New-York tribune., 1920-11-25
Bail for Stadtmiller Is
Placed at 100000
ON Extortion Charge
Brought by Contractor
Dealer Says Steel
Ring Rules Prices
Miss O'Dea i'm Contempt
as Fight Is Force Her
Testimony Is Appealed

The additional grand jury taking
testimony on the criminal phase Of
the Lockwood committees housing
investigation handed down three
more indictments yesterday. Two
of them were against Robert P
Brindell, head of the Building
Trades Council, who is already un-
der Indictment for extortion and at
tempted extortion.
The third is against Peter Stadt-
miller, delegate of the Building
Trades Council, who has been mer-
toned in many stories of alleged
graft told by witnesses to the COM
mittee. Judge Mulqueen, in Gen
eral Sessions yesterday, character
lied him as "Brindelps chief o.
staff" He was held under $780,
600 bail and was released when the
bond was furnished by a surety
company. No additional bail was
asked Of Brindell, who is now ou.
on a 100000 bond in connection
with the previous proceedings.
The latest indictments charge
both BrindelI and Stadtmiller with
extortion. 1t is alleged that Brin-
dell threatened Louis J. Cohen on
July Is last with q strike while
Cohen was engaged on operations
on East Twenty and Twenty
third streets and that Brindell ac-
cepted $500 from Cohen.
Stadtmiller is accused of extort-
ing $1,000 from the Garden City
Wrecking Company under threats
that he would put the company out
of business if the money was no.
paid.
Brindelfs Chief ~. STAFF
Judge Mulqucen ordered he two
defendants produced in court lb-mor-
row morning for argument on dat
for motions or pleas.
There was some argument between
Assistant District Attorneys Stanley,
Richter and Robert g. tombstone and
John j. O'Connor, repre-. enting Stadt-
miller, over the amount of hail. O'Con-
nor maintaining that the defendant
was merely a business agent. employed
at SIS a week. Judge Mulaueen. how
ever, said: GAS I understand it. there
may be other indictments. and
understand this man is BrindelPs
chief of staff. In my opinion the bail
is not high enough"
The witnesses whose names appear
on the back Of Brindel's indictment
are Louis j. Cohen, Theodore E.
Rhodes and Samuel B. Donnellv. The
Stadtmiler indictment bears the
names of William Waixel. Robert c.
Whiting and William W. Westfall
Shortly after the arraignment. Martin
W. Littleton, chief counsel for Brin-
dell and Stadtmiller. appeared in court
and criticized the procedure. He said
arrangements had been made for Brin-
dell's appearance Friday and that he
did not expect to be in court yester-
DAY. Mr. Richter explained that
O'Connor had offered to bring Brin-
dell into court, and intimated that adj
ditional bail to the 100000 already
Put up for Brindell might be asked
tomorrow.
While this was going on in the
Criminal Courts Building, the Associa-
ton of Dealers in Masons Building
Materials and the Builders Supply
Bureau were making strenuous efforts
by every legal resource to keep the
books and records of these two or
CARNATIONS out of the hands of tho
Lockwood committee
Martin Conboy, after involved pro-
ceedings before Justice McAvoy. an
nounced that he had appealed to tho
Appellate Division of the Supreme
Court to prevent the questioning of
! Miss Elizabeth O'Dea, bookkeeper of
the Builders Supply Bureau, and an
examination OF the bureaus records.
An effort by Conboy TO obtain a tenn
porary stay from Justice Alfred T..
Page, pending the appeal, proved un-
successful. The books were ordered pro-
duced when the Lockwood committee
resumes its sessions next Tuesday
morning.
Miss O'Dea in Contempt
One Of the upshots of the legal duel
was the adjudging OF Miss O'Dea in
contempt when she failed to appear at
yesterdays session OF the COMMITTEES
with all the books and papers of the
bureau. Papers citing her for con
tempt were ordered drawn up by Chair
man Lockwood of the committee. II
the committee goes through with the
proceeding Miss O'Dea faces ja,l
sentence.
Another important feature of YES
terday's session was the testimony of
Charles G. Cornell jr. of Cornell &
undefhiil, wrought iron and steel pirs
jobbers, that -fourths of the
wrought steel industry Of the country
IS controlled by three powerful cor