New-York tribune., 1921-05-25
Accused Aid of
BrillCleII Admits
Taking $1,000
StadimuIler, However, Says
Money Was for Labor
Gar Now Serving Term
in Sing Sing Prison
Union Books Are "Safe''
Declares He Was Told He
''Needn't Worry" When
Asked to Produce Records

Peter Stadtmuller, organizer of the
Dock Builders and House Shorers'
Local Union, .456, and now on trial be-
fore Justice McAvoy. in Supreme Court,
charged with eXtortion and coercion,
yesterday admitted ne had taken 81 900
as charged. He explained that he was
asked to give the money to Robert p.
Brindell, formerly head Of ASS and the
Building Trades Council.
The story told by Stadtmuller in an
swer to the questions put by his at
torney, Arthur Murray, was that on
September %, 1920, he arrived at the
union headquarters, 10 ST. Marks
Place, with Joseph Moran, another or
ganizer of the union, who is Stadt-
muller's co-defendsnt. but will have
separate trial, and found there Max
Minnissohn, of the Interstate Wreck
ing Company; Louis Kiosk, second
hand brick dealer; Walter Melton, a
housewrec6er, and man he knew only
by the name of Wasserman,
Admits Taking Money
Stadtmuller said Kiosk took him
aside, saying: 81 have something here
for Brindell l want you to give him."
and took out small roll of bills, hand
ing them to Stadtmuller, who asked
what it was for and was told "the
Maiden Lane job"
The specific charge against Stadt-
muller is that he took the $1,000 from
Max Minnissohn in return for permis-
sion to go with job at 96-100 Maiden
! Lane, and that he then gave the latter
card and gave Minnissohn authority
to hire Building Trades Council men.
1t is also charged that Stadtmuller
forced Minnissohn to take in Walter
Melton as partner in the Maiden
Lane wrecking job.
Stadtmuller said on the stand that
he gave Minnis sohn the 80 K card" be-
cause Melton had come over to him
and said Minnisohn would like to have
| 1T and also because the dav previous
Brindell had told him "it was all right
TOR Minnisohn to get men" He in
sisted, however. that he neither asked,
nor was offered money by Minnisohn,
and denied that he had forced the lat,
ter to make Melton his partner
When at one point Stadtmuler was
asked by Assistant District Attorney
Ferdinand Pecora where the books Of
the union were, Stadtmuller replied
with smile that he did not know, but
that Brindell told him ''they were in
safe place. needn't worry"
Got SIS a Week
In the direct examination the wit
ness told OF joining the house shorers'
union IN 1905 and Of having acted as
the business agent until the fall Of
1919. when Brindell began putting OBJ
stacles in the unions way by calling
strikes and forcing them to Join his
organization. He was made delegate
from his original union and then was
employed in the capacity of semi
financial agent for the organization, be-
ing raised in salary from time to time
until he was receiving SIS weekly.
In the morning Louis Kiosk. called
by the prosecution, testified that Min
nisohn had told him of his troubles
with the Brindell organization and that
$1,000 was demanded by Stadtmuller
and Moran to allow the Maiden Lane
job to be resumed. Kiosk testified
that after some dickering Stadtmuller
and Moran agreed to accept $1,000.
The trial will be continued to-mor-
row, IN Part X, Of the Supreme Court.