As the Capital of the Nation, Washington is entitled to a model police force. For these reasons and in view of some of the testimony that has been taken here, I sincerely hope that this committee will make a thorough and decisive investigation and will not leave the Department under a cloud.

Most of the members of this Department with whom I have worked over the years are fine men, men who would be a credit to any position they might hold. They have made a record in most phases of law enforcement which in my opinion is unmatched by the police department of any major city. It has been an honor and a privilege to know and work with such men.

I would like to make it clear to this committee that in many contacts with Mr. Arnold Bauman, committee counsel, I have found him to be a very capable investigator and always fair in his dealings with me. am sure that this committee and Mr. Bauman will want to give those police officers whose names have been mentioned in these hearings an opportunity to appear here and testify under oath, should they desire to do so.

If there is evidence of dishonesty or impropriety of action on the part of any member of the force, appropriate disciplinary action will be speedily taken. I want to pledge to this committee and to the citizens of the District of Columbia that I will in no way shirk my duties or responsibilities. I never have in the past.

Since my appointment to the office of Superintendent of Police, I have repeatedly stressed to the force the importance of enforcing all laws without fear or favor, fairly and impartially.

With reference to the enforcement of gambling laws, I think it will be of interest to the committee to know that I have designated Inspector Clarence Lutz, an able and aggressive officer, as head of the gambling squad. His background and training guarantee that an outstanding job of enforcement will be done in that sphere. He has been given a free hand in selection of the members of his squad, and I know that the gambling laws will be rigidly enforced.

I personally have kept, and will keep, close personal supervision over this phase of law enforcement, and I want to assure the committee that I will tolerate no laxity in this regard.

I hope when these hearings are completed that the good men of this Department, with the assistance of Congress and all law-abiding citizens of Washington, will join with me in making the Metropolitan Police Department one of which the city can be proud. The uniform of the Metropolitan Police Department should be a symbol of pride and honor, and I intend to make it such a symbol. I would like to be given a fair opportunity to accomplish this.

Senator HUNT. Major Murray, you speak of 211 vacancies, and that the various investigations, to your way of thinking, are responsible for those vacancies. I remember a couple of years ago before all these investigations started we had 230 vacancies.

Major MURRAY. I don't say it is entirely the fault of investigations, but we do have letters from applicants who will not come into the Department while the Department is under continuous investigations. Senator HUNT. Major, what is the starting salary for a patrolman? Major MURRAY. It is thirty four hundred-and-some-odd dollars. I

Senator HUNT. Well, that is roughly what, $260 a month. I think there is your reason for not being able to get the men to come on to your force.

Major MURRAY. I do think that the pay scale is a very important factor.

Senator HUNT. I can't employ competent persons in my office today for any $260 a month.

Major MURRAY. No, sir. I think that truck drivers and dishwashers make at least that much.

The CHAIRMAN. Major Murray, since your recent promotion the Chair has heard much good and nothing bad about you. Those who have known you for many years apparently have absolute confidence in your integrity, ability, industry, and energy. The Chair fully shares the good opinion of you which many others have expressed. If you live up to the high standard you have indicated you intend to establish and maintain as head of the police system of the greatest Capital in the world, you will thereby render priceless service to Washington and the Nation, and indelibly write your name in the golden book of fame.

This committee is not responsible for the conditions which have made its investigation necessary. Certainly the record now clearly indicates that a thorough investigation is overdue. If, within a reasonable time, conditions are not greatly improved and the police force is not purged of all who think that it is their duty to protect the lawless instead of the law abiding, there will doubtless be other investigations, and it may unfortunately become still more difficult to induce good and capable men to enter your service. On the other hand, if you make the Washington Police Department the pride of the Nation and membership in it a shining mark of distinction, adequate numbers of thoroughly qualified men will, in the opinion of the Chair, eagerly seek the privilege of helping you to banish crime, enforce the law, enthrone order, and make Washington's government the model for that of all the other great capitals of the world. Major, we wish you unsurpassable success. We assure you that-

Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers, our tears,
Our faith triumphant o'er our fears,
Are all with thee-are all with thee!

Major MURRAY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Bauman, please proceed.

Mr. BAUMAN. Major Murray, in the year 1948 what was your assignment?

Major MURRAY. I was in charge of the robbery squad, the first part of 1948. Later I was made captain of detectives.

Mr. BAUMAN. What was your rank the first part of 1948?

Major MURRAY. Lieutenant.

Mr. BAUMAN. Do you know Detective Sgt. Reuben Nichols, now retired?

Major MURRAY. I do. I was appointed to the police force the same day and was in the police class with Sergeant Nichols.

Mr. BAUMAN. Was he in any way working under you during 1948? Major MURRAY. He was assigned to the robbery squad, of which I

Mr. BAUMAN. Do you remember an incident during the early part of that year when then Major Barrett asked you to bring Nichols up to his office?

Major MURRAY. Yes, I do.

Mr. BAUMAN. Will you tell the committee what happened at that time?

Major MURRAY. Well, it was on a Saturday morning and it was shortly after our morning roll call, which is over around 9 a. m., and I got a call to bring Sergeant Nichols to the Major's office.

I got ahold of Nichols and told him we had to go to the major's office, and on the way up I told him I thought I knew what it was about. Nichols' picture had appeared in the Afro-American newspaper just a day or so before, and, being assigned to the plain clothes work, it is the policy of the Department that pictures not appear in the paper. Mr. BAUMAN. Did you go up to Major Barrett's office?

Major MURRAY. We did.

Mr. BAUMAN. What happened then?

Major MURRAY. Well, when we entered the office I was taken completely by surprise about the subject because I thought it was about one thing, it turned out to be something else.

Mr. BAUMAN. Please tell the committee what the conversation was between Major Barrett and Sergeant Nichols.

Major MURRAY. Well, when we entered the office, Major Barrett rebuked Nichols and told him that he had information that he was trying to shake down a man for $5,000-Simkins. Well, Nichols, he is a very emotional man. He broke down, started crying, protested that it wasn't so.

Major Barrett also accused him of going with a woman by the name of Odessa, who I learned later is Odessa Madre, to the home of Nelson, and trying to get Nelson, or trying to help Nelson to get money from Simkins because he had been shot while in the employ of Simkins at

the Brass Rail.

He also told him that he had information that he had talked to Simkins at a prize fight in Cleveland, and Odessa was along with him at that time, in which he tried to get Simkins to compensate Nelson for his injuries. At the same time Major Barrett stated that he had also tried to get money from a Henry Leake, who was the assailant of Nelson, and who, himself, was shot in the same affray.

Mr. BAUMAN. Is he the one known as "Piggy" Leake?
Major MURRAY. Yes.

Mr. BAUMAN. Continue.

Major MURRAY. He stated that Nichols had tried to get money from him to settle and to compensate Nelson. Well, as I say, the major was very angry about it.

He did say that if he could prove it he would send him to the penitentiary and that the matter would be placed before the grand jury. He did direct me to make an investigation and to go to Nelson

Mr. BAUMAN. Now, before you come to that, sir, did Major Barrett accuse Nichols of "working both ends against the middle?"

Major MURRAY. Yes; he did. He meant by that that he was trying to get money from Leake and from Nelson.

Mr. BAUMAN. You were thereupon detailed to make an investiga

Major MURRAY. Yes; it was on a Saturday morning that we were up in the office, and that night we had a detail-I was in charge of a detail of men at the Statler Hotel, and Major Barrett was there. Captain Strange came up-I think Major Barrett sent for him-and was directed to accompany me in the investigation. On Sunday

Mr. BAUMAN. Before you get away from that, Major, what was the nature of the investigation that Major Barrett directed you to conduct? Major MURRAY. Nichols had stated that there were officers, members of the department, that were in collusion with Simkins, from his information from Nelson, and that they had accepted money and envelopes from him, so the next day we went out to see

Mr. BAUMAN. Before you get to that-and I am sorry to interrupt you-was one of the purposes of the investigation also to determine whether or not Nichols had taken any money or had any deals set up with―

Major MURRAY. Oh, yes; that was part of the investigation.

Mr. BAUMAN. Do I understand that Major Barrett directed that you take Captain Strange with you on this investigation?

Major MURRAY. He did. He told Captain Strange personally to go along with me; yes.

Mr. BAUMAN. Will you continue. Did you go to see Mr. Nelson? Major MURRAY. Yes, the next day, Sunday, I met Captain Strange at No. 2 precinct, and we drove out to see Nelson. It was the first, last, and only occasion that I ever talked to Nelson.

When we went in, I introduced myself and introduced Captain Strange. I told him that we had information that had come to the attention of the major that Sergeant Nichols had become involved in this case, a shooting case. Incidentally, the major rebuked him very strongly for entering into the case because he said it was being handled by the homicide squad. It was a shooting, and Nichols had no business into it.

So when we talked to Nelson, from the testimony that I have read in the papers about Mr. Nelson, he forgot quite a bit of that conversation.

Mr. BAUMAN. Yes. As a matter of fact, as I remember his testimony here, it was very short. He said he did not remember most of the conversation that took place out there, and I am sure the committee would appreciate your filling them in on what did transpire.

Major MURRAY. After I introduced myself and Captain Strange to Nelson, I told him of the information that had come to the attention. of the major, that if he had any information concerning any member of the Police Department of whatever rank that was in collusion with Simkins or any other member of the underworld and accepting graft of any kind, it was his duty to tell me who they are, and if he did tell me, I would report it back both to Major Barrett and to the district attorney's office.

He said he was reluctant to talk about it. I asked him if Nichols had tried to get any money from him, if Nichols had been out to see him, and he said, yes he had, but he had called Nichols and Nichols was merely trying to help him.

Mr. BAUMAN. I think, Major, if you will forgive me for a moment, on the state of the record I think it shows something that is not your recollection. You combined two questions into one. You said "and

And he said, "I don't want it there," and in the next breath he said, "You know, there is a big fight in Madison Square Garden tonight and I thought that you could go by and look at the television and we could talk."

My brother just came from Leavenworth-that is my home-and he asked me if I would please take him the next time I saw a television fight, take him with me, and so I asked him, “Look, Roger, my brother is here, can I bring him when I come to talk to you?"

He said, "Yes; all right."

So, about 9 o'clock or around 9 o'clock we got to his house when I say we, Detective Dixon, my brother, and myself-and when I got there, I knocked at the door and some man about 60 years old came to the door and asked who it was, and I said, "Sergeant Nichols," so he admitted me and my brother and Dixon.

About that time Mrs. Simkins came walking down the hall from the second floor to see who was there and she spoke to me, "Hello, Sergeant Nichols."

I spoke back to her and she said, "Roger had to go out on a little business but he will be back shortly and you all go ahead downstairs and I will turn on the television and you can watch it.”

So, sure enough, we went on downstairs and she came right on and turned the television on for us. That was about 5 minutes past 9.

Mr. BAUMAN. Well now, at about 20 minutes after 10, did Simkins come down into this place where you were watching the fights by television?

Mr. NICHOLS. He did, sir.

Mr. BAUMAN. Did he say anything to you when he came in?

Mr. NICHOLS. Yes, sir; he came down the bannister from the steps and stopped about the middle of the steps, he looked over and he said, "Hello, Nick," or he said, “Hello, Nick, and hello, Little Nick”— that is the way he spoke to us.

Mr. BAUMAN. Did he come on down then or——

Mr. NICHOLS. No, sir; he went back upstairs and talked to some people up there in the bedroom, the way it seemed to me, and then came on down.

Mr. BAUMAN. Did he go on to the bar at that time?

Mr. NICHOLS. He did, sir.

Mr. BAUMAN. Did he ask you to join him at the bar?

Mr. NICHOLS. He said-yes, sir-a couple of times he started moving this stool around and he said, "Nick, look, you can see the television from here and we can talk.”

Mr. BAUMAN. Did you join him at the bar?

Mr. NICHOLS. I did, sir.

Mr. BAUMAN. Did you have a conversation with him at the bar then? Mr. NICHOLS, Yes, sir.

Mr. BAUMAN. Tell us, please, what that was.

Mr. NICHOLS. He said, "What is that fellow Nelson supposed to have been telling you about?" mean the police were crooked.

I said, "Well, Roger," I said, "you know, the boy likes me quite a bit." I said, "and he has been talking to me, but what he said, I went to two officials about it and told them and I don't think I am free to talk to you about it now."