Evening Star Newspaper, October 9, 1931, Page 17

The Zp ITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION ening Staf WASHINGTON, D. €, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1931 STUDY INSTITUTED FOLLOWING ATTACK! ON GRAND JURIES Trade Board Law Group Acts| on Charge Svstem Is Out of Date. Reveals Pr iceless Art EGYPTIAN ENVOY COURT OFFICIA[é HERE CALLED ‘UNBUSINESSLIKE! Inquisitorial Function Urged for | Committing Magistrate With Power to Hold for Trial. | Porcelain coach over a hundred ye: Charges made by several of its mem- bers that the grand jury system has outlived its usefulness as a vital part of judicial machinery have moved the Law Committee of the Board of Trade to institute study of the whole problem of the formation and operation of the inquisitorial body. A special committee to canvass the matter was announced today following extensive discussion at the committee's session yesterday, when several mem- bers denounced the grand jury as “n’ useless relic of the past ages.” Severe _criticism was voiced also against the “unbusinesslike and care- Jess” methods of local court officials and the jury commission in the selec- tion of grand jurors and objections were raised to presentation by grand juries of special reports other than in- dictments, for which, it was contended, there is no statutory authority. Committee Members Named. Joseph A. Burkart, chairman of the law group. today announced appoint- ment of the following to serve on the Special _Committee: Daniel —Thew Wright, former justice of District Su: preme Court; Henry I Quinn, Matthew O'Brien, John McDill Fox, dean of the Law School of Cathglic University, and A. Couiter Wells. Mr. Burkart will serve as ex-officio member. Chairman Burkart urged that the matter be approached with great cau- tion because of the time-honored de- pendence placed upon the grand jury system. A While there was some disagreement as to the proposal to “shelve” the grand jury as a vital part of the legal ma- chinery, there was general agreement among those who discussed the matter that the present methods of the jury commission in selecting members of the grand jury were not successful. | The matter arose because of the re- cent finding of a Government pensioner serving &s a member of the July grand jury, which led to his discharge as a Juror and the voiding of & considerable humber of indictments which the jury | had returned. including some “third de- | gree” brutality cases. H Favors Abolishing System. “In my opinion, the grand jury as an | institution has completely outlived its| usefulness and should be abolished, and | the inquisitorial function it now pe: forms should be assigned to a commit- rate with power to hold for , r. Burkart said. Describing the many legal tangles that have arisen from grand jury opera- tion Mr. Burkart said, “It would seem that in modern day practice the grand jury is a cumbersome and expensive piece of judicial machinery, handling of which, especially in thickly | populated jurisdictions, is more of a menace than a benefit, unless the most scrupulous care is exercised in selection of proper persons to compose the insti- tution.” He referred to the improper paneling of the first grand jury that probed the McPherson death mystery and the re-| cent voiding of many of the indictments of the July crand jury for the same rea- | son. Denouncing the practice of some grand juries in bringing voluntary spe- cial reports on certain matters, Mr. Burkart declared the weight of author- 115 seems to be that a grand jury func- tions to indict or to ignore, in the ab- sence of statutory authority otherwise, which does not exist in the District. Solution Suggested. Mr. Burkart, Dean Fox and Other members suggested that a committing magistrate would appear to offer a solu- tion of the “cumbersome” grand jury method of holding accused persons for trial, Dean Fox of the Catholic University Law School brought out that - some States now have in operation the sys- tem of bringing accused persons before a committing magistrate upon filing of an information by the prosecuting at- torney, such magistrate being empow- ered to hold accused for trial without reference of the case to the grand jury. | Since the District is a Federal juris- diction, this system could not be adopt- ed as such, others contended. It was urged, however, that the powers of the grand juries here could.be minimized | by setting up as preliminary machinery | a committing magistrate who would | pass on all cases before they go to the grand jury. Another lawyer member of the com- mittee voiced severe condemnation of judges for permitting grand juries to make special reports other than indict- ments. | Correction of Fault Seen. Court officlals also came in for de- nunciation in selection of improper per- sons for the grand juries here, several speakers complaining that questions rtaining to the qualification of jurors ave been “mumbled” so fast by court officials that only a most alert and in- telligent person could understand what | was being sald, { However, belief was expressed that recent steps taken by District court! officials regarding paneling of grand | Jurors would correct this fault by using written questionnaires and repeating | them orally. Mr. O'Brien and Former Judge Wright also criticized methods followed by the Jury Commission in selecting names of possible grand jurors, reporting the in- formation that the commission, meeting but a few days a year, took names of prospects from the telephone and city directories. Several members asserted the grand juries in former years were of much higher caliber than those of recent times. CITY NEWS IN BRIEF. TODAY. Meeting, Connecticut State Society, ‘Willard Hotel, 8 p.m. Meeting, Brightwood Citizens' Asso- clation, Paul Junior High School, Eighth and Peabody streets, 8 p.m. Meeting, Order of Christian Mystics, Arlington Hotel, 8 p.m. |of these objets dart. {further and invites his friends to wan- | K street, | envoy from Egypt. BY GRETCHEN SMITH. ROM a cabinet filled with price- less porcelain Sesostris Sida- rouss Pasha, Minister of Egypt, brought forth a fragile, deli- cately enameled box. Pressing a spring, & tiny trap door flew up, releasing & diminutive bird, which immediately started flapping tiny | wings of such exquisite workmanship that it was difficult to believe that they | were not actually feathers. As it flapped | and revolved upon the box lid, the little bird whistled and piped a merry song. Box, bird and song were in such & perfect condition, that it seemed incret ible that the bijouterie had been made iin France well over a hundred years | ago. during which time it had been transported from one country to an- | other, perhaps changlng owners dozens | of times. | The novelty box is but one of hun- {dreds of pieces of rare porcelain and | erfamel, comprising one of the most in- teresting and valuable collections ever brought to Washington. Hobby for Years. For many years porcelain and statu- lary collecting has been a favorite hobby f Sidarouss Pasha, who, with the eye of a connoisseur, has wandered among |the antique and curio shops of Eng- |1and, France, Germany and Italy, until |he has now assembled a coliection which might well be the envy of many |8 museum, | The Egyptian Minister is not a col- lector, however, who places his treas- ures behind sealed doors to be cata- ilogued and hidden from the eyes of | |the world. He has generously placed |is lovely bits of porcelain about the |spacious rooms of the legation, where {visitors may chare with him the beauty | He even goes der about among the rooms, often per- sonally explaining the origin and iden- tity of his pleces. “This is a very old Chelsea.” he ex- | plained, indicating a handsome pair of four-pronged candelabra. The coloring and the workmanship of the garlands dainty central woman's figurc support- never been achieved by twentleth cen- tury factories. Chelses, one of the finest and oldest | of English porcelains, first appeared | about . and in his collectin of several hundred pieces the Egyptian | Minister has included a number of the | oldest and most interesting bits of the | English ware. Many Delicate Pieces. Upon the closed lid of a grand piano, the very | Sidarouss Pasha has assembled innu- | Sidarouss merable little porcelain figures, each de- | picted with musical instruments, cr | grouped in merry dance poses of a long time ago. Studying this particular as- sortment, one enjoys & colorful picture SHOWS CERAMICS. ars old recently brought to Washington {in a valuable collection of antiques belonging to the Sesostris Sidarouss Pasha, i | | —Star Staff Photo. of the days of Marie Antcinette, when little ladies in bouffant skirts courtsied in the minuet to gentlemen in silk knee | | breeches. Many of the Minister’s danc- ing figures are Dresden as Well as ’ Sevres, and it is interesting to note the | delicacy of coloring and the smo-thness of the workmanship which characterized both the products of German and French factories of a century past. On the top of a large cabinet, the | Minister has placed some choice pieces of Capo di Monte, the Itallan ware | which was produced in a porcelain | factory near Naples as far back as 1736, | and so delighted the artistic eye of | Charles the Third. | sidarouss Pasha upon others to which he collects. some crowns, some fleur de lis, others | mere crosses, in dark blue, light blue, | or black, which indicate the period in | whick, they were produced at the fac- | tories of ~ Vincennes. ~Straffordshire, | Dresden, Sevres or other famous por- | celain_centers, are as familiar to the Egyptian envoy as they would be to a professicnal collector Many of the pieces of statuary in- [ cluded in the Sevres group, date back to the period when Madame de Pom- | padour inspired the famous _coloring known as Pompadour blue. This rich shade of blue is found among many of the Minister's pleces. Perhaps no pettod of the Sevres porce- lain shows richer coloring and finer | detail than that of the period of la Pompadour, when Louls XV did so | much to encourage the perfection of the ceramic arts. not the depend pleces does identify The transportation of this remarkable | private collection of bijouteries is not the least interesting factor of their presence in Washington. Marveling at the perfect condition of the newly arrived collection, Sidarouss Pasha explained to his visitor, “it was necessary to pack each piece separately Packed and wrapped in boxes, not one plece was broken or nicked.” At a dinner last evening given by the Minister to commemorate the anniver- sary of the accession of King Fuad to the throne. which will be celebrated to- | decorating the prongs, as well as the day in Egypt. guests were given the op- | portunity of seeing for the first time the {ing the prongs, bespoke a porcelain age envoy's interesting collection of porce- {whose perfection of workmanship has lains. Relative to the festivities which ac- company the celebration of the holiday today, the Minister said ually the celebration in Alex- andria is marked by great illuminations and fireworks. This year, however, his majesty, in consideration of the ‘eco- nomic depression, has ordered that the | money usually expended upon fireworks be used for the relief of the poor and needy.” Following_the example of his ruler, i Pasha dispensed with _all ostentation, _reserving last evening's celebration’ for a limited number of friends and guests, among whom were included Vice President Curtis and his hister, Mrs. E. E. Gann. | | and Knock Down Two. Driver Is Held. ‘Three children were injured, one se- riously, in a trio of automobile accidents | late vesterday and last night. Police arrested the driver of one of the ma- chines figuring in the mishaps on a bad brakes charge A 9-year-old colored boy, Ernest| Clark, of 8 Burroughs road. was the most _critically injured, suffering in- | ternal hurts when & car operated by | Cornell T. Erbacher, 45, of 3600 Tenth | street, ran over him at North Capitol | street’ and Rhode Island avenue. He was taken to Emergency Hospital. | The Clark boy, according to second | precinct police, ran from behind a street | car and felled by the left fender of Erbacher’s car, one of the wheels pass- | ing over his abdomen. The driver was | arrested on a charge of operating an automobile With defective brakes. | Loss of several teeth was suffered by Eleanora Julino, 8 years old, of 2105 | Fourth street northeast, when a ma- chine driven by Robert V. Ferris, 30, of | 3904 Twenty-second street northeast, | knocked her_down while she was roller skating at Fourth street and Rhode Island avenue northeast. The girl was given first-aid treatment by a nearby physician. Alice May Gledis, 6 years old, of 1202 was treated at Emergency Hospital for a fractured ankle yester- day after a car operated by Hugh Friz- zell, 24, of 1405 Fifteenth street felled her near her home. CHLDREN INIURED CAPITAL MERCURY IN THREE MISHAPS, DROPS 34 DEGREES Autos Run Over One Victim Temperature Due for Rise| Again Sunday After Fall From 88 to 54. A 34-degree drop in temperature overnight sent Washingtonians into closets and chests in search of top- ccats this mornirg as a great portion of the Northeastern part of the Nation shivered at the arrival of the first harbinger of Winter. Yesterday the sun beat down on per- sons mopping perspiration from their brows and this morning those same persons looked cut on a chilled world and decided they'd ‘“better have the coal laid in.” ‘The Lake regions, North and Middle Atlantic States and the Ohio Valley suffered from the drop, W. R. Stevens, Weather Bureau forecaster, sald today, adding that some of these had not felt all the belated Summer warmth that had descended on the Capital in the past few days. Yesterday’s maximum temperature in the city was 88 degrees, at about 3 o'clock. The mercury began to drop shortly after this, and did not stop until just before 8 o'clock this morn- ing, when it registered 54 degrees. By noon it had returned as high as 62. but today’'s maximum will be at least 20 degrees cooler than yesterday's high, Mr. Stevens said. Tomorrow, with foot ball contests all over the country, will remain cool— “good foot ball weather,” Mr. Stevens sald—but Sunday will be a little warm- er in this section, and “I wouldn't say that there won't be considerable warm weather again this Fall,” he added. Reaction to The Bureau of Standards has discov- ;ll'ed a formula for removing face wrin- 5. However, the experiments have been confined, the bureau announced today. to curing wrinkles in paper dials used as faces for clocks. Bureau officials said they were res cently requested by & clock manufac- turer to conduct such tests, and they found that, unlike the wrinkles of card party, benefit St. Francis de Sales Church, Twentieth street and Rhode Island avenue northeast, 8 p.m. Meeting, Blg Sisters of the District of Columbia, St. Patrick's rectory, 8 p.m. human faces, the clocks’ troubles were not due to old age. Through compara- tive tests of the wrinkled dials with those which did not wrinkle, burcau officials explained, the trouble was traced to the greater apfim of the 'FORMULA FOR IRONING WRINKLES FROM CLOCK FACES DISCOVERED |Standards Bureau Finds Chrono Creases Caused by Paper Moisture. former on absorbing moisture from the atmosphere. i Officials safd paper has the property of expanding appreciably with increase of moisture content. due to swelling of the fibers, and the dials which wrinkled were found to expand 50 per cent more than those which remained unwrinkled when both were subjected to a normal increase in atmosphere humidity. ‘The dials fitted quite closely to a cir- cular metal recess, and ‘the greater ex- pansion of the one paper forced th2 edge of the dials against the metal huualn, sufficiently to cause the wrin- kling, it was said. 5 All the lttle marks, | PURCHASE OF RENO SCHOOL SITE T0 BE PRESSED ON ROBB HEAVY OIL BLAMED FOR DEATH OF FISH INANAGOSTIA RIVER Education Board Fears Con- gestion Will Result From Delays. FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO BUY PROPERTY Arranged Between Engineer and Committee to Speed Building. Apprehensive over possible results of delay in securing the site for a senior { high school in the Reno section of | Chevy Chase, the Board of Education's Committee on Buildings, Grounds and { Equipment will confer with Maj. H. L. Robb, U. §. A., Assistant Engineer Com- missioner, to urge the acceleration of eflorts to’ purctae the land. Daniel C. Roper, former commissioner of internal revenue, who now is chairman of the Buildings, Grounds and _Equipment Committee of the School Board, has been authorized by the board to take his committee to the Commissioners themselves to make a personal appeal for the purchase of the land, for which funds have been available through con- gressional appropriation since the sign- ing of the 1932 appropriation act by the President last Spring. Mr. Roper requested & conference with Maj. Robb today for tomorrow morning, and Maj. Robb announced early this afternoon that he would hear the committee at that time. Besides Mr. Roper, the school board members Who will plead for the purchase ‘of the site are Mrs..Philip Sidney Smith and Rev. F. I A. Bennett, members of Mr. Roper's committee. An acute situation in the senior high school section of the public school sys- | tem was outlined in school circles t it was pointed out that { Western High School is definitely scheduled to go on & double-shift pro- gram again by September, 1933. This prophecy is based on the mathematical projection of elementary and junior high school enrollments now in the Conference addition of a very conservative number of students estimated for normal an- nual increase. School Delay Seen. Even if the new Senlor High School site is purchased immediately, it was pointed out at the Franklin Building, the much-needed school ftself could not | be ready for occupancy before Febru- | ary 1, 1935. Thus, it was shown, West- ern is destined to be on the double- shift program, which allows only half a day’s schooling for its students, for at least one and a half school years. The school people pointed out that the appropriation _estimates for 1933 | include an item of $60,000 for the prep- | aration of plans and specifications and | the cempletion of preliminary studies | necessary to let the contract for the building. Under the most speedy prog- ress these plans, if the item is appro- priated for by Congress during its com- | ing session, could not be ready and the | contract let before July, 1933. From | that time, it was said, at least 18 months would elapse before the build- ing is completed, which would place the occupancy date as February 1, 1935, In authorizing Mr. Roper's committee to outline the urgency of the senior high school _situation, several board members expressed fear that in the face of the apparent delay in spending ap- propriated money for sites, Congress | may feel that the conditions described by ‘school authorities in the hearings | last year are not as acute as they had | contended. Mrs. Henry Grattan Doyle declared that “unless we can go to Con- | gfess this Fall with the site actually purchased, ‘we probably will not have much of a case on which to base our plea for funds with which to begin construction of this critically-needed | school.” | Robb Says Sites Considered, Maj. Robb said today that “several sites” were under consideration in his office for the senfor high school. He sald" there was no actual agreement reached yet on any one, but gave as- surance that efforts were under way to complete the purchase. The school people, on the other hand, said that both they and the National Capital Park and Planning Commission were in complete agreement on a specific site in the immediate vicinity of the Alice Deal Junior High School. Maj. Robb said today that the tract at Thirty-ninth and Fessenden streacs which the District wanted as a site for an elementary school, was now being condemned for that purpose. Purchase of this site had been opposed vigorously by a group of property cwners whose homes adjoin the wanted land. It was said in school circles today, however, jthat the property owners who opposed the Thirty-ninth and Fessenden strects site for an elementary school now were favoring it as a location for the pro- posed senior high school. The school authorities, however, say this land is not large enough for a senior high school and its accompanying athletic field, and |that they, therefore, could not ap- prove it. CAPT. ALVIN 1. LORIG HEADS MILITARY BAND Named Corps Commander of Over- seas Music Organization of Veterans of Foreign Wars. Capt. Alvin I. Lorig was elected corps commander of the Overseas Military Band Drum and Bugle Corps of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the Dis- trict of Columbia at a meeting Wednes- day night in the National Guard Armory. Other officers elected were: B. S. Blandin, sergeant major; First Sergt. W. A. Windsor, U. S. Marine Corps, musical instructor of drum and bugle section; W. A. Lockard, drum major; H. A. Church, adjutant; Frank Topash, assistant adjutant, and Sergt. Marion Stone, U. S."Army, quartermaster, Beginning this month rehearsals for the band will be held each Wednesday night at the National Guard Armory, Sixth street and Pennsylvania avenue. Special training for musical numbers which are bel arranged by Capt. Lorig will start October 16. Rehearsals for the Drum and Buile Corps section will be held each Friday night at 8 o'clock. Announcement was made that the entire corps will parade Halloween and Armistice night. Hyde to Giv-e Lect:lre. Dorsey Hyde, jr., secretary of ‘Washington Chamber of Cyommel".(ltlee. will give an illustrated lecture on health tonight, at 8 o'clock, at the meeting of the Parent-Teacher Asso- _crl;tmn 'an l"r;filcls s:fi? l‘)‘(ey School. e mee the school building. o f schools in Western's territory and the | i action. Refuse From Plant of Gas Light Company-Held Re- sponsible After Probe. NUISANCE CASE GIVEN D. C. POLICE FOR ACTION Bureau of . Fisheries Investigates Matter Following Report of In- jury to Paint on Boats. Heavy ofl or sludge which apparently emanated from the Southeast plant of the Washington Gas Light Co. is be- lieved to have caused the pollution in the Anacostia River about 10 days ago, which resulted in the death of many fish and the serfous injury to paint on boats anchored in the river, according to a statement issued today by Henry O'Malley, commissioner of the United States Bureau of Fisheries. Mr. O'Malley's opinion was based on the_findings of an investigation, made at his request, when reports were re- celved at his office of the destruction of fish in the river. He said, however, the pollution was a violation of the District law, and referred the case to the police department. Sludge Covered Water. “A complaint was made to the Bu- reau of Fisheries September 30,” Com- | missioner O'Malley declared, “that a | few days previous heavy oil was being discharged into the Anacostia River in the vicinity of the foot of Eleventh street, which was seriously injuring the paint on boats in that vicinity and de- stroying numbers of fish. An investi- gation showed that ofl or sludge of | some kind covered a large portion of the surface of the water and appar- ently emanated from the Washington | Gas plant located at that point. A photograph showing numbers of dead fish was submitted to bureau officials with the statement that the fish shown therein, were killed by the alleged pol- lution in sufficient quantities to be a nuisance to shore occupants. “Unfortunately, the Bureau of Fish- {eries has no authority to enforce laws | prohibiting poliution, but it is intensely interested in the suppression of any form of pollution which is destructive of fish life. In this case there appeared to {be a violation of the District law, so the matter was reported to the District police for investigation and appropriate They have investigated the complaint, and, I am informed. found evidences of the destruction of fish life. Samples of the oil or sludge were ob- | tained from the surface of the water for chemical analysis. Oil Does Damage. “A representative of the Bureau of Fisheries visited the river in the vicinity of the gas works on October 6. While he did not observe any evidences of de- struction of fish life at that particular time, there was an accumulation of ofl or sludge on the water at various points. There did not appear to be any ol coming from the two visible pipes which discharge water and other liguids from the gas plant into the river which would seem to indicate that the action com- plained of is not continuous. However, discharge of oil at any time can do an immeasurable amount of damage and discontinued. “The Bureau of Fisheries is carrying out an extensive program of propaga- tion and restocking of the waters of the United States. It is, of course. a waste of time and money to plant fish in waters which are polluted. If the work of the bureau is to be of any service to the country its fish must be planted in waters suitable for fish life and free from pollution. The Bureau of Fisheries intends to aid in the fight | for the non-pollution of the waters throughout the country with all its re- sources, for, if food fish and game fish | are to be conserved for future genera- | tions the purity of our waters must be | assured.” 'VOCATION GUIDANCE PROGRAM HELD VITAL No Junior High School Can Func- tion Adequately Without It, Kiwanians Told. Declaring the lack of guidance causes “unnecessary blind wanderings on the part of many pupils with the results that society eventually finds itself with educational cripples on its hands” Miss Helen E. Samuel, president of the Vocational Guidance Association of the District of Columbia, asserted yesterday that no junior high school can func- tion adequately without a well organized vocational guidance program. Miss Samuel was addressing the ‘Washington Kiwanis Club at its fourth annual Vocational Guidance day pro- gram. Guests of the club included prominent public school authorities, headed by Dr. Frank W. Balou, super- intendent. Besides Dr. Ballou, the school au- thorities who were guests of the club included Stephen E. Kramer, first assist- ant superintendent; Dr. Edgar Higbie, president of the Wilson Teachers' Col- ilege; Mrs. Henry Grattan Doyle and Henry Gilligan, members of the Board of Education; Dr. Harvey Smith, prin- cipal of Central High School; Dr. Elmer Newton, principal of Western High School; Frank C. Daniel, principal of McKinley High School; Allan Davis, principal of Business High School, and Frank A. Woodward, principal of the Gordon Junior High School. Ernest J. Spitzer, chairman of the Kiwanis Vocational Guidance Commit- tee, presided. . Willlam N. Schaefer; vice president of the R. P. Andrews Paper Co. was elected to membership in the club. WOL FILES PROTEST Fights C. B. 8. ?leu—;or 250-Watt Booster Station Here. The American Broadcasting Coe. which operates Station WOL, yesterday filed a protest with the Federal Radio Commission opposing the granting of the application of the Columbia Broad- casting System for authority to operate | Fall. a 250-watt booster station in Washing- ton. 2 uld be & “manifest injustice, th:t “';‘,OL operators declare, for the commission to grant the Columbia re- quest, without first allocating a *suit- able” frequency to their station. WOL is using the 1,310-kilocycle channel, and wants an assignment on the 1,270-kilo- cyele band.’ which it requested Novem- ber 11, 1928, e is wholly unnecessary and should be | THIRD DEGREE I Cecil Mason, who, with Maurice O’Connor, is accused of obstructing jus- tice in the Government's third-degree investigation of the lice, was sen- tenced today to pay fines totaling $350 or serve 90 days in jail on liquor and traffic charges. While Mason was being sentenced in Police Court by Judge Given, a hearing for O’Connor on the intimidation charge brought against him by the Department of Justice was postponed until October 16 by United States Commissioner Need- ham C. Turnage. ‘The intimidation charges against Mason and O'Connor will be called to the attention of the grand jury next week in connection with the case of the “United States vs. Robert Bar- rett et al” Barrett is a headquarters detective, against whom George B. Baber is saild to have made charges of brutality before the last grand jury. Mason and O'Connor are alleged to bave asked Baber to “go easy” on a headquarters detective. The charges on which Mason was fined today are said to be the ones which Mascn allegedly referred to when, according to Baber, he spoke of the 2id rendered him by a headquarters detective in escaping a “rap.” Mason previously had pleaded guilty before Judge Given to the charges, which were jillegal possession of liquor and driving without a permit. Mason also pleaded guilty before Commissioner Turnage on the intimi- dation charge and was held for the grand jury under $3.500 bond. O'Con- nor pleaded not guilty. United States Attorney Leo A. Rover, after a conference with attorneys repre- senting the five policemen of the first precinct, charged with assaulting pris- oners, has decided to nolle prosse the case. He has not reached a decision as TRID FROM LORTON but Two Recapiured by Prison Posse. An armed posse was searching a |heavily wooded swamp about three i | prisoners who escaped from the Dis- trict Reformatory at Lorton late last night. Two other grisoneu who par- ticipated in the dash for freedom were recaptured on the edge of the marsh shortly after 2 o'clock this morning. The break was made about 11:30 o'clock last night by Edward Larson, serving four years for grand larcen John Orwin, five years for robber: Mack Fierst, two years for grand la ceny; Willlam Sullivan, five years for grand larceny, and Richard Stockton, arrested after he started a criminal career sald to have been inspired by the reading of dime novels about gangsters. The men escaped from the institu- tion after forcing & window of the dor- mitory in which they slept. Their ab- sence was not discovered until about half an hour later. Reformatory officers, headed by Supt. Tawes, immediately armed themselves and put bloodhounds on the trail of the fugitives. The escaped prisoners, presumably unarmed, were traced to the fringe of the swamp, where they were overtaken. As the posse of 10 or 12 men ap- proached the fugitives fled. captured, however, while their com- panions dashed into the swamp and dis- appeared. g The officers surrounded the marsh and slowly closed in on the fleeing pris- oners. Supt. Tawes expressed confi- dence they would be recaptured before the end of the day. Sullivan and Stockton were returned to the reformatory, placed in solitary confinement. Simi- lar punishment will be meted out to the other three men if they are re- captured, Tawes declared. Meanwhile, Washington and Alex- andria police have been asked to be on the lookout for the fugitives in the event they should succeed in eluding the posse closing in on them in the swamp. of valuable books from the libraries of wealthy Georgetown residents. ‘The prisoners are believed to have had little difficulty in making the es- | cape, as the reformatory is one of the { few peral institutions in the country not surrounded by walls patrolled by armed guards. Plants ‘to Be So]i. RIVERDALE, Md., October 9 (Spe- cial).—A plant sale will be held by the Hyattsville Horticultural Society to- morrow morning at 9 o'clock in the building next to the Riverdale Post Office. shrubbery will be sold. HUNTED N SWAMP Five Flee Through Window. ' miles below Alexandria today for three, Sullivan and Stockton were quickly | where they were | Sullivan was_sentenced for larceny | Bulbs, perennial plants .nal INTIMIDATIONS PLOTTER IS FINED FOR LIQUOR ason Must Pay $350 or Serve 90-Day Jail Term—O’Connor Hearing Before U. S. Commissioner Is Delayed. to when he will take the action and the cases may be allowed to remain until the grand jury has completed. its “third degree” inquiry, which is scheduled to begin next Monday. ‘The Committee of Lawyers investigat- ing for the Commissioners the July grand jury’s charges against the Police Department is expected to make a final effort in the next several days to ques- tion FPrederick A. Schenck, former ‘Washington policeman and central fig- ure in the Staples case. Schenck flatly refused to testify when the committee called on him several weeks ago at the District Jail, where he is a prisoner. He said he wanted witnesses present when he talked, but the committee has shown no disposition to respect his wishes. Even since the committee’s visit, jail attaches said, the prisoner has main- tained a Sphinx-like silence and has not indicated whether he would permit himself to be questioned in privacy. How- ever, developments in the last few days have led members of the committee to tell his story if they made a return visit to the jail. ‘The committee is making rapid prog- ress in the investigation, and reports at the District Building are that its find- ings probably will be submitted to the Commissioners by the latter part of next week. In the meantime, it is un- derstood, Schenck will be given his final opportunity to testify. Schenck was brought to ‘Washington from the Federal penitentiary at Leav- enworth about a month ago at the re- quest of the District Commissioners. He was serving a 20-year term there for robbery. His records also were trans- ferred from Leavenworth to the District Jail, and indications are that he will not be returned there, but sent to Atlanta. TRHOUR PRRKING T0 BE ENFORCED Car Owners Exceeding Time Limit to Face Police Seizure. Aroused by continued complaints over the parking of venicles in one place for long periods, the Commissioners, it was learned today, are planning to call on the Police Department for drastic | enforcement of the traffic regulation }Im'blddln' parking for more than 18 consecutive hours. At the same time Corporation Coun- sel Willlam W. Bride revealed that he will draft for consideration of the Com- | missioners a bill designed to give the | Police Department authority to seize | and store at the expense of the owner | cars abandoned on the streets or parked | | in excess of 18 hours. | A seizure law, patterned after the one |in New York State, is contemplated. ‘:Mr. Bride sald he would not frame his | proposed bill until after a thorough study of the New York law. Aim at Old Cars. ‘The penalty for violation of the 18- hour regulation ranges from a fine of | $10 to $300, or 10 days’ imprisonment. | Enforcement of the regulation, howeves has not been sufficlently drastic, it w | said, to break up the practice of some | car owners of using the public streets | for the storage of disabled cars for long | periods. | _, The chief object of a selzure law, Mr. | Bride said, would be to get off the | strests and into public storage, tha | many wrecks abandoned by the owners. { Cases have been reported to District | | officials of dealers who took in worthless machines as a trade in, and unable to sell them, have abandoned them on the | streets, Cars Are Abandoned. In the past police have been unable to trace the owners of the abandoned cars, but this condition has besn re- moved by the new certificate of title law. Now. Mr. Bride believes that cars will not be abandoned if the owner knows he will be faced with a towing fee, plus a storage charge. BULLETS WOUND TWO | Fight Over $20 Blamed for Serious Condition of Men. ‘Two men were in serious condition in hospitals here today with bullet |wounds, received last night during a |fight over a $20 bill. The wounded men are Richard ‘Jashul. 35, of 123 G street southwest and Robert Rice, 25, colored, Christian sen court southwest. Joshua is at Emergency Hospital with wounds in his chest and arm, while Rice is at Gal- linger Hospital with a head wound. The' double shooting occurred in | Joshua's home, police reported. Forty thousand applications for ex- aminations for stenographer and typist in the Federal service are on file with the Civil Service Commission, it was announced today following closing of the lists yesterday. The applications set & new record for all time with the commission. In the same tests held in 1930 for the departmental service 8,546 individ- uals sought places, a record at thal time. The examinations for which the receipt of applications has just closed for both the departmental service at Washington and field branches. Authorities blamed the increase on the depression. They explained there have been similar jumps in the num- ber of applicants for other classes of positions. The latest applicants will re- ceive admission cards soon for exami- nations to be held in approximately 600 places throughout the country this all. ‘The Civil Service Commission re- cently improved its tests for stenogra- fi:letl and typists. The examinations clude various elements other than the customary dictation and typing ex- e&chu, nl:le the tthecrry thn“fltm"m! stenographer must possess qual beyond the mere taking of dictation and transcribing from notes. “Such_an employe,” an official said. “should havegood judgment and should 40,000 SEEKING U. S. POSITIONS AS STENOGRAPHERS AND TYPISTS Number Compares With 8,456 Who Took Examinations in 1930—Tests Are Improved With English Quiz. have more knowledge of the English believe, it was said. that Schenck would | language than that possessed by many of those who pretend to be stenogra- Eflhen or typists, as most employers ow from experience. “With these things in view, the com- mission has included in its new type of stenographer and typist examina- tions what it calls a general test, which is almed to demonstrate the ‘horse t |sense’ of the competitor and has im- ing ability inl proved methods of _test! spelling and knowledge of English. “The cvmn':rllslon glmd m'l‘ dep'::g upon mere theory evising such as this. The test itself is thor- oughly tested before it is used in an examination by trying it out on a large group of stenographers and typists whose grades of efficiency have ygeen determined with comparative exactness. “For the trial, Government employes are selected whose efficiency ratings range all the way from barely satis- factory to a high degree of excellence. The {est must determine that the stenographers and typists who are known to-be good make high scores in the trial examination and t! who are known to be barely worth employ- ing make low scores. If this result is not shown, the icular test used is discarded and others are devised and tried until the desired results are ob- PAGE D. C. READY TO LAY NEW WATER MAINS FOR TRIANGLE AREA Adequate Supply Is Planned for Federal Buildings by Cross Connections. B—1 WORK WILL BE BEGUN IN 14TH ST. TOMORROW ‘New 24-Inch Line Will Be Installed South of White House With Gravity Flow. Installation of new water mains to provide water service for the new Fed- eral buildings in the Pennsylvania ave- nue-Mall triangle will be started tomor- row by the District Water Department. ‘The program involves the laying of & huge 24-inch main south of the White House, connecting with the existing 24- inch gravity low main at New York avenue and E street, the installation of several cross connections in Fourteenth street and in the vicinity of the pro- posed grand-court area. Another large main is to be laid in Pennsylvania ave- nue on the south side, from Fourteenth street to Ninth street, where it will con- nect with a smaller cross main. Adequate Supply Planned. Completion of the program, it was announced, will assure adequate water service for the entire Federal triangle area. Although on the gravity flow service, the new Government buildings, according to officials of the Water De- partment, will have sufficient pressure s0 that pumping will not be necessary. Pressure at the curb throughout the area, it was explained, will be 45 pounds, which is adequate for buildings as high as 90 feet. While the District Water Department will lay the new mains. the entire cost to be borne by the Federal Govern- ment. These arrangements were agreed upon prior to approval of the program. A cross connection in Fourteenth street from E street to Constitution avenue will be the first link installed. This main will be connected with the 24-inch main to be installed south of the White House. A portion of the 24- inch main. however, was laid in E street between Fourteenth and Fifteenth streets while E street was being widened several months ago. Will Pass White House. _ After the cross connection is installed in Fourteenth street work will be started on the 24-inch main from Fifteenth and E streets. This is to be carried around south of the White House to New York avenue and E street and connected to the existing 24-inch main at this point. One of the cross connections for the triangle water service was installed several months ago in Twelfth street from Pennsylvania avenue to Consti- tution avenue. Other cross connections { to be installed in Ninth and Thirteenth streets, when connected with the 20- inch main to be laid in the south side of Pennsylvania avenue, it was pointed out, will carry all the water that can possibly be used in the new Federal buildings. CLUB REVIEWS WORK OF CAPITAL COMMITTEE Reciprocity Organization Told of Publicity Distributed Through Unit. Work that is being done further io intensify interest throughout the coun- try in the National Capital was discussed last night in a talk by Curtis Hodges, director of the Greater National Capital Committee, at the first meeting of tre season of the Reciprocity Club, The meeting was held at the Arlington Ho- tel and was presided over by Arthur Clarendon Smith, president of the club. Hodges said he had found a ver: fine spirit of co-operation on the part of the newspapers. The committee, he sald, since its organization four months ago had distributed or directed the distribution of about 3,000,000 words of printed matter in regard to Washing- ton. This material was placed with newspapers, magazines, press associa- tions and newspaper feature services. Hodges said the convention depart- ment of the committee is in contract with a large number of conventton organizations. The work of building up convention files, he said, is progressing rapidly, and plans are being carricd out for giving assistance to and wel- coming conventions that are to be held in Washington in 1932. William Atherton DyPuy of the Interior Department also was a speaker at the meeting and told of a 10,000-mile automobile trip through the West. H. A. KARR GIVEN HONOR Harry A. Karr, division passenger agent for the Pennsylvania Railroad, was elected president of the Lafavett> Home and School Association of Chevy Chase, last night at the monthiy meet- ing of that organization. Mrs. W. L. Fulton was named first vice president, Miss Holland, second vice president, Mrs. Harry E. Tufft recording secretary, Mrs. Lila Duvall corresponding secretary and L. A. Reynoldson treasurer. It was announced that a meeting of the Executive Committee will soon be called by Karr to map out a definite program and policy for the association to pursue during the ensuing year. SAILORS READ WIDELY ‘Uncle Sam’s sailors, ashore and afloat, read eagerly. The Navy Department announced today that officers and e listed men have read more than 1,250.- 000 hooks issued by ship and shore stations’ libraries during the past fiscal year. Ships’ libraries issued 609.967 books, and the naval stations and hospitals issued 684.014. Four naval circulating libraries, which are at the Navy De- partment, at San Diego, Calif.; Pearl Harbor, T. H. and Cavite, P. I, send books from their special collections to the fleets and naval stations. QUIN IS IMPROVED Representative Percy Quin, Democrat, of Mississippi, ranking Democrat on the House Military Committee, who has been seriously ill with a heart attack, 13 reported much improved today. Mr. Quin for more than a decade has been a_ picturesque figure in the ‘House. He led the successful fight to put through legislation authorizing Government operation of Muscle Shoals, zly‘w have the bill vetoed by Presi~ nl