The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-01
SIXTEEN INDICTED
ASDESTROYERSOF
GRAFT DOCUMENTS
Grand Jury Rounds Up
Members of FurTing and
Lathers Association.
BAILED IN $1,000 EACH
Builder Backer's $4,000
Bride Testimony Retold in
General Sessions.
BRINDELL'S TRIAL SOON
Judge Mulqueen Keeps Addi-
tiOnal Grand Jury Going
for Housing Cases.
BRINDELL's TRIAL SOON

While the new Extraordinary Grand
Jury was beginning yesterday its Sc
cret investigation of conditions exposed
or limited at In the Lockwood Legisla-
tive Committees public hearings on
graft In the building trades the Novem-
Der additional Grand Jury returned an
Indictment charging sixteen members of
the Employing Metallic Furring and
Lathing Association with criminal de-
struction of records which were wanted
by the legislative investigators.
simultaneously the taking Of testi-
mony was begun in the trial of George
Backer, a builder. before Judge Otto A.
Rosalsky in General Sessions on charges
Of perjury alleged to have been COM
mitted while he was witness before
the Lockwood committee. Ephraim
Levy, a real estate promoter with Of
fees at 33 West Forty-seond street, re-
lated to the Backer jury tale Of in
tolerable conditions which he said had
forced him to give Backer $25. 900 with
which to bride labor leader understood
by him to be Robert P. Brindell, presi-
dent of the Building Trades Council,
who has been indicted three times.
He told how strikes had been called
on the fiimsest pretexts on a S2,0OO,00O
building which he was erecting IN Sew
enth avenue. between Thirtieth and
Thirty-first streets how he had begged
and pleaded, how he had tried to con-
tinue the work with mon from other
unions and how his troubles continued
until. at Backers suggestion, he agreed
to, pa tho pride.
BrindeII Mny BE Tried Next.
The time for Martin w. Littleton, at
torney for Brindel, who Is under IN
dictments charging extortion and at
tempted extortion, to file papers in a
motion to dismiss the indictments hang
ing over his client expired yesterday
without such action being taken. This
makes II probable that Brindell will be
tried after Backer's case is disposed OF.
The members of the Employing Me-
tallic Furring and Lathing Association
who were indicted constitute four-tifths
Of the entire membership OF that asso-
ciations The charge Is the outgrowth of
the disappearance of the minutes of one
Of their meetings. The indictment filed
sets forth that on October %. 1920, the
said defendants, knowing that certain
paper, record and instrument in writing
WHICH was TelGNdHl, PEI ahN Aies~
terial to the subject matter being in
CURED into by the Lockwood committee,
to wit. the minutes of special meeting
OF the association held on or about
April "a. 1920. was destroyed, wilfully
and unlawfully with intent thereby to
prevent the same from being produced
before the said committee"
Immediately following the announce
ment Of the indictment of the sixteen
Judge Joseph r. Mulqueen of General
Sessions said that at the request OF the
State Attorney General he would hold
the panel over and direct that it con-
tinue it's work of aiding in probing evil
dence uncovered by the Lockwood com
mittee, which means that this Grand
Jury and the newly impanelled extraor-
binary body will continue to operate
along the same general lines although on
different phases of the building trades
scandal.