Session: 123456789101112131415161718         Page 453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473475476477478479480481482483485486487488 of 617

and myself to apologize, to resign, to do anything -- or suffer the consequences of what was a kangaroo trial. We were not going to resign, we were not going to apologize. We said, “We want a trial.” And Stanley Geller was our lawyer. We demanded specifications. This went on for weeks: it didn't happen over night. We demanded ... God knows what we demanded under the election law before they could actually hold a hearing. And they held a hearing at the Commodore Hotel. J. Raymond Jones, that son of a bitch, was going to be the judge. (laughs) It was funny when you think about it, because Mitch Bloom, who is not exactly a model of propriety, happened to have a broken leg in a cast at the time, and he was sitting there, and the people were going to try this case. J. Raymond Jones was going to be the judge. The county lawyer, who's now a judge, is not a very nice guy either, a Tammany Hall lawyer, Louis, was going to be the counsel against us and Stanley Geller was the counsel for us. Stanley is a very good lawyer. He had represented me in my trial when Carmine DeSapio had sued to set aside the election. That went on for a whole month. All my life I've been in court with these guys (laughs) over crap. (laughs)

Geller makes a motion to dismiss the case on God knows what grounds. I don't remember the technical aspects of it. And the place suddenly became pandemonium. Everyone was yelling and screaming, and Mitch Bloom, who was walking around with a cane,