Evening Star Newspaper, February 14, 1929, Page 11

! SUBURBAN NEWS. CRAND INQUEST CLEARS HIGHER-UPS 'Member of Auditing Firm Says His Report Shows Those Involved. BY WILLIAM J. WHEATLEY, Btafl Correspondent of The Star. STATE HOUSE, ANNAPOLIS, Md, February 14.—“Higher-ups” that have ,been threatened with exposure in the numerous investigations of the pecula- tions in the State Reeds Commission by those already under indictment or have been convicted, in an effort to make martyrs of themselves, were given a clean bill of health by the audi- tors who examined the commission’s records in their testimony yesterday before the grand inquest of Maryland. ‘The fact that there were none higher than the office manager of the commis- wion, now in prison, was developed by Maj. E. Brooke Lee of Silver Spring, speaker of the House of Delegates. He also developed the fact that the pecula- | tlons all Wwere in districts Nos. 4 and 7. the Glenburnie and Baltimore districts. It was testificd to by State's Attorney Herbert R. O'Conor at a previous hear- ing that his investigations indicated that some of the troubles were led into the counties, but that they were mat- ters for the grand jurles in these dis- tricts to handle. Maj. Lee told C. C. Croggan, Balti- more partner of the auditing firm, of the allegations that “higher-ups” were involved and asked him if his investi- gation showed who these might be. Mr. Croggan responded that he had heard that men higher up were involved, but he said that any one familiar with fraud oould look a: the report of the auditing firm and could easily pick the “higher- ups.” None “Higher Up.” “Do you think that Butler and the other men who got this money were the men higher up?” Maj. Lee specifically asked? “Yes,” Croggan replied. “Were there any higher up?” Lee con- #nued. “None,” was the answer. Both Croggan and Raymond E. North of the same firm were on the stand at the same time, and as questions were asked, one or the other would answer. Much of the examination, which was conducted principally by Attorney How- tard of counsel for the grand inquest, was for the purpose of bringing to the at- | tention of the inquest the methods which were used in disclosing the pecu- Jations, and whether they might have been discovered by the State auditors during the period of eight years which they covered. Questioned as to the obtaining per- sonal goods from venders on vouchers showing material for the commission, . Mr. Croggan said that it was found that the venders were not in collusion in all cases. He said that the auditors had satisfied themselves by a thorough in- vestigation that in most instances ‘the venders were not criminally involved. In a few cases they were. Practically all of the purchases were ;made on the approval of the purchas- ing agents, H. C. McAvoy, now dead, and Thomas A. Butler, now in prison. Much of the money, he said, was taken by padding the pay rolls. cases checks were made out to fictitious ! employes, and they were intercepted and.used by the offenders. Croggan disclosed that some of the vouchers were missing from the files, because they were used twice. Those te, and put it through channels again. " .Leé Delivers Report. In su his statement that the dealérs in many cases were innocent in the transaction, he said that the vouch- s in many cases would provide for “material as selected.” Speaker . Lee delivered to the grand inquest the report of the State Roads Commission on the expenditures in con- nection with highway celebrations, in response to the Cobourn'Tesolution. It shows expenditures for the Crain High- way opening of $19,109.04; Severn River Bridge, $7,537.62, and the Havre de Grace Bridge, $1,350. The report !added that in connection with the Crain Highway celebration, which was at Up- per Marlboro, $1,297.71 had' been’ re- funded to the State. “There is no record in the report as'to who authorized the expenditures. X | The date slso included letiers -lmn; the regu- n ‘the practice would take a |tomac _Citizéns' A ig s gld Voucher from the files, change the | fo the"couficil the action ’uiénugu “Tast Edward M. Thomas, vice president of Prince Georges County, to spend jointly $20,000, for the Crain Highway celebra- tion. The records of the commission, ac- ording to the report, showed :that agruder obtained on three occasions a tal of $7,613 and Thomas, $8,568.98, conection with the Upper Marlboro lelebration. The Magruder fund was feported to have been expended for food, mule race prizes, building of stands and for labor to prepare Upper Marlboro fair grounds for the celebra- tion. Vouchers on this account were said to be missing. There could not be found an itemized statement of the ex- penditures by Thomas, according to the report. ‘The silver bill which.was attached | totaled $2,760, but $600 was deducted | on December 9, 1927. The items in- cluded include a tea service, at a total cost of $1,215. Other items include: Vase, $35; five folding clocks, $140; pair of military brushes, $25; silver wrist watch, $35; bowl, $250; waiter, $160; pair of flower baskets, $250; pitcher and tray, $150; making of special bowl and waiter, $250. No explanation is given s to the distribution of these. TWO WASHINGTON MEN SENTENCED TO JAIL Pair Captured After Chase Given 14 and 18 Months on Traffic and Assault Charges. Special Dispatch to The Star. UPPER MARLBORO, Md. February 14 —Still nursing a badly injured hand, State Policeman C. Dillinger today re- turned to active duty after a two-day leave of absence to recuperate from the effects of & battle with two Washington men whom he captured and had sen- tenced to jail on traffic and assault charges. According to the official report of the incident, received today by Sergt. C. E. Duckworth of the Laurel substation, Dillinger started in pursuit of the two men when the car in which they were riding sped past him in Mechanicsville, The chase led down the highway, up & private road, around & farmhouse and ended in & woods. The prisoners gave their names as ©O. M. Cain and George Quade, hoth of the 800 block of Fifth srteet, Wash- ington. Another fight started as the trial be- gan and Dillinger this time was obliged to use his clyb, The men were then Leonardtown fail, committed to the where they are said to have assaulted the jaller. Judge Robert Burroughs later sen- and Miss Hazel V. Vicory. Standing, POTOMAG OFFERS SEWERS TOMT. IDA Right of Way on Stream Granted to Eliminate Health Menace. Special Dispatch to The Star. POTOMAC, Va. February 14.—The Potomac Town Council in a special ses- sion at the town hall last night unani- mously passed a resolution offering the Mount Ida Citizens Corporation a por- tion of the town's right-of-way to Four- Mile Run for the construction of a trunk line sewer to dispose of the sewerage now emptied into an open ditch behind George Mason High School, Mount Ver- non Elementary School and Jeffersqn District Health Center. ‘The resolution provides that the sewer must be completed within 12 months after accéptance of the offer and sets forth that the corporation must con- nect its septic tank to the Potomac sewer system within 60 days. J. H. Rollins and E. C. Davison, presi- den and secretary, respectively, of the Mount Ida Citizens Corporation, attend- ed the meeting and announced ,that their organization would submit a reply In many ' within 10 days. ““The ple of Mount Ida are in accord with any movement of the coun- cil looking toward abatement of the nuisance,” Davison said. A resolution drafted Monday night by the executive committee of the Po- -Association s ted night’s meeting. It was presented by Williani' Kleysteuber, chairman of the citizens’ association’s executive com- ittee, Countilman W. E. Kidwéll stated that the resolution Was in ‘accordance with the plan he had in mind, and made a motion that it be passed by the council. The motion was seconded by Council- 8. G. Heddings and was then passed without a dissenting vote. Cor- poration Attorney Walter U. Varmey vouched for the legality of the plan. Prior to arriving at its final decision the council discussed the possibility of ;;:ten::xm into a muut with the lount Ida organization, taking over the entire holdings of the corporation and connecting the Mount Ida system with that of Potomac. Adoption of the contract and the agreement with the Mount Ida corpora- zioln, whitéshunmdoubudly ‘would 5:% ; sul passage, was eal by a vote of 5 to 1. 8 Twelfth & F of Women’s Sma: Group N These Shoes Originally 'to Tomorrow O Officers of the new Arlington County Business Women’s Club. | to right, Miss Lorena A. Heishman, Mrs. Albert H. Cohen, Mrs. Pearl W. Sharp Mrs. Dewey J. Edwards, Mrs. Emma A.| Weekly, Mrs. Edith B. Corder and Mrs. Margaret B. Elgin. Unusual Price Concessions - ON SALE IN OUR FOUNTAIN ROOM $4.85 Sizes and Widths 2275 313%| 447 55 6/6° 7‘7,23 5‘..’1 ¥ THE EVENING BUSINESS WOMEN iMrs. A. H. Cohen Heads Ar- lington Civic and Social Organization. By a Staft Correspondent of The Star. CLARENDON, Va., February 14.—Ar- lington County's first Business Women's Club was organized yesterday and will henceforth meet at luncheon each Wed- nesday. ‘The 22 women in attendance yesterday were admitted as charter members. ‘The meeting. was arranged under the was later elected president. Mrs. Cohen explained to the gathering that the club was to be both social and civic, with the civic activities centered upon the provision of playgrounds and other aids for children. ‘There are at the present time no pub- lic parks or playgrounds in the county, Mrs. Cohen pointed out, and it will be the purpose of the club to obtain the use of unoccupied land adjacent to the closely settled sections and there pro- vide amusements that will keep the children off the streets. Following her election as president, Mrs. Cohen immediately appointed Mrs. Emma A. Weekly chairman of the con- stitution committee. Other officers elected were Mrs. Pearl Lorena A. Heishman, second vyice presi- dent; Miss Hazel W. Vicory, corre- sponding secretary; Mrs, Margaret B. Bl i, fovan e Sl o Swibinkion Mrs, Dewey J. Edwards was appointed chair- man of the entertainment committee. FIREMEN APPROVE BILLS. Special Dispatch to The Star, CAPITOL HEIGHTS, Md., February 14.—At the monthly meetnig of the ad- visory board of the Prince Georges County Volunteer Firemen's Associa- tion, held in Odd Fellows Hall here last night, it was decided to request the e&um{ gee‘lfig:t:n in the Legisla- ure. to ge ive proposed meas- ures. These bills are designed t:‘ ef- fect standardization of fire hose con- nections, to give fire apparatus the right of way on all roads, to give fire department officers police power at fires, to authorize firemen to make in- spections of fire hazards and to au- thorize an assessment of 2 per “cent against fire insurance companies. + & rt Shoes at Most plete o. 1 Sold $8.50 nly Sitting, left | - UNTE N COuNTY direction of Mrs. Albert H. Cohen, who | Park. W. Sharpe, first vice president; Miss | "Berberich’S SPECIAL FOR | FRIDAY ONLY! | 434 Pairs Selected from lines in which we do not have a com- STAR, WASHINGTON, ONING HEARINGS SET FOR MARCH 13 | Prince Georges Board to Consider .17 Requests for Reclassification. BY GEORGE PORTER. Staff Correspondent of The Star. UPPER MARLBORO, Md., February 14.—Having effected a working agree- | ment with the Maryland-National Cap- |itol Park and Planning Commission | | whereby they are to act as a legislative | body and administer the zoning ordi- !nance, the Prince Georges County com- missioners today announced they will | hold their first hearing of petitions now | on file, on March 19. The petitions to be considered, some {of which have been pending since last Spring, include five requests from the Baltimore & &Ohio Railroad Co. for re- | classification of property now zoned as residential into industrial. | The areas involved in the railroad’s | petitions are: The ‘Branchville” prop- erty of the B. & O.; a 2-acre tract south of the Hyattsville Ice Co.; a half-acre plot on the west side of the railroad right-of-way, 900 feet north of the An- napolis highway at Bladensburg: a 2- acre plot south of the Annapolis high- way and west of the railroad at Bladens- burg, and a 9-acre plot at Beaver Heights, north of the District Line and between the rights-of-way of the Balti- more & Ohio and Pennsylvania Rail- | roads. . v Bladensburg Change Asked. Two other applications are for re- classification from residential to indus- trial, One is from the Capitol Heights Ice & Fuel Corporation, involving four lots in Palmer’s subdivision of "Seat Pleasant and the other from George M. McLeod, and concerns a part of the Lee property near Fenwick and Ross streets, Bladensburg. . Nine requests for reclassification from residential to commercial will be con- sidered. They are: Petition of Katie Dyson, lots 172 to 176, inclusive, Cedar Heights; Lewis S. Magruder, acreage farm, Kent district, Huntsville; Frank R. Lake, lots 87 and 88, Cedarcroft, Brentwood; L. C. Gin- gell, acreage on west side of Washing- ton-Baltimore boulevard, 116 feet south of intersection of Central avenue; Harr Zion Congregation Cemetery, Inc., block 22, Greater Capitol Heights; W. Ander- wyn Heights; John W. C. Brown, acre- age on west side of Washington-Balti- more boulevard, 1'% miles south of Beltsville, and Samuel Bass, 10 lots in block “A,” Beaver Heights. Law Change Sought. Only one request for reclassification from commercial to residential is to be considered. It is from Clayton F. Moore and involved a lot in Riverdale rk. M. Hampton Magruder, the commis- sloners’ counsel, and J. Bond Smith, torney for the Park Commission, are scheduled to meet with the Prince Georges County repreésentatives in the Legislature to draft an amendment giv- ing the commissioners a means of checking on the physical development of the county. State Senator Lansdale G. Sasscer has urged the amendment e framed without delay. ANNAPOLIS MAN HURT AS AUTO TURNS OVER Harold Keats in Gallinger Hos- pital After Treatment at Provi- dence for Skull Fracture. Harold ‘Keats, 33, - Annapolis, Md., former sales - man; injured early this morning when his au- tomobile overturned in a ditch about one-half mile from the District line on the Southern*Maryland pike, after fail- ing to negotiate a turn. ! ‘Kéats “was brought to Providence tal by Paul Campbell and treated by Dr. O'Donnell for fracture at the base of the skull and lacerations on the nose and forehead. He was later re- moved to Gallinger Hospital. Firemen Plan Banquet. POTOMAC, Va., February 14 (Spe- cigly—A motion ‘opposing: the estab- lishment of an abattoir in Arl] County was tabled until March 11 when presented here last night at the meet- ing of the Potomac Fire Department. Plans for the annual banquet of the department February 27 in the Town Hall, auditorium were discussed and a comthittee-was appointed to arrange for the affair. Twelfth & F line of sizes in all styles. Group No. 2 ON SALE ON OUR SECOND FLOOR These Shoes Sold Originally to $15 Tomorrow Only $7 85 Sizes and Widths A VAR AL AU AR AR ) AR P e [RRRK || Nt B ) | RRR] A D S S R A 111313 M5 |48 _| 2% |3 | ARKAT | il AT I ).icd 12| [N T LI PR R c 1156 ";::}‘ql;;"‘)‘sif—‘!' ih' A8 (11| = R ] . 9 B E ! ] srberiche 911 | AT T 2L | b T3 S ) 11811 1420 | B 11 @1 36 41 B8 21T ] [ E 2 T[T (R BT (W% T[T /0 85 24 R L[ 11 411 1 1 son and Henry Meyer, one lot in Ber- || - KSUBURBAN NEWS™ » I7 KAUFMANN'S THIRD ANNIVERSARY SALE Grows As It Goes—Offering New and Greater - BiRTHDAY VALUEN This Charming Carved-Frame Living Room Suite Upholstered in Jacquard Velour 18 Months to Pay The House of Character * ( '129 Created to grace any home with distinction—a suite of rich appearance and worthy construc- tion. Covered with jac- quard velour with carved mahogany top rail. Settee, armchair and wing-back club, chair. Reversible loose spring-filled - cush- ions. Budget Payments The House of Character This Graceful and Enduring New Bedroom Suite °165 A four-piece suite of beauty and impressive dignity. Of genuine American walnut ve- neer combined with cabinet woods. Dresser, French van- ity, return-end bed and chest of drawers. Drawer bottoms of mahogany. Budget Payments This Distinctive and Comfortable Living Room Suite Covered -in a Fine Quality of Mohair - '189 The illustration shows the invit- ing lines of this magnificent suite, but can only suggest its beauty and quality. Upholstered with fine mohair. Settee, armchair and wing chair. Loose, spring- filled cushions. by et hugillle DY o Budget Payments This Luxurious Cogswell Chair $20:65 Deep seat, high-back, spring- filled foundation—upholstered in very fine quality velours. What could be more desirable for the home than a chair of this type. Budget Payments Colonial Four-Post Bed $19% Choice of mahogany or wal- nut—true Colonial type in 3 ft. 3'in. or 4 ft. 6 in. sizes. Very attractive and well made. Budget Payments Budget Payments -~ KAUFMAANNS Spinet Desk $189% Charming in appearance, practical ine use. Mahogany finish. This artistic appoint- ment is most advantageously :ilced for the Anniversary e. 5 Budget Payments Anniversary Sale prices pre- vail throughout our stock of davenport tables, including beautiful tables of gumwood with mahogany finish, as low tenced Cain to 14 months in the House of Correction for resisting arrest and | assaulting an officer, and Quade to 18 | menths for resisting arrest, In addition, |} Cain was fined $150 for driving while | intoxicated and $50 for reckless driving. 1415 H Street N W. TWELFTH-<F STS