New-York tribune., 1921-01-18
Witness Bares
Brindell Pact
With Builders
Circular Letter, Admitted
as Evidence, Warned En1-
Movers That All Workers
Should Have Council Card
$1,000 Bribe Alleged
Brother of Labor Boss De-
nies Getting Backer Fund;
!, Trial May End This Week

fert Of the building Trades Councll,
sssfore Justice John V. McAvoy in the
i+r;rinal branch of the Supreme Court,
supporting to show that Brindell, who
i charged with extorting money for
.aiiiug off strikes, had working
agreement with the Building Trades
rmnloyers' Association whereby only
members OF the council could be en-
Moved by the association's members.
The evidence was developed by
samuel Unternlycr, who is conducting
she prosecution in connection with the
charge that Brindell extorted $4,000
from Max Aronson in return for call
,3tg Of strike last September. on
obstruction work at 229 West Thirty
sixth street, and that this alleged ex-
tartion was part Of system embrac-
ing the whole building industry in
New York.
Referring 70 disclosures brought out
before the Lockwood committee in its
Investigation Of the housing situation
that contractors and heads OF unions,
by q system of commissions for fur
lnishing labor, boosted costs to build
ers. Mr.. Untermyer presented circular r
letter dated July %. 1920, and ad-
dressed by the Building Trades En-
ployers' Association to its members.
Letter Put in Evidence
The Letter reads:
Gentlemen; The Building Trades
Council complains that members of
:cur association are employing laborers
who are not members of the unions
seated in the council
Possession OF the current working
scards of the B. T. c. is the only GER
y.ain certificate OF regularity and all
.laborers employed by you should have
nat card
Samuel B. Donnelly, secretary of the
association. testified that he authorized
sscnding out the circular.
: Did you think that was a discrimi-
ration against other unions?" asked
Mr. Cntermyer.
{ Il did not replied Donnelly. The
witness said his organization repre-
scented thirty different trade associa-
.tlons and that the council, dominated
by brlndell had lie, 900 members. He
i saiL an arbitration agreement existed
between the employers and the union.
.but no notice of any strike on the
:Aronson job had been received.
!. Verbal tilts between Mr.. Untermver r
.and Martin ". Littleton, counsel for
sbrlnceli, became SO frequent that JUS
,tice McAvoy interposed. When Mr..
sontermyer asked the witness concern
ing the whereabouts of Richard Pike.
delegate to the council from the hoist
ing engineers union, who had been
.saop1naed before the Lockwood COM
:mittee but VINO disappeared when
SOUGHT by the writ servers, Mr.. Little
ton Sharply objected, This is done only
20 prejudice the jury with the ~e;yn
q serror you have been creating in
this town
Verdict This Week Probable
Reign Of terror" exclaimed Mr.
.h'ermyer. But before he could con
suhue Justice McAvoy interrupted.
Wen, there will be no reign of ter
ror in this courtroom" said the court
sustaining Mr.. Littleton's objection.
ihe dispatch with which the pro.
eeedings were conducted led to the
0ehef tnat the case may 90 to the enc
.s' the week. About a dozen witnesses
we're examined yesterday.
aa'tneS brIndell, 1891 Gates Avenue
brother OF the defendant, denied on
ne stand that he had received S15,-
wv IRON George Backer on May II
siasi. Backer. who was recently tried
IN charge Of perjury, had said that
ne gave the money to & man who
looked like Matthew Brinden."
Matthew brindell's testimony fol.
owed that Of Ephraim B. Levy, a resl
estate dealer and builder. In the
nscker trial Levy testified that he paid
1aeker $4,000 and Backer said he
gave the money TO two men unknown
70 aim Levy's testimony yesterday
Sas .nav the money was for Brindell
as Littleton objected to this testi-
aony, but Justice McAvoy ruled that
y was relevant, as it was corroboratiye
:, 'ne testimony Of Aronson, who de
ssared that BrIndell had said to him
See what happened to Levy. We CLOSED
LIN up for three or four months"
brlndells influence over the Fuild-
.hg Trades Council was described in
testimony by Philip Zaussner, SO Easi
wa Street. secretary of the district
eeshesl OF the Brotherhood of Paint.
rs When the council was organized
= september. 1919. the witness said
Dsahaels WAS made president and giver
al..sority 70 appoint the executive com.
&Htee- Mr.. Lntermyer read from the
ssast,Tution TO show that only the
ffssicent or the executive committee
PUG order strike and that therefore
sisi;y.
$1,000 Withdraw From Bank
Wasn't something said at the or.
s@a'@a'ion meeting about the counci
sslny unrepreSentative and undemo-
efssle " asked Ir. Untermyer
An objection by Mr.. Littlcton wa:
Testimony eorroborative Of that o.
sonaon was given by Fred L. Wei
s"., mason builder connected with
Ks MieTeil Company, constructors o.
s@per contract from Aronson. Wei
aadt said he arranged for a meetin,
.~een Brindell and Aronson at the
ssssr's Office on September 30. While
sahcsH talked with Aronson, he re
"1inso n al outer office, he said.
sp9eD ward, vice president OF th'
s.eosn Trust Company, testified tina
ssssnzon son drew $1,000 from the bank
sApes l. Schwartz. an architect. sais
Nas present when the money va,
sgswn.
ne trial ~iil be resumed this morn
a. seceiai Federal grand jury, which
70 'HFsstigate com binations ard graf
sss.1 sas building trades, vas sworn II
f@.ssan7 fsNa'an7 before Judge Learned Hand
49, 80 hand told the jurors they wer'
gsgsssFa gsssa 70 consider only such sub
rsrs ~ might have TO do with viola
sen* " the Eherman .n+t.tr,,ut 10,