California Conslpirators

California Conspirators

The Spanish War gave a Hoosier named John Henry Hoeppel such a taste for army life that he stayed on in the service as an enlisted man for nearly 20 years. Discharged with a commission after the World

War, John Henry Hoeppel became postmaster of Arcadia, Calif, in 1923. In 1932 he was elected to Congress as a Democrat. In 1934 Representative Hoeppel was given the privilege of appointing a young man to Annapolis. Simultaneously another

California Congressman had an appointment to make to West Point. They made a trade, and Old Soldier Hoeppel had the satisfaction of appointing his son Charles to the U. S. Military Academy.

Then to John Henry Hoeppel, who in the Congressional Directory claims to be a "graduate of the University of Hard Knocks," came a still harder knock: Son Charles flunked the entrance examination at West Point. Last week a jury in a District of Columbia courtroom, where the Hoeppels, father & son, were on trial for conspiracy to solicit a bribe, heard what became of the West Point appointment. James W. Ives, a handsome Olympic athlete from Baltimore, who had played football at Johns Hopkins, took the stand and swore as follows:

In May 1934 Athlete Ives, anxious to get into West Point, went to the War Department in Washington and asked how. He was given a list of 75 Congressmen with appointments to make. All but three or four gave him no hope. One who did was Representative Hoeppel. Unexpectedly there arrived at the Ives home in Baltimore a young man who said his name was Charles Alexander and who promised to deliver the appointment for $1,000. Applicant Ives gave him a promissory note for the sum. Few days later Ives learned that a bought appointment was illegal, went to Washington, demanded a "legal appointment" of Congressman Hoeppel. Failing to get it, he "resigned" from West Point.

Asked who Charles Alexander was, Athlete Ives last week descended from the witness chair, laid his hand on the shoulder of Son Charles Hoeppel. Son Charles did not testify but his father did. Representative Hoeppel swore that he had made the appointment only to please Army officers who wanted a good footballer on the Army team, that he had never been paid for making the appointment, that he had never discussed with his son giving the appointment to Ives.

Said Assistant U. S. Attorney David A. Pine: "He is a perjurer of the first water and a monumental liar."

Said Defense Counsel Samuel King: "Whatever the prosecution may have proved against the son. neither defendant can be convicted of conspiracy--the charge on which they are being tried-- when the father knew nothing about any sale of the appointment. The son, of course, couldn't conspire with himself. It takes two to conspire."

After six hours of consideration the Washington jury reported: "We find the defendants guilty."

Son Charles heard the verdict with composure. Father John bowed his head, shed tears. Not since Representative John Wesley Langley of Kentucky was sent to jail in 1926 for conspiracy to violate the prohibition law had a Congressman been convicted of a felony.

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