The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-06
ATTELL TO THROW
LIGHT ON ROTHSTEIN
Ex-Prize Fighter Sends Offer
to District Attorney Of
Nassau County.
WHO OWNS BIG HOUSE?
Grand Jury Wants to Trace
Leader of Ring and Of
ficials Involved.
WHO OWNS BIG HOUSE9

District Attorney Charles f. Weeks
of Nassau county, who is conducting
the investigation by which it is hoped
to drive professional gambling from
the county and bring to justice certain
county officials suspected of having
received protection money from the
gamblers, received word yesterday that
Abe Attell, one Of the closest as
sociates of Arnold Rothstein, was anx-
ious to be witness in the proceedings
which are in progress, and was ready
to appear to-day and tell what he
knows about Rothstein's connection
with gambling at Long Beach.
If Attell appears, as he represents
that he is anxious to do. he may have
an opportunity to answer certain qucs-
tons which District Attorney Swami
of New York county is extremely anx-
ious to put to him. Some OF these
questions concern baseball. Mr.. Weeks,
as soon as he heard that Attell was
ready 70 testify, put himself into COM
munication with Mr.. Swami and in
formed him that he would be glad to
have a representative Of his office
come to Mineola and talk to Attell.
1t Is likely, however. that whatever
questions Mr.. Swann's representative
has to ask will have to be put to Attell
as an individual and not as witness.
since 1t Is improbable that Supreme
Court Justice Townsend Scudder, who Is
presiding at the John Doe hearings, at
which testimony is being taken concern
| ing conditions in Nassau. will permit
any witness to be questioned on any
matter not germane to the immediate
| scope Of the inquiry. Two weeks ago
| Justice Scudder declined to allow Dep
| uty Attorney General Bascom, who is
| In charge of an investigation into gam
bling in Saratoga county. to question
witnesses at one of the hearings which
are now going on.
| who Owns Palace of CHANGER
AS far as Attell is concerned, for
| the purposes of Nassau county Mr..
Weeks Is extremely anxious to ask him
who owns and conducts gambling
house at Long Beach, which is the most
| pretentious establishment of its kind In
Nassau county, and whether 1t Is Roth
STEMS. Rothstein is believed to be the
real proprietor of 1t, but who does own
| and maintain 1t Is not known as mat
/ ter of fact either to Justice Scudder or
| to Mr.. Weeks, as they have no direct
/ evidence to connect Rothstein with 1t.
| Several witnesses who have been sum-
moned to Mineola have testified that
they played roulette and faro there and
/ lost substantial sums OF money. but none
| of them was able to swear Of his own
4, knowledge that Rothstein owned the
place.
One witness, Maurice Bandler of this
| city has sworn that the place ran I'M
| hindered all last summer and has testi-
| fed as to the kind and size OF play
there. The place never has been dis
rturbed by a raid, because It was re-
| modelled by capable architect before
1t was opened as gambling place and
entrance to It Is accessible only by one
main door, This door is carefully
| guarded and no one who Is not properly
credentialled gets in. The windows of
| the place are all so high from the
| ground that they cannot be entered ex-
cept by the aid OF ladders.
| Grand Jury begins Work.
Several more witnesses who played
| In the house last summer are under
| subpoena to appear at Mineola to-day
and Mr.. Weeks Is anxious to have some
| Of them confront Attell and ask them
| IL they know him. AS Attelps offer to
come at all was made through third
| person Mr.. Weeks was unable to find
out from him what his motive is in
wishing to testify.
! The Grand Jury, which was sworn in
and charged by Justice Scudder last
Monday. began yesterday Its considera-
| ton of certain important testimony
which was taken In John Doe hear
ings before the jury was impanelled.
| AS the John Doe hearings have been in
progress all summer there IL a mass of
testimony ready for the Grand Jury and
before II may be expected to find any
| indictments all this testimony must be
gone through with and all the important
witnesses who testified in the John Doe
proceeding must repeat their stories I'm
| the Grand Jury room. It is possible
that the jury will be compelled to take
a recess in order to digest the testimony
fully.