M. Fitzgerald, chief surveyor
for the engineering firm which
laid out the new National Pike,
testified today that survey stakes
for the center line of the road
were driven every SO feet in late
1852.
/ But under cross examination
by States Attorney Alger Y. Bar
bee. he testified that the stakes
outlining the land to be taken
by the State at the Rockville in
Iterchange were not laid out un-
til two years later.
Linked to BasilikO
The trial yesterday heard a
defense witness link ousted
right-of way engineer Ben Du
Pre- and Contas Gus Basiliko as
late as last July after Du Pres
suspension by the State Roads
Commission.
The testimony in Montgomery
County Circuit Court came from
John E. Hentschel, right-of-way
examiner for the commission.
who described himself as per-
,, Isonal friend" of both men.
Mr.. Hentschel said he had
gone to Basiliko's Office in WASH
, Iington with Du Pre- on two or
!, three occasions. He said he never
,, heard them discuss the new Ma
tional Pike.
Mr.. Hentschel said the pair,
however, carried on some of their
conversations out of his presence.
One occasion. he cited, was
last July / or 2 at the Murphy
Hotel in North Beach, Md,
operated by Basiliko. Du Pre-
earlier had testified he met Ba-
siliko at the hotel in 1850.
Z Mr.. Hentschel said he him
/ self had had dealings with Bash
like in regard to land acquisitions
for the roads commission in
y Prince Georges County.
He denied, however, that
= Basiliko ever had asked him for
y inside information" on the
routes of proposed highways in
r the State.
Mr.. Hentschel said both Bash
1 like and Du Pre- had been social
friends of his and that they often
came to his home in Silver
: Spring on week ends.
r The testimony was brought
forth on cross-examination by
the State in day in which the
defense hammered away at roads
officials to break down the States
allegation that Basiliko and
Max Gutenberg had received in
side information" on new roads
: from Du Pre-.
10 Sent to Stand
Attorneys for the two WASH
ington real estate men sent a
parade of 10 State and county
roads and planning officials to
the witness stand primarily to
establish that the route of the
new highway has been public
knowledge since 1852.
| Gutenberg and Basiliko are on
trial on charges of conspiracy
Ito defraud the State Roads Com
mission through land value
manipulations.
The pair is accused by the
State of making big profits on
land transactions in the path
of the road. through use of adj
vance information obtained from
lDu Pre-.
| Norman F. Pritchett today was
slated to return to the witness
chair for further questioning
by the defense and cross-exam-
ination by the State.
! Still standing by is Joseph D.
Buscher. assistant attorney gen.
eral in charge of roads commits
sion affairs.
Assertions Set Forth
The defense yesterday brought
out these assertions from officials
on the availability of information
on the location of the new road:
/. Maps prepared by the Roads
Commission on the proposed
route were available to the pub
Ilic at the offices of the Mary
land National Capital Park and
Planning Commission.
2. The same maps were avail
able on a restricted basis" to
bona f1de property owners whose
land was affected at the County
Department of Public Works Of
fees.
3, The Roads Commission
would draw the proposed route
on plats sent into it by affected
property owners.
4. Preliminary centerline sur
vey stakes were laid out between
october 1852 and January 1853
for the road between German
town and Rockville.
Mr.. Pritchett said aerial maps
of the route were prepared in
early 1852 and that surveys were
started in october at Seven
Locks road northward to Ger
mantown,
This is the general area within
which the transactions of the
accused conspirator allegedly
were carried out.
All the sales to the Roads Com
mission in the area came after
January, 1858.
The State in cross-examina-
tion also corroborated earlier
testimony by Du Pre- that he
often visited Basiliko in his
Washington real estate Office
and discussed matters with him
in a back Office.