Innocent Shushan

To Louisiana's Longsters, depressed since their leader's assassination, life once more seemed good last week. In New Orleans' Federal District Court a jury had just pronounced the late Senator's crony. Abraham Lazard Shushan, not guilty of dodging Federal income taxes (TIME, Oct. 21). Happy "Abe" Shushan, who, a few hours before, had been sobbing brokenly as his attorney pleaded for his wife & children, glimpsed three news photographers snapping their cameras at him.

"Get them -- -- --!" shrilled he,

and a gang of onetime Long bodyguards leaped to the attack. In the District Attorney's office one of them cornered Associated Press Photographer Leon Trice, who was once knocked unconscious on Huey Long's command, smashed his camera, was commencing to smash him when a little, old U. S. marshal drove him off. In a corridor Colonel Shushan & friends met the other offenders.

"Get them !" cried the Longster.

His friends obediently smashed cameras, slugged one fleeing newsman from behind. This done, Colonel Shushan invited "the boys" to a Victory Party in Huey Long's personal suite at the Hotel Roosevelt.

The Government had charged, and the defense freely admitted, that from 1929 to 1933 "Abe" Shushan received and failed to report for tax purposes more than $400,000, largely through a 2-c--per-cubic-yard tribute which he, as president of the New Orleans Levee Board, exacted from dredging contractors. The defense maintained that these payments were simply political contributions which passed through Shushan's hands as a collector for the Long machine. The Government traced large sums of Defendant Shushan's "political" income to personal expenditures, while the defense could trace only $44,000 to the Long treasury.

The jury was composed of eleven white men, who had to go on doing business in New Orleans, and a Negro dentist.

As the Government prepared to file a civil tax suit against him, "Abe" Shushan resigned his presidency of the Levee Board, announced he was out of politics for good.

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