The New York herald., 1920-12-07
FRESH INDICTMENT
AGAINST BRINDELL
Two Alleged Aids Also Give
Bail. but Fourth Person
Still Is at Large.
BACKER VERDICT TO-DAY
Accused Lockwood Witness
Tells. of Interview With
Building Trade Gar.
BACKER VERDICT TO-DAY


who were indicted last Thursday with
Robert p. Brindell. president of the
Building Trades Council. became known
yesterday. They are William II. Chap
man. business agent of the Plumbers
Union, and alleged to be one or Brin-
dells lieutenants, and Peter Stadt-
miller, who was named with the So
called building trades czar In earlier
indictments charging extortion In con-
nection with the housing situation here.
All three men appeared yesterday be-
fore Judge Mulqueen in General Ses-
sions, Chapman and Stadtmiller hav-
ing gone to the District Attorneys Of
flee upon learning that they were in
dicted. and Brlndell in response to
telephone request. .1...f-
Despite pleas by his attorney, Henry
Ginnane, Chapman was held in $4,000
bail. while Brindell and Stadtmiller !
were continued in the 800 O00 bail which I
each furnished following their arrest
last month. The name of asfoprth in
dividual included with thelnlin the in
dictment was not discloseds t,s5ss5
While these men wereS.4fcrk ,tthe
court the November AdditiohSI Grand
Jury returned more indictmef1tfs the
nature of which was kept secret, but
which are known to be based upon re-
cent developments before the Lockwood
Legislative Committee. 1t is expected
that there will be arraignments to-day
in connection with these indictments.
Bncker Trial Near It's End.
simultaneously the presentation OF
evidence in the trial of George Backer,
the builder. who was the first person in
dicted as . result oe the committees in
auiry, was ended 1t was announced
that Emory r. Bucllner, special deputy
Attorney General and Edmund l..
Mooney. Backer's attorney. will sum up
to-day after which Judge Otto a. Rosal-
sky will charge the jurq.
The indictments against Brndell,
Stadtmiller and Chapman are of primary
importance because OF the manner in
which the names of all three men have
figured at the public hearings of the
Lockwood committee.
The indictments allege that on May 16,
1920, the three men extorted $1,000 from
Joseph Goldblatt, who was at that time
endeavoring to make alterations in
building at 121 West Forty-fifth street.
The details of the indictments were with
held because of the inability of detectives
to find the fourth man named in them.
Chapman's attorney in arguing for a
reduction of bail, said his client did not
appear to be any more than remotely
connected with the alleged affair. Chap
man is As years of age and lives at 101
West Seventy-fourth street.
The question which the jury must de-
eide in the Backer case is whether the
builder In testifying before the Lockwood
committee committed perjury when he
swore that he lost $4,000 at the race
track and a few minutes later testified
that this was bribe money and that he
paid IL to two strangers of whom he
could give no accurate description.
The contention of the defence has been
that Backer, "self-made" man of little
schooling. thought 1t his privilege to joke
before the committee and that there
fore, although the racetracl1 story was
admittedly untrue. it did not constitute
wilful perjury.
The contention of the prosecution is
that the race track story was wilful per-
jury and that Backers only reason for
changing II was that Samuel Untermyer.
chief counsel to the committee, informed
him that II he really lost this money at
the race track he was liable to prosecu
tion for grand larceny.
Backer spent several hours upon the
witness stand under cross-examination
by Mr.. Buckrer. Backer swore yester
day that he has no idea as TO who one
of the men might be- lie testified Sat
urday that following his appearance be-
fore the Lockwood committee he ascer
tained that one was Matt Brindell," a
bother of Robert p Brindell.
Mr.. Buckner asked Backer about his
visit to Long Island City on the Sunday
following his testimony before the Lock-
wood committee and why he was desir-
Gus Of seeing Brindell that day. Backer
explained 1t was because he wanted to
find out II Brindell was "sore" at him
for testifying and IL he intended to do
him "any dirt"
He said he greeted Brindell with the
remark; "Do you feel sore?" The czar
Of the building trades replied mo. un-
der the circumstances | don't see how
you could have done otherwise
Mr.. Buckner said: Did you tell Brin- !
dell that YOU we're sorry you had not
time TO cook. UP a storyc"
mo said Backer emphatically. "1
never told him anything like that"
Two Strangers Dressed I'm Blue.
Bacler insisted that entries in his
diary reading "Soe Brindell" merely
meant TO see representatives OF Brindelis
union or Brindell himself He made this
explanation because OF the contention OF
the prosecutors that these entries ap-
pearing upon dates when bribe money
was paid tended TO indicate that he
actually had seen Robert =. Brindell on
those days. and not two strangers. as he
had testified.
Asked IL he believed the two strangers
20 be walking delegates, Bacler said that
they did not appear to him to be "regu-
lar walking delegates" He explained
II can about always pick out n walking
delegate from lot of other men, He
could not clearly explain how this was
done. He then described the two men
who took the bribe money as being pos
sessed of big hands and big feet" and
attired in blue suits.
Backer asserted that the Thirty
third street Association" or the bosses
union" worked hand In hand with
Brindell's outfit and that tho former
could stop graft in ten minutes II II
wanted to-"
"The hearing before the Lockwood
committee when testified looked like
Spanish 1nquisition." Backer said. "1
had ten or twelve million dollars worth
of work at stake and felt | needed my
attorney told the race track story 20
get little more time"