New-York tribune., 1909-09-09
FURL0NG UNDER FIRE
UITNESS TELLS OF BAIL
BOND JOBBERY.
Brooklyn Magistrate Also accused
of Aiding Pickpockets in Weak
ening Prosecution.

The trial of Henry J. Furlong the Brooklyn
police magistrate, bribery charges was be-
gun yesterday before Justice Crane. of the Su-
preme Court. sitting as a committing magis-
trate. in the County Court House, Brooklyn An
amazing story of transactions in the Gates ave-
nue. court for the last six years was told by
Jacob W. Gotthelf formerly a runner in the
Gates avenue court who was an all-day witt
ness. Both in the direct examination by Mr..
Elder. the Assistant District Attorney. and the
cross-questioning. by Henry NJ. Goldfogfe, who
represented Magistrate Furlong, the young man.
who was let out of Jail to testify. told in glib
manner of many alleged cases Of bribery and
crooked dealings.
The defendant, advising his lawyers and TAX
Ing copious notes of the proceedings, sat un-
moved through it all. He among the first
TO arrive in the courtroom. Although the benches
We're quickly filled and the room was soon
so crowded with his political associates that it
was necessary to close the doors. the portly and
dignifed defendant did not turn to recognize
any of them He was I'm mourning because of
the death of Mrs Furlong, which occurred dur
ing his absence in New Jersey.
The magistrates case was not improved ap-
preciaby by the cross examination of GOtthelf.
The tale of agreements between the witness and
the defendant to share commissions on bonds
furnished prisoners in the Gates avenue court.
stories of other acts. The witness swore that in
the cases Of pickpockets. whose names he could
not remember. where there was promise Of fees
through bonds, Magistrate Furlong instructed
him TO get witnesses out of the way and other
wise to weaken the prosecution He did that,
he said. without any thought of the law. but
simply as the secretary of tho magistrate bound
10 do the bidding Of his employer In most of
the shady transactions the witness could not
ta11oar H.
sisted that he could point out the cases il the
records of the Gates avenue court were shown
him However. he could recall the case of
woman named Costello who was arrested on the
streets of Coney Island
II remember in that case" testified Gotthelf
that ! went TO the woman and she accepted
our bail with our house on GIenmore avenue as
security She promised TO pay us $50. Furlong
and ! walked 10 the Coney Island court to-
gether on the morning of her examination. He
waited outside while l went upstairs to collect
the money. l was to come back and give him
one-third. But the woman had no money with
her. suspected then she had made a mistake
and given the money to a lawyer named Web
ster The judge discharged her We never got
any money from that woman"
GOtthelfs bad record was shown during +he
cross-exsmination He admitted 10 Mr. Gold
fogle that there were three indictments for
grand larceny and misappropriation of funds
and bribery pending against him He referred
twice to his Incarceration with an air of care
less cynicism. once saying that his address for
some time likely to he No 40 RAYMOND
street.-the Raymond street tail-and then re-
marking that ''one's memory was likely to suf-
fer during Jail sentence"
Simon Uttals testimony afforded a dramatic
incident His payment of $50 for his release
from the Raymond street Jail on bail furnished
by Gotthelf and the alleged payment of one
third the commission to Magistrate FurIong is
the specific charge in the present proceedings
The witness had forgotten to whom he had Maid
any money. He had only a dim recollection. he
asserted of having paid money at all, and it
didn't amount to $50 Then Justice Crane took
from his desk a paper with a blue cover that
looked like a summons and complaint and thrust
II before the witness Isn't this your sig
nature he demanded, "and didn't you swear in
this complaint in your suit for absolute divorce
that you paid $50 10 a man named Gotthef to
get out of the Raymond street jaiI?"
The witness glanced at the paper, sank hack
in his chair and replied feebly in the affirna
tive
Here you would have made us believe - added
the Court Indignantly, that you didn't know
about this payment. I signing papers last
night when / came across this complaint and
recalled that YOU were to be a witness here"
Magistrate Hylan and Samuel Uttal were the
last witnesses at the afternoon session The
hearing is likely to end to-day