New-York tribune., 1920-11-05


getting better prices and by elminat-
ing competition you know that you are
running up against the trust laws,
don't you?"
Yes"
Louis J. Cohen, a contracting house
Wrccker, Of 1401 Lincoln Place, Brook
lyn. testified he made his first "bribc"
payment 10 Brindell eoout July Is. He
said he gave him the money so that
ne would not Interfere with his OBJ
tanning contract.
He explained that he had talked to
Brindel about job he was figuring
on at Twenty-third Street and Sixth
Avenue. "'How much is it worth?' he
asked me- said Cohen II told him
about s. 800. He says: well. I'll get
you the job. One thousand for me and
81, 800 for you. / just laughed, be-
cause ] never did business that way
beforc.'
Il cot the job, all right" continued
Cohen, "but soon after Brindell sent
for me ard said: How about our bct?'
said, " hat bet?' He says, Why my
$1,000. says, / never bet you S 900.
don't owe you anything.' Brindeu
said Come on, [ told you wanted
$1,000 ou' Of the job said, Nothing
doing. lie says. All right. Cohen. In
through with you. Goodby''
Says Rrindell COMPROMISED
Cohen said Brindell later sent for
him and said Cohen had "committed a
terrible olfcnse in having four men
WorMng on his JOB without Foreman
II hen he remarked again, How about
our bet SAID Cohen, knew that if
| did not glve UP lie would luin me,
so ! offered him 500. He took it."
tohen told Of another instance in
- "a e..it ! !
5000. and later $3.50 and then $4,000
for work on the demolition OF The
Manhattan Hotel Cohen asserted that
me builders had been so harassed by
the operations of Brindcl! that they
mad inserted in all clauses of their
contracts that all labor employed on
lhclr operations had to be indorsed By
brndeii 5 Building Trades Council. In
all the money transactions, checks Gov
elinS the dates ana the amounts passed
over were produced in evidence
One cneck alleged TO have been given
Brlndeli by Israel Goldstcin was offered
at the hearing With Brindell's indorsc-
meat on the back. 1t was part Of the
settlement for 5000 which he says he
wa forced TO pay Brindou in order to
be permitted to continue work on :,
structure in Whitehall Street He had
previously given Brindcll Sl73 in cash,
ne testified and when ne offered to give
tine labor leader the rest Of the 5000
ater Rrlndell said he would take
check.
As matter Of fact" said Goldstein,
Il VS. to give MIN $500 but | never
--vc linn the other $500
This alleged transaction took place
July s.
Goldstcin told Of another job he was
working on at Fifth Avenue and Fifty
fourth Street, where Peter Stadtmuller,
representing Brindell, told him. he said
tat he would have to Give up 81 o01 if
he wanted TO work there. He said he
couldn't afford this, and so lost the
job.
Henry II. Vought. q builder Of the
Grand Contra. Terminal, told OF having,
offered work 10 GCldst,iN, and said that
after he had been on the JOB for a
Wule trouble arose because GolGstcil' 5
men were not workers iNdorsed by
Brndell, although tnev were union
men.
Goldstein was eventually bought out
for $50, it was said and the Interstate
Wrocking Company got the work. They
had agroed, it was testified, % give
Nou-ht the same price Tor taking tie
salvage from the building as had Cold
stein. But work cou MT continue, fer
some reason, and then Max Mininson, OF
the Interstate Wrccking Company. in
formed Mr.. NougAt, TESTIMONY said,
that he would have 10 give $500 to
somebody f. GET the council men on
the Job. Norg explained that, in
stead Of gctt-e 2,500 for his salvage,
he got onny al yje.
Money Paid N Dark
lie said Mininson came 70 his odice .
few days atel and told him he had
gone down TO some Office and put the
money IN dark room, so that ! could
not see the face of The party who was
10 receive the money
M3rihson declared on tho stand That
he had the thing fixed UP for 100
instead Of S1,5o9 and that though he
had been gen 5I5o1 10 strai Ehten
thines oat for Nought, he "forgot' to
rctuln the othsr $3.50 to Nought. Mr..
Ncuaht was amazed to learn at the
hearing for the first time that he had
been done out of SOD. He said he
turned tne money Over TO 4 Nh kioske
10 be gwen to Stadtmuller.
Jacob Kamen, contractor who OBJ
tanned a sub-let Job Tor work on the
Tivoi Theater about August "a, told
how he patched up some trouble for
tractor for the work
On August u, said Kamen, all work
on the JOB was suddenly stopped and
the reason was never given. Shapiro
had sent letter to the Building Trades
Council protesting against the uncalled
for stopIage, but without avail. Final
ly a man named Epstein dropped in on
i4amen and told HIM the thing could be
fixed up. Kamen testified.
Kamen informed Shapiro that he
could straightcn the troube out, what
ever j. was. for $1,000. Later this sum
was reduced to $500.
Check Put in Evidence
Il went to the Building Trades Cotn-
ell Office en- August - said Kamen,
with the cash which had Just OBJ
tanned from check written out for
this amount by Mr.. Shapiro. met
Joseph Moran. a delegate OF the council
and a representative OF BrindeN, there.
offered him the 5000 He didn't want
10 take it, but later said ne would take
the money under protest. If Brndell
later decicos it isn't enough, You'll have
to give more he told me. We went
back into dark little room. after locN-
Ing all the doors and priling down the
shades. and gave him the $500.
AS ! was leaving Moran insisted I