Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-02-06
Lawyers Cite
HighwayGraft
Offer in Boston
BY the Associated Press

VuhvH III ~v1eVHH
BY the Associated Press
Two Boston attorneys have
testified that a Massachusetts,
Highway Department land ne
gotiator offered them graft
money or help in securing big
cases.
The testimony came yester-
day as a House Public Works
subcommittee opened it's in
vestigation of alleged Massa-
chusetts highway scandals in
connection with Federal road
programs.
At the same time a Federal
grand jury in Boston yesterday
issued indictments against five
more persons and two firms. 1t
charged them with conspiring
to increase the price of land
needed for highway right OF
way.
Graft Offer Described
William IIerbits of Boston
told the House subcommittee
that Frank l.. Harvey, a ne
gotiator since convicted of con-
spring to defraud Massachu-
sets, once offered to cut him
in on graft payments.
Mr.. Herbits said he forgot to
remember" to whom Harvey
said the graft money was going
The attorney added he consid-
cred Harvey a liar. He said he
didn't report it to State offici-
ais because anybody who ap-
pointed that man would not lis
ten to me-"
Attorney John D. Dwyer said
Harvey once offered to steer q
lucrative case his way if he
would put in a good word fol-
him with Massachusetts, Attor-
ney General Edward j. McCor-
mack, jr., nephew of House
Speaker Mccormack.
Mr.. Dwyer said he later
dropped a big case that had
been referred to him by Harvey
after talking the matter over
with Assistant Attorney Gen.
eral Joseph Elcock.
Other Indictments
The indictments returned in
Boston yesterday are in addi-
ton to four earlier ones that
ended in conviction of Harvey
and three others.
The indictment charges that
only $4,000 was paid for IA
acres of land near Lowell, Mass,
out of which a 2-acre plot was
sold to the State for $4,000 in
March, 1859.
Among those indicted yes
terday was Associate State
Public Works Commissioner
Fred B. Dole of Shelburne, first
appointed in 1858. He is sched-
uled to appear before the House
committee later.
Also indicted were Ernest
ReiSs of Belmont, William M.
Jacobs of Newton, Elton Ste
phens of Wellesley and Edward
A. De Simone of Boston.
Reiss is a principal officer
in two companies, also in
dicted, which took part in the
Lowell land deal. Stephens is
an engineer in the Depart
ment of Public Works and
Jacobs and De Simone were en-
ployed as independent ap-
praisers by the department.
CO-cOnspirators Named
Named as co-conspirators,
but not indicted, were Herbert
L. Dodge of Needham, a pub
lie works right-of-way engi-
neer, and the late James H.
Alpen of Boston, also a public
works independent appraiser.
A Federal Highway super
visor earlier told the subcom-
mittee his departments first
inkling "all was not we'll in
Massachusetts," was in Novem-
Der. 1859. when a Federal in
spector turned up evidence OF
finagling by State highway
appraisers.
Before that, said Thomas S
Stevenson, the Massachusetts
regulations governing the &C
QUESTION of highway rights of
way looked good on paper
and spot checks by Federal men
did not unearth anything that
looked bad" Mr.. Stevenson is
New England regional rights of
way engineer for the Federal
Bureau of Public Roads.
The hearing opened with
testimony of Arthur Schoen-
haut, assistant director of the
auditing division of the General
Accounting Office, a congress
SiOnal agency that checks oil