Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-06-25
Judge Permits
|Hoffa Accuser
To Take Stand
Fisehboch Quoted as
Saying We're Too
Smart to Be Cuueht

JOnn eye CneaSCy To-Day teS-
titled that Lyman I. Fischbach
told him I'VE are too smart" to
get caught filching information
from the confidential files Of
the Select Senate Committee
investigating labor racketeering
Mr.. Cheasty was testifying be-
fore Federal Judge Burnita s.
Matthews and a jury in U. s.
District Court. He is the star
Government witness at the brib-
Iery conspiracy trial of Teamster
Vice President James r. Hoffa
and Fischbach.
The latter two are accused Of
bribing Mr.. Cheasty to get a Job
with the committee and turn
over to them data on the COM
m ittee's investigation. Mr..
CheaSty, the Government says,
exposed the plan to committee
members and agreed to play
along with the defendants In or
der to uncover the alleged
scheme.
Earlier. Judge Matthews FORE
closed arguments by defense
counsel aimed at preventing Mr..
Cheasty from testifying.
Sought to Bar Testimony
Defense Attorney Edward Ben
nett Williams had commended that
to allow Mr.. Cheasty to testify
would violate a lawyer-client re-
lationship which he said existed
between the witness and Mr..
Cheasty.
The judge ruled that Mr..
Cheasty may begin to testify and
that further objections as to spe-
CHIC testimony might be made
later.
When he took the stand, Mr..
Cheasty testified he received a
phone call from Fischbach at
his home in Brooklyn, N. y
last February IL.
| He said Fischbach. whom he
had met previously in Florida,
told him he had met a number
of union officials at O Florida
convention.
He Fischbach) said they had
a problem-the question how TO
handle the rackets investiga-
ton" the witness testified.
Mentioned Experience
Fischbach was quoted as tell
ing the union officials he had
considerable experience as coun-
sci for congressional committees
and he felt the officials were
handling the situation unwisely.
$50 he said he convinced them
he should come to Washington
and see what he could do" Mr..
Cheasty stated.
This revelation. Mr.. Cheasty
said. was made to him by Fisch-
bach during a conversation In
the latter's room at the Con-
gressional Hotel here last Febru-
airy 10. 80.
Mr.. Cheasty said he had come
to the hotel to meet Fischbach
following the phone CONVERSE
ton Of the day before, in which
he said.s Fischbach asked him to
come in and talk about an in
vestigation Job.
The witness said that in the
hotel conversation. Fischbach
said the thing to do is to put a
man inside the committee to
feed information out"
The witness continued: Il told
him 1t seemed like a practical
idea and ! asked him what would
happen II they were caught"
Cheasty ReasSnred
The witness asserted that
Fischbach said "there is not a
chance Of getting caught. We
are too smart to get caught"
Mr.. Cheasty quoted the de-
PENDANT as saying he believed
the witness was the ideal man
for the assignment.
The witness said he inquired
who was Fischbach's client.
He Fischbach) had a black
book" Mr.. Cheasty said. HE
pulled 1t out and on a page was
written Jimmy Hoffa.'"
Mr.. Cheasty declared: II
whistled and said, Wow! Mr.. Big
himself and he said, Nothing
but the best.
Mr.. Cheasty testified he told
Fischbach that by an odd coinci-
dence he had been approached
by the committee shortly before
to take a job with 1t as all
assistant counsel. But, Mr..
Cheasty said he told Fischbach,
he turned 1t down because the
income might interfere with a
Government pension he was re-
ceiving as partly disabled
former naval officer.
Mr.. Cheasty testified he and
Fischbach flew to Detroit on the
same day in which the hotel con-
versation occurred. There, he
said, they met with Hoffa in
ITeamster Union headquarters.
The witness quoted Hoffa as
telling him he wanted informa-
ton on witnesses the Senate
committee planned to call, the
date. and the type Of questions
See HOFFA, Page AS
Gil n IL ~