Show r 1 r a Jr d r d fPh rk l r fY t. t r s e y d 1 T r Ya Yat t r Ni F Fy y r r ri rJ i r. r n r R 9 fy fyr r h r r AP Ph Photo o ODwyer Returns to Testify I er New York City Mayor William Villiam ODwyer takes the stand at Senate crime hearing to testify that he visited gambler i 4 Costello possibly twice at Costellos Costello's home in 1942 1912 ODWYER ADMITS i COSTELLO VISITS Tells of Calls ails At AI Home Of Gambler NEW NEV EW YORK March 19 W Former Mayor l William Villiam ODwyer told the Senate crime committee Monday 1 that he visited gambler Frank Costello in 1942 1912 I saw Costello definitely at athis I his home home p p o 0 s s sib i b 1 y twice ODwyer said ODwyer said he was in the army at the time The former mayor said he went to Costellos Costello's home to talk to him about air force contracts ODwyer was serving the army inan inan in inan an investigating capacity The committee earlier extended a cordial invitation to Gov Thomas E E. Dewey to make any I statement he desired before the committee Deweys Dewey's office in albany had no comment I NEW NEV YORK March l 19 t LitlA t D tDA n- n nA A woman plunged Monday l from a fourth fourth floor floor window of the fashionable Central Park West Vest Apartment House where gambler Frank Costello lives She was identified as Mrs 1 Roslyn Lewis about 30 years old of New York City She was taken to Roosevelt Hospital Hospi Hospi- i tal in critical condition I ODwyer said other visitors in inthe inthe inthe the Costello home at the time included Irving Sherman Bert Stand Judge and Congressman Mike 1 Kennedy Stand and Kennedy were leaders in Tammany Hall Sherman was wasa a close friend of Costellos Costello's I ODwyer now ambassador to Mexico 1 said he didn't expect to see the men there They were there when I arrived arrived arrived ar ar- ar- ar rived the former mayor saidI saidI saidI said I had approximately one half hour conversation with Costello They were there when I left Costello a reputed underworld underworld underworld under under- world leader was a balky witness witness witness wit wit- ness before the committee twice last week and was scheduled to appear again later Monday I ers story of his visit to Costello came after the former mayor reeled off a list of names i of underworld leaders he said he regarded as big figures in m American crime This was in response to committee questions six di di- I concerning a big crime The former mayor said his investigation into Murder Inc I while he was Brooklyn district attorney revealed to him that a aSco aSco aSee I See Page Pago 5 Column 4 Dwyer O ODwyer r Names 6 Chiefs I Of Murder Inc Gang Continued from Page Pace One I wide nation crime syndicate with no single leader conducted its own court sessions and passed death sentences ODwyer listed C Charles h a r l' 1 Ie c s I Lucky Luciano Joe Adonis Willie Villie Meyer i Lansky I and the late Benjamin Siegel as big in the underworld underworld underworld under under- i world ranks ODwyer said he based his information information information in in- formation on the story told him by Abe Reles the key witness in Murder J. Inc killed mysteriously in a fall from a Brooklyn hotel window in 1941 Not ot Much Information I As to Frank Costellos Costello's alleged place in the hierarchy hierarch ODwyer said he did not believe Reles had too much information on Costello ODwyer added I UI never heard Costellos Costello's name mentioned in connection with any murder in Brooklyn except in inthe inthe inthe the turning in of Lepke Louis Lepke Buchalter executed for his part in Murder l Inc ODwyer said in response to to questions that Albert Anastasia was the boss of the Brooklyn waterfront and a director of Murder Murder Mur Mur- der del Inc but that Anastasia's I boss in turn was Joe Adonis As to the other members of I the combination on a policymaking policymaking policymaking policy making level ODwyer said Siegel Sie- Sie gel gd was big on the west coast Lansky he said was as on the same level as Siegel except that Lansky Lansky Lansky Lan Lan- Lani i sky possibly went in for things I i other than gambling narcotics gambling narcotics for one Luciano No 10 3 1 Man Manlie an anlIe lIe He described Luciano as very I big number big number three in the combi combi- combination I combi-I nation ODwyer did not identify identify iden iden- tHy the top two Longy Zw lliam was high he I I said operated out of Newark N. N J. J II I I ODwyer said when he visited I Reles in his cell Reles told him This is the biggest thing in the United Unite States Reles then gave I him a detailed account of how Murder l Inc operated killing killingI I for a national syndicate of crimi crimi- nals I This organization ODwyer said was known as the I tion It had its own territories I and its rackets were allocated The executioners for Murder ul Inc ODwyer continued were known as the troops The commander of the Brooklyn Brooklyn Brooklyn Brook Brook- lyn troops ODwyer said was Albert Anastasia who is still at large and who was never prosecuted prosecuted prosecuted prose prose- in what ODwyer himself the Uthe perfect murder case At this point ODwyer was again on Reles' Reles death while he was under guard by six I policemen The guard detail was I I I in charge of time long friend Frank C. C Bals then chief investigator in the Brook Brooklyn yn district district district dis dis- dis- dis attorneys attorney's office appointed by ODwyer Handed City Job Later when ODwyer became mayor he lie brought Bals back into the police department from retirement retirement retirement re re- re- re and appointed him to io toa ioa a cushy job as seventh deputy police commissioner Senator Charles Tobey R R. N. N H H. H demanded When did the perfect murder case become the imperfect case and how When TId Reles es died ODwyer went on to say that he then lost his most valuable witness Pressed again for his reason for not obtaining a murder indictment indictment indictment in in- a against g a i ins n s t Anastasia ODwyer said that it would have endangered the life of a young oung boy who witnessed the perfect murder case ODwyer identified this murder I as that of Moishe l Diamond a union official and said the killer was Jack acting on instructions instructions instructions in in- from Anastasia Still at Large i Anastasia still is at large and andis andI andis I is under to testify before before before be be- fore the Senate committee He Hei Helias i has lias been accused of at least six murders but beat them all even I though hough he at one time was in inI inthe inthe the death house at Sing Sing I awaiting execution when his conviction conviction conviction con con- was reversed Getting back to the organization i tion of Murder l Inc ODwyer said that it apparently carried out executions for the combination combination combination combi I nation throughout the country The combination he said had its lit own underworld court or kangaroo kanga kanga- roo court at which charges were brought against members who got out of line Gangsters would be appointed to o represent the defendant but for those found guilty ODwyer said there was only one order order- death by execution Anastasia he lie said was the only person to direct executioners in Brooklyn Who was the president or chairman of the board of the i combination Senator Tobey Y lI I asked ODwyer replied Formed Alliance As I understand it there was WiS no one man responsible it was an all alliance nce Who was the paymaster for Murder l Inc ODwyer explained that the troops usually small time criminals criminals crim criminals crim- crim were not paid in cash for their murders but were cut inon inon in inon on various rackets such as pinball pinball pinball pin- pin ball machines or houses of prostitution and thus were given some jurisdiction in the combination com corn Ambassador ODwyer also deI described described described de de- de- de I scribed a scene suitable for any Hollywood gangster movie He lie said that it was a practice of some of the witnesses and defendants defendants defendants de de- de- de in Murder l Inc while I in m prison to discuss their plans during church services in the prison Hymn Cover Up While sacred hymns such as Nearer My ly God to Thee lhee were being loudly sung these prisoners prison prison- ers of Murder l Inc would talk over their legal plans and the prospects for eliminating dangerous dangerous dan- dan 1 witnesses ODwyer said that these prisoners prisoners prisoners pris pris- were full fully aware of the I clause in the New York state stale law which bars conviction on the unsupported testimony of co co- conspirators ODwyer said Reles had mentioned mentioned mentioned men men- the Mafia as part of the combinations combination's operation b but u t that Reles did not nol seem to know too much about it The committee has previously described the Mafia lafia as the dominant force behind two milI major ma mil- I jor jog crime syndicates in the I United States I Purley Political Referring to two Brooklyn grand jury presentments which severely criticized him for failure failure fail fail- ure to prosecute Anastasia for murder ODwyer s said aid a i d the presentments were expunged from the record by Judge Taylor of Brooklyn because they were purely political j Senator Tobey told ODwyer that his version of the death of ofa a key Murder l Inc witness varied from other testimony before before before be be- fore the Senate crime committee ODwyer said the witness Abe I Reles was wa trying to escape when he was killed in a plunge out aI a I sixth floor window of a Coney Island hotel in 1941 Tobey informed ODwyer that Bals told the committee that Reles was trying to lower himself himself himself him him- self to a floor fifth-floor window to play playa a joke on his police guards How could anyone tell what was in Reles' Reles mind asked ODwyer O Dwyer ODwyer Perspires As ODwyer testified beads of perspiration dotted his forehead under the warm television and moving picture lights He lie halted occasionally to wipe his liis brow At times his voice broke slightly but recovered when he took drinks of water from a glass at his left hand ODwyer was Brooklyn district attorney at the time of Reles' Reles death He is now ambassador to Mexico Tobey quoted Bals as saying that Reles intended to enter the thc floor fifth window and then go upstairs and tell his guards Pc Peck boo ek Testimony Differs Your testimony contravenes that of Mr 11 Bals whose testimony was that he was not trying to escape Tobey added The Reles case came into the picture after Senator Estes Kefauver D. D Tenn interrupted ODwyer in a long story of petty crime conditions he had hild observed observed observed ob ob- served as a policeman magistrate and mayor ODwyer had told of slum conditions conditions conditions con con- and of pinball and mint machines nes that he said encouraged children to gamble and steal Kefauver broke in to suggest that the former mayor get down downto to details of organized crime inthis inthis in inthis this section |