The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-11-10
HOW WILLETT WAS NOMINATED
STORI TOLD BI NAN VINO PTT
MN ~ NOMINATION.
Getting Acquainted "Biogrc phicnI
Notcs"- The Usual Unit Of Cash
Transactions -Wiiiett shows Books
-Cassid,'s name hobs % Frequently

cassidy s Name Hobs y Frequently
+ William Willett, Jr.. was defeated on
Tuesday, hut the inquiry into the cir
cumstances of his nomination for Supreme
Court Justice in the Second Judiciary
district was continued yesterday before
Justice Scudder in Long Island City.
Louis I. Walter. Jr. who was a friend
Of Willett and nominated him in the con
vention. testified that he never had heard
Willett say that Joe Cassidy was so
crooked that he could hide behind cork
screw" That and the fact that on Sep
tember % Willett had borrowed S. 900 on
! a note. making in all s2s 600 which he bor-
rowed within two weeks before his nomi-
nation. were the interesting bits of testi-
mony.
Louis " De Bausney, assistant cashier
OF the Seaboard National Bank and the
first witness of the day. said that ION
september 80 Willett came to the bank
and cashed a draft for $40 900. the draft
having been given by the First National
| Bank of Far Rockaway Mr.. De Bausney
went into details as to the Identification
Of Willett and said the money was paid
over in 81 900 bills 1t has been feature
VI 'ilt lil'luIy luil lUt CASH Hllll lllNplNtd
in all the financial transactions aired at
the hearing has been 81 600
Louis Walter told some moro of tho
history of the transaction by which Will
lett got sixty three not sixty four
shares of the Automobile Building Com
pany for 5000 Walter had boon Gsked
TO produce tho stock certificates. but
he seid hn couldn't He told Assistant
District Attorney De Ford that hr had
seen the certificates on Saturday night
and that Willctt. who was in the court
room had thcm "Nlr Willctt said he
be glad to give them TO you" Mr De
Ford, who is not anxious to call Willett
as a witness. didn't ask him for them
and the incident was closed
Walter told how Wilett and his part
ner, Frost. bought stock in the automo-
bile company from Frank Malone. Willctt
to be president and Frost secretary of
the company, erch to havo salary of
| s., 900. There was an agreement. Walter
said. that he was to set one-sixtecnth
Of all salaries paid in excess Of $4,000.
: it being explained that ho had one-six-
teenth Of the stock. end he didn't think
more than $1,000 should so for salsries
NilpbhIIi N'so III iiOlNI, - III " u,
! but it appeared that nothing resulted from
. tho agreement, rs the company was only
selr-sus ming
! All through the testimony the name of
| Joe Cassidy YVES frequent Walter said
| that on the day that Willctt got $4,000
at the Sc2board National Bank he went
TO Manhattan with him 1t wSs possible
! Walter said that he sSw Cassidy at lunch
but il was not ct the S,.Varin. and it was
only fair to Mr. Cassidy and myself
TO say that have soen him almost every
day for month" He couldn't rcn:em-
Der if he saw Cassidy on this particular
d1y, and in fact he wouldn't have re-
membcred tho day at all very likely il
he had not known that Will,tt got $40. 900
from tic Seabosrd bank that day
| Walter said he was for Willett for the
Supreme Court nomination six weeks
before the conv vention, He spoke TO
Cassidy but Cassidy had not made up
his mind
Was Wilett denouncing Cassidy as
crook AZ the tiraet" ash ed Mr.. De Ford!
| Il never heard that, s. id the witness
Never heard that Willett had said that
| Cassidy was SO crooked he could hide be-
! hind corkscrew?"
| oh. no" replied Walter.
They were at outs" persisted Mr.. De
Ford
Yes, they were at outs sad the wit
ness
Walter said that he and a man named
Meyer, a man named Petit. Cassidy and
David L. Van Nostrand had been in
land deal in Babylon; that Cassidy had
put up dozen plots for sale and that
Walter Petit and Meyer had bought
thom in That was on October ?. That
night the four men had dinner. 1t was
the night that delegates were elected to
the judiciary convention.
Il told Cassidy" said Walter that if
he WASH going to name Willett he needn I
send me TO the convention"
Walter went with Nillett to the bank
on the day that Willett was nominated
He was going 10 put Willett in nomina-
ton. Explaining his trip TO the bank
with Willett he said
Il thought ! ought to get a line on
what TO say. ! only knew he was 43 and
! didn't know how long he had lived on
Long Island had forty minutes before
my train and | waited until Willett came
out Of the bank"
Did he give you any more biographical
notes after he came out Of tae bank"
asked Mr.. De Ford
| What's that?" inquired the witness
Facts about his life"
II jotted down few squibs," said
Walter.
Then he did give you some biographi-
cal notes when he came out of the bank?"
insisted Mr.. De Ford
Yes" said Walter.
William Willett produced the books Of
the Automobile Building Company and
the books OF the Cabinet Land Company
Mr.. De Ford had it entered on the record
that Mr.. Willett had given up the books
voluntarily and not in response to a sub
pnna
Luke A. Keenan,, who is a deputy in
the Office OF the Secretary Of State, was a
delegate to the convention that nominated
Willett and he voted from the First dis
trict, which is Cassidy's Cassidy hadn I
asked him to vote for Willett, he said,
but he recognized Cassidy as leader and
was proud of it"
John F, Cronin. superintendent OF
garbage disposal in Queens, long thin
red bearded man, took the witness stand
, the possessor of a joke on Mr.. De Ford
When he was served with a subpoena tc
attend the William Berri libel trial he was
talking to a man on the telephone. The
process server so reported to Mr. De Ford
: giving him particulars.
Were you talking to Cassidy tha,
night?' asked Mr. De Ford.
: Il was not" said Cronin. laughing and
, enjoying himself Il was talking TO Joe
Curly OF Far Rockaway"
In Queens and some other places Cas-
sidy is known as Curly Joe, and when
, Mr.. De Ford asked Cronin if he had beer
talking to Cassidy at any time about the