Evening star. [volume], August 25, 1939, Page A-16, Image 16

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
Racketeer Lepke
Quizzed in Secret
After Surrender
Gangster Gives Up
To J. Edgar Hoover;
No Money Paid
BACKGROUND—
Louis (Lepke) Buchalter, noto
- rious Neu) York garment, fur and
bakery racketeer, has been miss
ing since he jumped $10,000 bond
in Federal Court in 1937. He
faces sentences ranging from 55
to 110 years if convicted on ex
tortion and conspiracy charges
brought against him by New
York's District Attorney Thomas
E. Dewey. Recently the Federal
and New York Governments had.
each offered 525,000 rewards for
Lepke’s capture.
By the Assocleted Press.
NEW YORK, Aug. 25.—Flat-nosed
Louis (Lepke) Buchalter, the fugi
tive racketeer with a $50,000 price
on his head, who gave up in a sur
prise surrender to J. Edgar Hoover,
was questioned today in closely
guarded secrecy.
Ending a two-year search that cost
the Federal Government and New
York State $400,000, the 43-year-old
gangster voluntarily put himself in
Hoover's custody last night dt an un
disclosed place in Manhattan.
He had gained weight and grown
a dark moustache to hide his identity,
Hoover said, and appeared "healthy
and contented.”
Lepke was immediately rushed to
a cell in the Federal Building and
subjected to rigorous, all night ques
tioning by Federal agents, who
barred city police and prosecuting
officials from the room and refused
even to let them see the prisoner.
Alone at Time.
Hoover declined to give details ot
the arrest, other than to say he and
Lepke were alone when the latter
surrendered.
“He told me he had never left the
borough of Manhattan," the chief
of the Federal Bureau of Investiga
tion announced briefly.
“He surrendered. There was no
money promised or paid by the F.
B. I. We made him no promises of
Immunity or anything else."
The surrender apparently saved
both the F. B. I. and New York City
the $25,000 rewards each had posted
for capture of the man whom
Hoover listed as “Public Enemy No.
4" and District Attorney Thomas
Dewey assailed as “the most dan
gerous industrial racketeer in Amer
ica.”
Lepke also has been accused by
Dewey of waging, from hiding, a
“war of extermination” against his
former associates thff has cost five
lives, including that of Isadore
Penn, music publishing executive,
who was shot down last month in a
“mistake murder.”
A clash between law enforcement
authorities appeared likely over who
would get the first opportunity to
prosecute the swarthy prisoner,
charged with operating a $5,000,000
a-year extortion racket, in the gar
ment, fur and bakery industries.
Happy Over Case.
Reached at Owosso, Mich., where
he is vacationing at his mother's
home. District Attorney Dewey at
first declined comment, but later is
sued a statement declaring:
"I am happy and relieved to know
that Buchalter is at last in custody.
We can now proceed with the in
dictments which will remove him
from society permanently.”
Federal agents showed no dis
position to let New York authorities
enter the case, however, and Hoover
said Lepke would be arraigned on
Federal "anti-racketeering” charges
and violation of the narcotics laws.
United States Attorney John T. Ca
hill and three assistants joined
G-men in questioning the prisoner.
Truck Driver Cleared
In Fatal Accident
A coroner’s jury yesterday cleared a
27-year-old truck driver in the death
of Eugene C. Dulaney, 15, colored,
of 1317 Wallach street N.W., who
was crushed beneath the wheels of
a truck Monday afternoon.
Harvey Branch, 27. colored, of
1219 Ninth street N.W.i driver of
the vehicle, was exonerated by the
jury’s verict of accidental death due
to the carelessness of the deceased.
According to testimony, young Du
laney with a companion hitched a
ride on Branch’s truck with their
bicycles at New Jersey avenue and L
street N.W. Just north of the in
tersection of New Jersey avenue
and Morgan street Dulaney, who
W'as holding on to the center portion
of the vehicle on the right side, lost
control of his bicycle and W'as
crushed to death under the right
rear w'heel, it was shown.
Police testified that imprints of
the cycle wheels indicated the boy’s
bicycle was about eight feet from
the curb at the time of the accident.
Branch stated he could not see the
boy and that he was traveling at 12
miles an hour.
Planning Commission
Set to Purchase Land
When the National Capital Park
and Planning Commission swings
Into action again on September 14
and 15 after its annual August vaca
tion period, initial purchase of land
In Maryland for the George Wash
ington Memorial Parkway will head
Its agenda.
Passage of the third deficiency
bill by Congress, including an item
of $150,000 for the parkway purchase
In Maryland, and the fact Mont
gomery County now has been
authorized to float a $150,000 bond
Issue for the same purpose, have
cleared the way for early establish
ment of the first parkway unit in
Maryland.
Details for the purchase now are
being worked out by the commis
sion staff. Some 3.500 acres are to
be acquired in Maryland. Only a
part of this, however, can be pur
chased with the $300,000 now In
hand.
Woman Badly Burned
Mrs. Leong Chan, 41-year-old Chi
nese, was in a serious condition at
Sibley Hospital today with second
degree burns on her face and hands,
suffered yesterday when a container
of cleaning fluid exploded in her
home at 725 Second street N.W.
I
NEW YORK.—LEPKE SUR
RENDERS—An F. B. I. picture
of Louis (Lepke) Buchalter
made last night after his sur
render. Buchalter was wanted
on charges of narcotics and
anti-trust violations and rac
keteering. —A. P. Wirephoto.
Federal Prosecutors
Kept in Office, Told
No Campaigning
Services Are Needed
Temporarily, Despite
Hatch Act Ban
The two Federal prosecutors tem
porarily retained in service in Pitts
burgh, although they are campaign
ing for county offices, are barred
from “addressing public meetings or
otherwise engaging in political activ
ities prohibited by the Hatch law,”
it was disclosed late yesterday when
the Justice Department made public
letters that had been sent to the
officials, whose resignations, called
for on August 4, are being held in
abeyance on the ground that pend
ing Government matters require
their attention.
The men—United States Attorney
Charles F. Uhl, aspirant for a judge
ship in Somerset County, Pa„ and
John B. Ray. his assistant, who is
seeking the Democratic nomination
for district attorney at Beaver Falls
—are entered in the primary set for
September 12. Mr. Uhl is un
opposed. The resignations were
called for by Attorney General
Murphy on passage of the new
political activities law, but it was
| announced in Pittsburgh Tuesday
that the officials were to be allowed
. to hold on.
Tho n’-Otp nf UnpinArK 4m M.Ui.l.
they had called attention was re
sponsible for this decision by the
Attorney General's office, it was
s^hown in the letters to the two
which went forward over the signa
ture of Edward G. Kemp, Assistant
to the Attorney General, who is in
New England with Mr. Murphy.
; Both prosecutors also had pointed
out that the Hatch Act was passed
after expiration of the period in
which they might have withdrawn
from the county races. Mr. Ray,
1 however, had sent in his resignation.
In outlining to Mr. Uhl the limits
to which office-seeking activities
must be confined, Mr. Kemp wrote:
“In the existing circumstances it
I would seem to be more consistent
with the public interest and do no
violence to the purpose or spirit of
the Hatch law for you to defer your
resignation for the time being and
for the Department also to defer
acceptance of Mr. Ray's resignation.”
He was asked, however, to name the
“approximate date on which you will
be able to surrender your present
duties and responsibilities to an
assistant or a successor without
serious prejudice to the work of the
office.”
Mr. Ray also was asked when he
could be relieved “without embar
rassment to the proper conduct of
the matters that you have in
charge.”
Chinese Opera Auto Branch
After completing a two-year tech
nical course in the United States, a
Chinese will open an automobile
business in China.
I-H
Canterbury Appeals
For Prayers for Peace
By the Assoclsted Press.
LONDON, Aug. 25.—An appeal for
“prayer that even now the crime
and horror of war may be averted"
appeared In a letter to the Times
this morning over the signature of
Cosmo Gordon Lang, Archbishop of
Canterbury.
The primate of the Church of
England fixed Sunday for “special
and united acts of prayer” that time
be given "wherein nations may try
to settle their differences by peaceful
means, prayer for all to whom the
tremendous responsibility of govern
ment has been committed that they
may be restrained and guided by the
spirit of God; prayer that through
all these confusions God’s will may
be done.”
The primate said there was no
need for any special forms and that
“the lessons appointed for Sunday
• • • have an appropriateness of
their own.”
Life Wins and Loses
SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 25 (£■).—
Life and death walked together into
San Jose Hospital.
In the maternity ward, Mrs. Jos
eph Robles rejoiced over birth of a
daughter.
In the reception room, her mother,
Mrs. Paul Mejia, died of a heart at
tack.
Schwab, III, Helped
Aboard Ship for U. S.
By the Associated Press.
SOUTHAMPTON. Aug. 25.-Charles
M. Schwab, ailing 77-year-old chair
man of Bethlehem Steel, was assist
ed aboard the liner Washington last
midnight and sailed for the United
States.
Mr. Schwab, who suffered a slight
heart attack about two weeks ago,
had been recuperating in a London
•
hotel. Re planned to return home
next week, but revised his plans be
cause of the threatening European
outlook.
Col. Hamrock Is Dead
DENVER, Aug. 25 (IP).—Col. Pat
rick J. Hamrock, 68, inspector gen
eral of American Expeditionary
Forces entering Bordeaux, Prance
during the World War, died yester
day at Fitzsimmons Hospital.
»
Helped Out and In
EAST ST. LOUIS, III., Aug. 25 UP).
—A motorist who couldn’t start hla
car asked for a push—but he asked
the wrong person.
H!s choice was William Waichel,
Uinois automobile Inspector, who
found that the car had been stolen.
He arrested the motorist.
City fathers of Colombo, Ceylon,
have banned pedestrian crossings.
GOLDEN WEDDING—Mr. and
Mrs. R. E. Smith, who recently
celebrated their 50th wedding
anniversary, pictured at their
home, 810 Randolph street
N.W. Mr. Smith, a retired
builder, and Mrs. Smith lived
in Alexandria, Va., before
moving to Washington three
years ago. A dinner party was
given in their honor by their
son, R. L. Smith, and their
grandson, C. C. Hudson.
—Harris-Ewing Photo.
ROACHES
Rid the borne of these
- pests quickly and
surely. One appllca
' tlon does
wonders 0015
1
1
JULIUS LANSBURGH FURNITURE CO —Where Most Smart People Shop—909 F ST. N.W.
‘OLD WORLD’ Charm Reproduced in the ‘FOREFATHERS RED ROOM GROUPS’
Extraordinary Savings Now
$89 3-Pc. Dutch Peasant Bedroom Suite
Reproduced from furniture found in Dutch
Peasant homes . . . emphasizing the charm of
the Old World. Built of selected American gum
wood. Interiors have antique finish. The 3
pieces consist of poster bed, chest of drawers
and choice of dresser or vanity. August Sale...
Open a J. L. Budget Account.
These Forefathers bedroom groups bring you all the
charm and beauty of the "Old World" exactly as our
Forefathers knew it centuries ago. From museums
and even the homes of the peasants themselves, copies
of furniture were made and reproduced for homes
in America. You'll like the rare beauty and unusual
charm of these Forefathers bedroom groups. We've
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Open a J. L. Budget Account.
..-1
Simmons Inner-Spring
Mattress or Box Springs
Augus‘ $1 A .50
Sale | eo.
The famous Simmons quality . . . specially priced
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mattress or box springs to mat®h. $14.50 each.
Convenient Terms.
$99 3-Pc. Swiss Peasant Bedroom Suite
Copied from a rare museum original and
reproduced by American craftsmen. Note
the unusual carvings and design. Built of
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Comprises poster bed, chest on chest and
■s choice of dresser or vanity. Specially
■ priced at_
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$109 3-Piece French
Canadian Bedroom Suite
All the charm and grace of French
ancestry Is depicted In this French
Canadian Forefathers bedroom ^
suite. Built of selected American
gum wood, rubbed a fine antique
finish. Green Interior antique
finish. Consists of a panel bed,'
chest of drawers and choice of
dresser or vanity.
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FURNITURE COMPANY
909 F ST. N.W.
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