The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-02-26
HIRED OUT AS WITNESSES.
TESTIMONY OF THREE DETECTIVES
ABOUT TWO LAWYERS.

aDN ."e a'Na-
Oppenheim Held for Further Examination.
Benjamin and Louis Oppcnheim. brothers, and
partners in tho law firm Of Oppenhcim & OPP
penhcim. at 4O7 Broadway. were examincd be-
fore Magistrate Wentworth in the Morrisania
Court yesterday morning charged with violating
sections liz and 113 OF the Penal Code, OF with
having melted or induced various persons to
commit perjury or to give false testimony as
witnesses. Abraham Levy appeared for the de-
fendants and Assistant District Attorney d.
Frank Lloyd for tho people.
There are n certain number Of lawyers in the
city who follow up accident cases reported by
the police and undertake to carry on damage
suits for n contingent fec. Such lawyers are
called ambulance chascrs" by the vulgar.
This explanation Is necessary for the calculation
OF a remark made by Lawyer Levy yesterday.
1T has been suggested no said. that my
clients are ambulance chnsors.' I absolutely
and Indignantly deny any such accusation"
An amusing preliminary Of tho examination
was the reading and recounting Of requests by
various lawyers Of the name Of Oppenhoim and
Oppenhcimcr that reporters DO requested BY
Magistrate Wentworth TO publish TO the world
that they were not the oppenheims ON trial.
Girolamo Bella, an Italian detective en-
ploycd by Stanley s. Begg. who In turn was en-
ployed by the Central Cross-Town Railroad Com
puny, wnB one OF tho last Witnesses examined,
but his testimony is chronologically tho begin
ming Of the story. Bella told how Mr.. Dagg. his
employer, had instructed him to go TO the shop
OF q barber In West Eleventh street. Tho bar
ber's daughter, Bagp snid, had been injured by
a Central Cross.Town car. The railroad com.
pany wanted to investigate the methods Of the
BARRIERS lawyers, Oppenheim & Oppenhoim.
Bella became very friendly with the barber.
The barber asked Bella TO act as interpreter be-
tween himself and the Oppenbcims. Bella was
to pose as the barbor's brothcr-in.lnw. The bar.
her yanted IN occcpt ,bc r,ilroad's o,ycr IN co,,.
~ "n'e S nep' ~ aii,oau . oncr .oconn,
prohiiso ior SUM- line sun was lot tens OF
IN 90, s.oo In his oharno,or =, ,ho horhor,s
.ro,,s. -. ~. " - N
brothor'in-law Bella went to the oppenheims to
ask them to hurry the case along or accept tho
comprom,s. Thov ,o,d him ho ,.s,iood ,h.., 40
M"nn. a nv! 'o'u n'n, NO .e'tinou' 'naeii
thcro would be much more than $500 in 1t for
tho barber Ue asked whe,h.r ,hoy ,y,n,od
~ 49, "'N. " my """..'
American or Italian Witnesses. Then, 10 use the
words OF his testimony:
"They thinka little. Talka little nv tbomseIf.
n, 10y ~ a'A H'uo W '"so
Then say: III gotta Italian man witness; jury.
Irisher. they say, Dam Italiansl" no damages.
W. go une,,iean mi.nes"
"horcupon beila procured MS employer. Mr..
BAGS, whom he introduced under the name Of
opP'""'o u" ''nn
W appear On the Witness s'ahu III inc case OF inc
BARRIERS daughter. Norman" was to say that
be was walking from wcst IN cas-, mn Woa,
"" ." ~" VS., W !, VI "eo'
Eleventh street; that he saw n ilttlc girl run
out In front OF a car going east and that tho
drivers head was turned away. talking 70
another man on the front platform Of the car.
II asked how far he was from tho car he was to
sov thirty r forty foo, r,.sLod ho,, ,or ,ho
"" '' -"
car was from the little girl when he first saw IL
he was to say the width OF two houses. II asked
yvho,h.r be anu rho ,,rl ,au n, n 90 80
"","'. -, e"i IN" nv "a7 ," Say "o,
Dut thh' ne saw the car stop ana the crowd
R"TThh cp po,,o amid Iou,s onn.rho,,r oo,,od ,,r,
aside and asked that as n personal favor he
would get twp more witnesses for them, one an
ing near l6Gth street and Third avenue. for a
ditercht case. ....a,u Nil .,
birda, ono stone Whcrcupon Bella looked
around inc court room ana grinncd broadly. In
Sergeant Ietrosino ana Detective Ackerly OF the
Central Ofiice went with Bella to the house OF
the oppsnhelms ON the next night.
pensd there. Afkerly testified that Louis OPP
penheim TOOK hiin ana Bella into a back room
piled that she was sick. Louis Oppcnheim said
that ne was sorry because women always made
E aSror wt said ~. , ny ' hsa "H n o . w Won th e
women easily. he said. Then Oppenheim coached
Eleventh. street accident, and told him nth that FOR
Just testiiying once he would be paid more than
wife t" COME into the case, and AcEeriiy promised
To TAX 10 hcr hbouJ ~. Al inns tlinc Ackerly
was posing hS Johh Lesgctt' "a ioooken ma
chinist.
ictroslho tcstliicd that When Ackcr!y, Bella
ana LOUIS oppchhelm returned from the other
room Louis opIehhcim tolu MN bFi,HS tllht ne
WAS wanted as u witness IN the case OF IA man
killed. az looth streel anu ihlru avenue IN 1870,
anu maze an Hhgngcmoht Tor a lntcr interview
in which details were TO be arranged: On q sec
ohd occasion ne went PACK 10 the oppcnheim
house WIN iseiln: me brothers hcnaamin and
Louis TOOK them 70 lOoth street ana Third ave
nue., and benlainin oppenheim TOOK Petrosino
out on me car track ana drilled nun carefully
In the circumstances OF the acclucht that haG DC
CURED there IN lSoo, teIIins MN 10 remember
mat IL was n clear, coi9 hixht, win a iittlc
snow on the ground. Bcn)aiihn oppcnheiin
gave him two silver hall dollars before they
parted ana prolnlseu 10 give MIN latcr IL sum as
great as a week wnges, Az ms meeting, Retro
sinp SAID, one OF tns orpehhelins SAID that the
of ono OF her shoes so thnt shc would wink lame