The New York herald., 1921-01-07

ests in his profits is concerned the sky
may be the limit; is that right?"
Yes, substantially So"
Under further questioning Espresso
admitted that he had been cautioned
more than year ago Ito lay off Albert"
He construed this, he said, as meaning
that he should be careful not to let
him go too far. In the next breath. as
concession TO the examiners handy
records, the witness gave an affirma-
tive answer when he was asked: And
yet you have written six or seven bonds
on Albert's indemnity agreements since
December II"
Prodded to name other men who were
more or less chronic indemnifiers, Es-
presso mentioned Louis Kassman. a
former liquor dealer and saloon keeper
and now "a cafe proprietor at 1873 Nor
folk street. and J. Fred Stuve. who op-
crates Harlem cafe and restaurant on
Eighth avenue. The agent said Kass-
man furnished about forty indemnity
bonds for him yearly. and Stuve not so
many-"probably not more than thirty
In two years"
Have you ever heard that any OF
these men accept jewelry as collateral
with which to indemnify themselves
from criminals whom they befriend?"
None of them has ever told me so
and 1 have never heard 1t. / have ac-
cepted jewelry only two or three times
myself and furs once"
isn't Kassman known through the
lower East Side as 'Cockeyed Louis and
is he not a we'll known gang leader
down there?"
IT never knew him to be called that
and l have known him three years.
The witness qualified this by adding
that he had been in Kassmans place
only two or three times and that he
himself was born and lived on the West
Side and did not know the lower East
Side intimately.
Mr.. Pecora. who here took up the
examination. brought from the witness
an admission of the truth of the state
ment that bail bonds are not executed
by your company because IT feels any
confidence in the integrity or reliability
either of the defendant or his inIemni-
fier, but solely because. as a CONNER
cial proposition, your risk is amply COW
cred either by tangible collateral or else
by an indemnity bond with attached
confession of judgment which is exc
cuted by some person good for the
amount"
Accepting Applications.
Magistrate Simpson asked: "In de-
ternlnlnB WnelneF 10 accept or reject
an application for bail bond did you
ever take into consideration at all, or
did you ever make any inquiry to ascer-
tain a mans probable or possible in
nocence?"
"Of course they all say they are inno-
cent" replied the witness. but we would
take IL into consideration If 1t were a
case of a boy and his first offence or
If his family were good people,"
We'll. did you ever delay the execu-
tion of a bail bond long enough to call
up Police Headquarters to ascertain
whether the applicant had a criminal
record?"
Now and then I think we have done
so. but / am unable to cite a specific in
stance at the moment"
"As matter of fact" asked Magis-
trate Simpson in conclusion. "have you
ever in your life, except in cases of
pickpockets and the unsavory types you
say you never take refused to write a
bail bond for any other reason than that
you considered the proffered security
made .uate?"
Espresso said there had been many
cases refused. especially those of kind
likely to bring discredit upon the bond.
ing company. Again, however, he said
he was unable to name such cases spe-
cihcally. The hearing will be resumed
this afternoon.