The sun., 1917-08-25
REYNOLDS INDICTED
ON PERJURY CHARGE
Ex-senator Accused Of False
Testimony in Land
Deal in 1912.
TAMMANY'S HAND SEEN
Cheek Dated Long After the
Realty Man Said He Sold
ROckaway Equity.

William II. Reynolds. former state
Senator, was accused Of per:ury In an
indictment returned yesterday by the
regular Grand Jury to judge Mulqueen
In General Sessions. The Indictment
alle2cd that he testified falsely when
he told a condemnation board. June =.
1912. that he had no interest in Seaside
Park. Rockaway Point. which the city
purchased from the Neponsit Realty
Company.
Reynolds appeared as a real estate
expert when the board met to assess
the valuation Of the property.
The District Attorney has . cancelled
check for $43.00040 made to the order
Of Reynolds and signed by Frank Bailey.
president Of the Realty Associates.
whose members are said to have held
considerably more than a majority OF
the stock of the Neponsit company.
Bailey also is vice-president Of the Title
Guarantee and Trust Company. The
check was dated June IL. 1918. a year
after Reynolds gave his testimony On
the voucher check appears the memo
randum. typewriter:
Purchase Of one-ffth interest In
amount due Frank Bailey, trustee. under
agreement with Neponsit Realty Com
pany."
says Reynolds Set Date At 1910.
According to Assistant District At
torneys William Harman Black and
Edwin p. Kilroe Reynolds said when
questioned by them last Monday that
he had sold his interest to Bailey In
1910. They consider the check strong
evidence that the transfer was not made
until three years later.
Two hours after the indictment was
returned Reynolds. accompanied by
Siegfried Hartman Of Stanchheld Il
Hartman his counsel, appeared before
Judge Mulqueen. He pleaded not guilty.
and his bond, fixed by agreement at
| $4,000. was furnished by a surety
company. Reynolds was given ten days
in which TO withdraw his plea or to
set up a special plea under the statute
OF limitations The maximum penalty
for perjury is ten years imprisonment
The time covered by the statute OF
limitations in a case Of alleged perjury
, is ive years. The date Of Reynoldss
alleged offence was two months more
| than five years ago. District Attorney
Swami however. said last night that in
order to take advantage OF this statute
| defendant must have remained within
the State continuously. He said he had
evidence that Reynolds had been out OF
the courts jurisdiction at least three
months in the last five years.
Il do not apprehend that in any case
Reynolds will care to invoke the statute
OF limitations" Swami added "A de-
| fendant who does inv oke 1t indicates
thereby that he does not care to 60 TO
| trial on the merits OF the case. The
statute Of limitations Is an affirmative
defence. We have gone very carefully
into the legal phases Of this case and are
sure the indictment Is perfectly sound
Mayor Disciaims Responsibility.
The District Attorney cited decisions
in the cases of the People VS.. Blake.
l2lst Appellate Divisions Reports. and
the People vs. Guerrin, Volume ?. Crimi-
nal Reports. in support Of this position
Following this arraignment Reynolds
made the following brief statement:
| ITO say the least. It would seem to
me Just and proper in this twentieth
century OF our civilization that the
privilege should have been extended to
me of appearing before the Grand Jury
before the indictment was found, I
would have been willing to waive i'm
munity. The public will be able to de-
| term!ne later whether or not the inquiry
has been q fair one"
Mayor Mitchell. when told Of the in
dictment. said;
1T is purely a personal matter in that
| it relates to the truth OF what Mr.. Rey-
nolds stated when he affirmed that he
had no ownership In the land in Ques-
ton. That was in 1907. during Mayor
Gaynor's administration. when I had no
contract with or responsibility for the
Corporation Counsel who guarded the
city's interests In the condemnation pro-
ceedings.
THE Indictment raises no question In
which l. as Mayor, am interested. 1t
| does not raise any question as to the
price paid for the land and doesn't touch
the city government. The price was de-
termlned by three commissioners ap-
pointed by Justice Marean Of the Su-
preme Court"
swami to Pursue Inquiry.
District Attorney Swami declared that
his office was getting tremendous
amount OF information about transac-
tions In which the city has figured" and
said that these would be placed before
an extraordinary Grand Jury which Is to
convene Monday morning after being
sworn In by Justice Con. 1t was this
Grand Jury which was ordered by Gov
whitman to inquire into tho Ruth Cru
ger case and other phases OF municipa
adm inistration. Assistant District At.
torney Black said that among the land
transactions to be Investigated are the
4 purchases Of Dreamla nd and the Brook
lyn Marginal Railway
1.-THE investigation will be rigidly thor.
ough" he added. We are going into
the entire subject in all its details"
The District Attorneys Investigation
into the Seaside Park transaction wa.
precipitated by william Bullock a Tam
many politician. who Is director of th'
Bureau of City Inquiry On February Il
last ne wrote to Gov. Whitman. charging
that a profit OF 2.4O0 per cent. had beer
made by q realty company In the sal,
of Dreamland to the city and asked To-
an investigation by the State On Ma!
l8 he wrote again. saying:
II renew my request to you for an In
vestigation Of the Rockaway Park
Drea inland Park and other land pur
chases by the city Of New York, all from
a group OF Brooklyn land spectators. o
which William H. Reynolds Is the head
Bullock sent a third letter to the Gov
ernor August in which he charge,
that secret contracts connected "Reyn
olds and others with tho sale of Rock
away Point to the city" that Reynold
testified under oath that he had no In
terest whatever in said property" an,
that Mayor Mitchell stated that he ha
Investigated and found that Reynold
had no such Interest"
POrtsmouth Men Pledge Loyalty.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 2i-Employees O