Evening Star Newspaper, May 17, 1937, Page 17

GIRL, 17, ANDYOUTH ONTRIAL FORLIVES Hatchet Slaying Charged to Gladys MacKnight and Former Sweetheart. By the Associated Press. JERSEY CITY, N. J, May 17— Prosecutor Daniel T. O'Regan asked today that slim, 17-year-old Gladys MacKnight and her red-haired former sweetheart, Donald Wightman, 18, for- feit their lives for the hatchet slaying | of the girl's mother. In the Hudson County Court room, kept dead quiet, except for the prose- cutor’s words by rigid rule of Pre- siding Judge Thomas F. Meaney, O'Regan told a swiftly chosen “blue ribbon” jury: “This is a horrible crime and I wish to God I had no part in it. “A life has been taken—two lives are at stake. “I insist that these two lives are forfeited to the State of New Jersey.” “Struck Jury” Law Invoked. ‘The jury, made up largely of mid- dle-aged business men, was chosen in little more than an hour. The “struck Jury” law had been invoked under which the prosecutor in capital cases may ask the judge himself to select the jury panel, the purpose being to insure a high type jury. In the prosecutor’s opening, he said he would prove “by words of these de- fendants’ own mouths” that Wight- man stood behind Gladys' mother, Mrs. Helen MacKnight, holding her and crying, “hit her again,” while the girl hacked her to death with the hatchet. Afterward R. Louis Kennedy, coun- sel for the small, brown-haired girl who sat listening cooly, blinking her blue eyes, declined to make an opening statement until the prosecution had put on all its witnesses. May Try to Shift Blame. Apparently Gladys and her ex- Sweetheart went to trial as enemies, ready to try to shift the blame to each other for the ha{chet slaying of the girl's mother. Ignoring each other's presence, they sat rigidly, refusing to cast a glance in the other’s direction. The prospect of hearing the story behind the story in the murder last July 31 of Mrs. MacKnight, 47, lit- erary chairman of a Bayonne wom- an’s club, drew a capacity crowd to the court room. Their romance cooled, Gladys and her ex-sweetheart had separate de- fense counsel today, each ready with a separate defense plea. Gladys’ attorney, R. Lewis Kennedy, was expected to base her plea on self- defense from the butcher knife. SMOKE, BUT NO FIRE Alarm Turned in Because of Fu- migating Pots. Plenty of smoke, but no fire, was the situation in a closed restaurant at 607 G street yesterday when five engine companies responded to an alarm turned in by a passerby who had seen dark vapor issuing from the place. The firemen donned gas masks and broke in the front door. They found that the management had left fumi- gating pots smoking during the Sun- day closing day. THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTO WOMAN FACES NEW TICKET SALE TRIAL High Court Once Reversed Her Conviction on Similar Charge. Miss Ethel Clawans, 29, of the 3000 block of Connecticut avenue, whose conviction on a charge qf selling the unused portion of rail d round-trip tickets was reversed recently by the Supreme Court, will be arraigned in Police Court tomorrow on another charge of committing the same offense. Miss Clawans was arrested in Union Station yesterday by Precinct Detec- tives Fred L. Rawlinson and W. G. Pawcett, charged with violating sec- tion 17 of District regulations which forbid selling railroad tickets without a license. Several months ago Miss Clawans was convicted of the same charge and sentenced to pay a fine of $300 and serve 60 days in jail. The United States Court of Appeals reversed the conviction, ruling that Miss Clawans was entitled to trial by jury. The Supreme Court held that Miss Clawans was not entitled to & jury trial because the offense of which she was accused was a “petty” one, but upset the conviction on the ground she had not been given an opportunity to cross-examine prosecuting wit- nesses, Justices Butler and McReynolds dissented from the majority ruling, contending the severity of the sen- tence imposed upon Miss Clawans in- dicated that her offense was not “petty” and that she should have been given a trial by jury. D. C Home Miners Stick With Green InSpiteof U M. W. Discipline By the Assocated Press. COSHOCTON, Ohio, May 17— Morgan Run Local of the United Mine ‘Workers of America will never desert its famous “son,” Willlam Green, American Federation of Labor chief, despite possible United Mine Workers’ disciplinary action, sald a charter member today. Ben Mobley, an “old guard” miner, who, as a youth, worked in the mines beside Green, said that since the con- troversy over the proposed expulsion of Green from the local had arisen, all members but one had affirmed their faith in the A. F. of L. chief. “Of 14 members holding cards in Morgan Run Local” Mobley said, “there is only one who will take the other side and obey orders from John L. Lewis, president of the United Mine Workers and head of the Committee for Industrial Organization. “That man is J. R. McCormick, president of the local and an inter- national organizer for the U. M. A. The rest of us have agreed to ‘stick with Billy Green to the last.’” Mobley expressed the opinion that the only action the U. M. W. could ADVERTISEME Corns Sleep | Then Shed Off Throbbing corns quiet down when you apply E-Z Korn Remover. Numbs pain—loosens hardest corn and core comes right out. Easy to use—works fast. Used by thousands. Try it yourself. Only 358 at drug stores. take against Morgan Run Local would be to expel it from the international union. None of the members work in the mines any longer. All either are re- tired or engaged in other occupations, Mobley is a cemetery caretaker. GILLESPIE, Ill, May 17 Illinois members of the Progressive Miners of America voted today to de- termine whether they should unite with the American Federation of Labor or remain an independent unit. The proposition was submitted to a referendum vote after President Joe Ozanic, who claimed his organization represented 35,000 miners, announced he had received an invitation from A. F. of L. headquarters to join. The fempting ginger al PALE ORY MONDAY, MAY 17 UP).—‘ 1937. P. M. A. Board quickly approved the | move. “At present there are only two na- tional labor groups with which we could affiliate, the American Federa- tion of Labor, headed by William Green, and the Committee on Indus- trial Organization, headed by John L. Lewis,” Ozanic said in urging miners to sanction the proposal. Ozanic and other union officials predicted the proposition would carry by & “big majority.” Oranic said that the poll result would be announced about May 23, o Banquet Set Tomorrow. Mrs. Martha Hart of Bayonne, N. J., national president of the United Span- ish War Veterans’ Auxiliary, will be honored at a reception and banquet being given by the District auxillary at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Roose- velt Hotel. Mrs. Esther A. Erhardt is president of the local department. IT’S FULL OF GOODNESS ... FOR ® Get next to the goodness of this It has marvelous flavor, @ rare bouquet, matchless zest. Famous for over half a century. Clicquot Club GOLDEN GINGER ALE — We're keeping up the fast pace we've set for giving VALUE! Here are a few of the Money- Savers for Mon- day, Tuesday and Wednesday. Wheaties 2. FOOD reg. SHOPPING (4 I SPRY 3= 53 7 L OXYDOL 7 = WHITE HOUSE 2 7 c COFFEE LB. VAC. CAN DRIP OR PULV. 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