Hale leaving the courthouse Credit 59The government, meanwhile, began preparing to retry Hale and
Ramsey for the murder of Roan. As part of this effort, White was
asked by the Justice Department to investigate corruption during
the first Hale trial. He soon uncovered that there had been a
conspiracy to obstruct justice, including bribes and perjury.
According to one witness, the defense attorney Jim Springer had
offered him money to lie on the stand, and when he refused,
Springer aimed what appeared to be a gun in his pocket at him and
said, “I will kill you.” In early October, a grand jury recommended
filing charges against Springer and several witnesses for what it
called flagrant attempts to obstruct justice. The grand jury issued a
statement: “Such practices should not be endured, otherwise our
courts will be a mockery, and justice defeated.” Several witnesses
were indicted and convicted, but prosecutors decided not to charge