New-York tribune., 1921-05-23
Union Delegate,
Br.indellEx-Aid,
On Trial To-day
Man Who Refused to- Ad-
nit Extortion to- Save
Labor Gar to Face a
Jury in Supreme Court
Convict Planning Coup
Reported Trying to Sell
Properties and Return 10
Canada When Term Ends

rsa trial of Peter !: Stadtmuller, the
,.,,rate of the Dockbuilders' Union,
~ was indicted with Joseph Moran
,sarres Of extortion growing out of
'..smony given before the Lockwood
r.r,mittee on Housing, will begin this
s,yning before Supreme Court Justice
acAvoy.
The charges also include another
..n.t against Robert P. Brinden, the
,,Aor czar, now serving a five to ten
...r sentence in Sing Sing. Stadtmul-
i.y Is out on $4,000 bail. after having
x..n confined in the Tombs when Brin-
SsIl withdrew his bond of 100000 upon
"a a. formers refusal to plead guilty to
sniier's bail subsequently was reduced.
Inquiry Blocked
Tho investigation of the finances OF
=. T,ockbuilders' Union recently de-
n.suded by its 5000 members has been
sl.rSed BY Brindell's agents, it was re-
IT'D Yesterday. There has been no
rrssting of the committee of Ave ap-
nn;nted to look into the unions affairs
= far and what became of the sos 900
Ast was in the organizations treasury
- still a mystery. 1t had been charged
/, members that Brindell had used
$4,000 for counsel fees, $4,000 more
Inv other expenses and that $4,000 was
stl unaccounted for.
In this connection it also was re-
roTted yesterday that Brindell was
msking preparations to square himself
gitb the authorities and throw his aides
IN the Dockbuilders' Union and the
Bui!ding Trades Council overheard. 1t
vas said that he is trying to dispose of
his DAILY Avenue house in The Bronx,
bis country estete at Schroon Lake
and No. u St. Marks Place, in his
vjfe's name, which is used as the head
quarters of the council and many other
labor unions, together with his six cars
and two motor boats. Upon his release
from Sing Sing, it is declared, he plans
to return to Canada.
Tic latest story of what Brindell
did" when he was in power was re-
lated yesterday by n high official OF
the Dockbuilders' Union, of which the
car was once the head.
A few weeks before the opening of
.hs Lockwood Committees hearings
last October, according to the story, a
firm of Fifth Avenue fruiterers were
having some alterations made in their
place OF business. One morning, without
any warning, the workmen walked out.
Members of the firm could learn from
nobody the reason for the strike, but
finally some one advised the head of
the firm to see Brindell. He visited
the labor czar at his Offices, at II St
Marks Place, but got no satisfactory
explanation Of the matter.
The Specked Pineapple
The union official who tells this
story was present when the member of
the firm interviewed Brindell. AS the
man left, he said, Brindell turned to
the union man and said with thump
| Ns desk: u got square with that SON
fr,gun. l bought some piueapples
rom that fellow some time ago. After
while my wife found that one of the
pneapplees was specked. We paid n
pretty good price for them, so | took
this one and sent it back and asked
.0t good one.
They wouldn't give Us another one
for it and so made up my mind to get
even with them. His place has been
tied up for two weeks now and l under
stand he lost about $4,000. That's
what he gets for sending me specked
pineapple"
Two days later the strikers resumed
their work on the alteration with the
same mysterious suddenness as when
they quit.