She never married. Childless, she died in 1932, her share of the fortune reverting to the family.
The only other child, the youngest, was Joseph. Joseph led an otherwise normal and uneventful life for a man of his extreme wealth.
His only quirk was in the tradition of some wealthy European families-marrying his first cousin, Lora Nuss. They had a daughter and son. Victoria and Arthur.
'There's not too much to be said about Victoria that you couldn't already guess,' said Zenger. He glanced to the floor, then back up at Thomas Daniels.
'Her mind never progressed past age nine. Arthur? Arthur was just the opposite. As shrewd and cunning a son of a bitch as you'd ever imagine. He attempted to rearrange the family fortune' '
'Rearrange?'
'Chemicals' said Zenger.
'From the time he was a boy he had a genius for chemistry. In the mid-thirties he began his own chemical firm. Was doing extensive business between here and Europe. Don't ask where in Europe.' Zenger grimaced.
'Where in Europe?'
'Spain. Italy. Germany. Portugal. Get the idea?'
'All of Fascist Europe' said Thomas. The sun outside was crossed by clouds. For a moment the room was darker.
'He was making money There's no question about that. His profits were enormous. That's when he was investigated by the Federal government. He had got himself into some titanic currency and securities transactions with those foreign governments. It was alleged, and I repeat alleged, that he was in some sort of deal to help prop up the Italian lira. Back then the lira was worth more than it is now. But it was still shaky.'
'What happened?' asked Thomas.
'Sandler was indicted for currency manipulation in 1939' Zenger explained.
'The government had a massive case against him, with a couple of fraud charges tossed in for good measure. And since the charges implied dealings with Fascist regimes, Sandler's usual family lawyers wanted nothing to do with the court battle.
'Victoria was so far gone by this time that she had no idea what her brother was involved in. Arthur turned his full attention to staying out of jail. Family business was ignored, even the management of the household. Servants left and were not replaced. Then more quit.
Arthur desperately looked for a lawyer who could defend him and win.
Not just get him a light sentence, but win.
'Well,' chuckled Zenger,
'Arthur found one. A man just about as old then as you are now. After a several-month delay, Arthur Sandler appeared in court with a brilliant young lawyer out to make a name for himself. The young lawyer staggered the courtroom with his booming, explosive oratory and his moumftil pleas to the jury in defense of 'solid citizen Sandler.'
'I don't think,' said Zenger to his visitor, 'that I need to tell you what the lawyer's name was' 'My father,' said Thomas.
Zenger nodded.
'He won an acquittal which defied logic. It wasn't for another year that anyone knew how he'd done it.'
The next year was 1940. The major European powers were now all in the war. Increasingly, it appeared that the United States would be drawn in also. But meanwhile, the Federal investigation of Sandler had yielded an interesting fact. He hated the Fascists, but he was willing to enrich himself by doing business with them. Secretly he loathed them. This set certain minds to work. No sooner had the first currency fraud case been dismissed than the Government started building another one against Sandler. But this time they had no intention of ever taking it to court.
It was November of 1940. Sandler was on his way into his office building at Nassau and Wall Streets in lower Manhattan. He took one step up onto the curb one morning after crossing the street, when four men in civilian clothes surrounded him. The sleeves of his jacket were grabbed by a man on each side.
A few bystanders stopped to witness the scene. Sandler, dressed in a suit and carrying a briefcase, was physically picked up by two F.B.I. agents and slammed against the side of a 1939 Packard. He was stunned for a moment. His briefcase had flown from his hand.
He struggled again.
The leader lifted Sandler by his lapels and smashed him against the side of the car so hard that his back shattered the window to the backseat. Another agent opened the car door and Sandler was thrown into the car on top of the broken glass, An agent got in on either side of him. The two others were up front. One had his briefcase. All trace of Sandler had been removed from the sidewalk At the start, Sandler looked on it all as just another painful nuisance. But he began to be genuinely apprehensive when, instead of being taken to the F.B.I. offices on Duane Street, he was hustled into the back entrance of the United States courthouse on Cardinal Hayes Place. An elevator was waiting for him. And moments later he was pushed into a straight-backed wooden chair in a sixth-floor office. A chain-smoking, red-faced man in shirt sleeves sat behind a massive steel desk. The man's name was Archibald McFedrics.
McFedrics didn't exactly speak. It was a low tortured growl.
'I thought I'd save you the trouble of calling your lawyer,' he muttered.
Sandler was speechless. Seated silently and uncomfortably across the room was his lawyer, William Ward Daniels.
Sandler looked nervously to his attorney. Daniels obviously knew enough to keep quiet. When Sandler looked back to the huge desk in front of him he was aware of four dossiers in front of McFedrics.
McFedrics looked back to Daniels.
'Tell him why he's here;' he ordered.
Daniels told him. Sandler had been brought to the office of a Special Assistant to the United States Attorney. While the U.S. Attorney was occupied with organized crime and rackets cases, McFedrics headed a separate and more covert branch of the Federal prosecutor's office.
McFedrics's concern was espionage. There were scores of Japanese and German agents operating in and between New York and Washington. To some degree the EB.I. had been able to identify and monitor them. But what whey had been unable to do was infiltrate them at the highest level. That's why Sandler was there.
McFedrics spoke of the Sandler family's place in America, the wealth they had accumulated and how, in the war that was now inevitable, certain Americans of 'questionable' heritage might have to be interned and their possessions placed under state control.
'America must protect herself,' mused McFedrics gently.
Arthur Sandler was now terrified. William Ward Daniels continued not' speaking unless specifically asked a question.
'Do you know what these are?' McFedrics finally growled. His fist landed on the four dossiers.
Sandler remained silent.
'Three new currency violation charges against you, Sandler,' announced McFedrics with obvious pleasure.
'Plus probably an additional charge of treason ' Sandler's face went white. But as he looked imploringly toward his attorney, he was enough in control of himself to remain silent.
'Trading with Germany has been illegal since 1938' McFedrics reminded the squirming Sandler.
'Just because you've been doing it through a Swiss corporation doesn't mean you can get away with it.'
'Absurd' whispered Sandler defensively.
'Think so?' snapped McFedrics.
'We also know how your friend here beat the last set of charges we had against you.'
Again Sandler looked to his attorney.
'It's true said Daniels.
'They're planning to charge me-and you -with jury tampering.'
'They can't prove any fucking thing,' retorted Sandler, suddenly indignant.
But William Ward Daniels only shrugged nervously.
'Theyre prepared to negotiate ' said the attorney.
