New-York tribune., 1921-09-05
Confession by
Perchand MAY
Clear Brandon
Accuser Admits He Aided
in Auto Hold-Up and
Says Both Fired on Vic
TINS, Who Had Resisted
Helped Dispose of Bodies
Statement Telling Of Share
In Crime Was Not Given
in Evidence at the Trial

confession by Charles Perchand,
the chief witness against George Bran
don, who was executed on August %
Tor the murder of Arthur L. Kupfer
and Edith fanny, was declared yester-
day to have made to Walter l.. Hetfield
jr, Prosecutor of Union County, New
Jersey. In this confession Perchand is
said to have told Mr. Hetfeld that he
and another, who he said was Brandon,
had attempted to rob Kupfer as they
rode along lonely road toward Rah-
way early on the morning of August
90, 1918.
{ Perchand in this confession, accord
ing to a newspaper report, is said to
have admitted that he pointed pistol
at Kupfer and demanded his money.
Perchand pleaded non vult contendere
before the trial, was permitted to
testify against Brandon, who declared
he was in New York on the night of
the murder, and is now serving a
four-year term in Trenton state prison
Brandon Accused Perchand
Brandon, the man who died in the
taSCtTiN CndiT, SdiQ tnaC eTCnanQ COlJ
him in Auburn Prison that he and his
brother and man named Steve did
the killing. 1t was to get Brandon a
new trial that I. Faeber Goldenhorn, of
Jersey City and New York, and other
attorneys made repeated appeals to
Governor Edwards and to the courts,
but without avail.
The confession, the attorney said,
was not put on the record at the trial.
although Brandon's attorney, Frank M.
sMcDermit, who was later disbarred for
failing to file at the proper time writ
of error for Brandon, referred to it on
ross-examination of Perchand
Regarding the alleged confession, the
files Of The Tribune contain an inter
view given to it's Elizabeth coYrespon-
dent by Mr.. Hetheld, printed on July
l6, 1920.
In this interview the correspondent
says that the version Of the murder
that he obtained was that Perchand
and his confederate had gone to Perth
Amboy with the intention of holding
night shift. They found the men leav-
ing the plant in groups too large for
them TO interfere with, and so turned
their attention to holding up belated
automobile.
Murder of Kupfer
Kupfer came along, with Miss fanny
Sitting beside him on the front seat.
Mr.. Hatfield, as quoted by the CORE
spondent, said:
"The men asked for ride into Rah-
way. Kupfer, who had been driving
slowly, stopped and took the men
aboard. Pertrand (Perchand), who said
he was a chauffeur, sat in the front
seat with Kupfer and Miss fanny. Lam
~ble (wno went by an alias, Brandon)
sat in the rear
tance when Pertrand pulled out gun
and demanded Kupfer's money. Kup-
ter refused and attempted to shove
pertrand from the car. This enraged
the men. They began shooting.
'The men describe how they tossed
the bodies out of the car. They con-
tinued into Wood Avenue, Linden,
where they abandoned the car. They
later hailed a truck and reached Eliza
beth, where they took a train to New
York"
At the trial, however, Perchand' IS
story was quite different He said
that Kupfer, perfect stranger, whom
he met on the TOAD after midnight, had
invited him to ride, and that suddenly
he heard shots that he took at first for
blow-outs or bsck-hring of the motor,
and then found that Brandon had shot
Kupfer and Miss Janny
Confession Hint at Txial
Perchand continued to testify as to
his own innocence at the trial by say
ing that there had been no suggestion
of robbery, that there was no motive
for murder, anG that he was an en-
tirely innocent factor in the whole
transaction.
In the transcript of testimony there
occurs the following reference to the
confession.
20. (Mr. McDermit)--D you know
where that confession is that you
signed? A. (Perchand)-No don't.
'.t--Who has got it? Al should
judge the prosecutor has"