The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-10-30
|SAYS THEY JOBBED WILLETT
"COU 4RDLI" CRIES CASSIDY AT
CALLAHAN AND kETCHAN.
Queens Leader Thinks Libel suit should
Have Been Pressed Predicts Demo.
cratic Defeat In Kings -Bar AssO.
clation TO Consider the Rumpus.

| A statement characterizing the action
Of Surrogate Herbert T. ketcham and
Patrick r.. Callahan. Democratic nomi-
nees for Supreme Court justiceships. in
consenting to the dismissal of the Grim
inal libel suit begun against William Berri
OF the Brooklyn Stonddrd Union and in
limiting that there are suspicious circum-
stances surrounding the nomination of
former Congressman William Willett. the
third member on the ticket for the judi
ciary, as "the most cowardly in the his
! tory of politics" was given out yesterday
by Democratic State Committeeman
Joseph Cassidy. chairman Of the Queens
: county Democratic committee, from the
clubhouse in Court Square, Long Island
City.
Cassidy goes a step further in the de-
fence of Willett who lives at Far Rock
away and for whose nomination Cassidy
stands sponsor. He says that when Will
lett was induced to sign the letter with
dra wing the libel suit Willett was -jobbed
! Intentionally"
This is the Cassidy statement
After reading the statement made by
! Judge Ketcham and Mr. Calls han can
; not understand why they consented to a
dismissal Of the libel case against MIR.
! Berr.
IF they believed there were any sus-
picious circumstances connected with the
nomination Of Mr.. Willett. the place to
have shown it. in justice to Themselves
and Mr.. Willett. was before the court.
| Their action to my mind is the most
cowardly in the history of politics and
when Willett was induced to sign the
letter Of withdrawal he was jobbed in
tentionally.
If there was any money paid for Will
lett's nominatio do not know 1t"
When asked to he more explicit Cassidy
replied that he believed that Willett had
been led into trap by his associates on
the Democratic judiciary ticket. Cassidy
said that when the statement which was
signed by the three candidates and which
| terminated the libel suit Is read in connec-
ton with the personal statements issued
later by both Callahan and Surrogate
Ketcham the plot to discredit Willett
becomes apparent.
-Whv did not these two candidates. IL
they considered there was SO much
against Willet and not against themselves
| let this matter 60 in the courts and let
the truth become known? They were the
ones who got Willett to sign the first
statement and stop the court proceedings
and it was not Willett who asked them
When asked about the stories OF a large
sum of money having been withdrawn
by Willett from bank IN queens on the
day OF the convention Cassidy replied:
aIn the first place ! do not know what
bank these statements refer to. They
would fit the banks either at Jamaica
or Far Rockaway. Ibid not see Willett or
| Louis Walters on the day OF the judiciary
convention. On that day | took the
! e2O train from Far Rockaway in the
morning and changed cars at Jamaica
! and went to Brooklyn. was only in
/ Jamaica long enough to change cars
and rode from there TO Brooklyn with two
! friends whom met going the same way.
! MIR. Cassidy. why was Willett noml-
nated:" was a question put TO him by his
! interviewer.
! He was determined upon after con-
! ference as being the best man to nomi-
nate replied Cassidy. He has been
twice a candidate for Congress and in
] one 81 his canvasses he went over all OF
/ Long Island outside OF Brooklyn. and
hence was well known. He made good
! record in Congress as being independent
and there was nothing against him"
/ Who was in the conference when this
decision o nominate Wiilett was reaChed'"
! 1T was made up Of prominent Demo-
Gratis from Queens and was similar To
other conferences that are held preceding
an important nomination. No mali Is
selected for Office without conference.
| You can say that the delega ties were in The
! conference"
Did you talk the matter of the nomina
! tion over with Leader McCooey:
uiylNy did
What was McCooeys opinion Of
| Wiliett?"
He though, willett would make "A good
candidate"
How did you present the matter TO
McC Cooey;"
Il presented him with a list of availa-
bile candidates from Queens II does not
matter now whose names were on that
list He asked me whom ] expected tn
stand for and told him favored Willett
He then made Inquiries about Willett and
was satisfied thar he was the strongest
man
Cassidy said he was familiar with viii
letts stock transactions and was satisfied
that the explanation given by Willett
in regard TO his wanting part of the money
he drew from the bank on the day of the
convention for use in his stock transac-
tions was the truth
AT all events. continued Cassidy
1T is very bad thing for candidate for
a nomination TO draw large sums OF money
from bank on the day of his nomination
Willett ought to have thought Of that
But he was so Interested in getting stock
that he never thought about how it would
look
Summing up the situation in Kings
county, Cassidy said:
Il don't see how the Democrats in Kings
county are going TO save their ticket !
think that il is beaten Here in Queens,
however the Democratic ticket will have
walkover"
Other Queens Democrats are not 20
hopeful.
This morning will probably determine
whether the Queens County Grand Jury
now in session will be called on 10 investi-
gate the stories in circulation in Queens
Justice Scudder is sitting in the Supreme
Courr in that county District Attorney
Frederick & De Witt left town on Saturday
and had not returned home last night
The president of the Queens County Bar
Association. County Judge Burt Jay
Humphrey, said last night.
Il have directed the secretary to call
"A meeting of the Bar Association at the
County Court House in Long Island City
for Thursday noon Of this week To con
slider the matter cannot give out any
opinion in advance"
Mr.. Callahan made Tins statement
yesterday:
| Si,,a tho uiyinu ntt ~ p,r ,,atomcp,