Evening Star Newspaper, September 17, 1935, Page 7

SWINDLE S PINNED ON MISSING MAN Roy J. Frisch, Former Cash- ier, Is Accused in Reno Ring. By the Assoclated Press NEW YORK, September 17.—The missing Roy J. Frisch, former cashier of the Riverside Bank of Reno, Nev,, was described before a Federal jury today as a “bunco” man in league with an international swindle ring. Thus, in his summation, John ‘Taafe of San Francisco attempted to shift the onus to Frisch from the men he is defending on charges of mail fraud and conspiracy, James C. Mc; Kay and William J. Graham, Rend gamblers and promoters. Frisch, not the defendants, facili- tated the sale of prospective swindle victims’ securities at the Riverside Bank and received a “cut” thereby, Taafe declared. As operators of gambling houses, the jury was told, McKay and Graham bought checks for swindlers who came to Reno, cashed checks for them, drank with them—as well as| with reputable persons. | Such relationship, Taafe added, | does not prove that defendants are also swindlers. Koel.lecke (Continued From r‘lrstrf_ug{\ they are held, being booked on a| charge of vagrancy before the man- slaughter charge was placed against | them. Murphy summoned a photographer to make pictures of Davis' injured arm. The airman said Koenecke bit him. Photographs also were made | of Davis' torn and blood-stained coat. In Koenecke's luggage was found a | check for $680 from the Brooklyn base ball club. He also had an ini- tialed traveling bag in which were | found clothing bearing his name and & watch inscribed “Len Koenecke.” The coroner's inquest was set for 8 | o'clock Thursday night at Islington. Had to Make Decision. “T had to come to a decision,” Con- stable Wethered of the suburban New Toronto police quoted the pilot. “It was either a case of the three of us crashing or doing something to Koenecke.” Mulqueeney brought his ship down | in a forced landing. the plane were broken. the pilot's assistant blood and the pilot scarcely scratched. The airmen told Constable Weth- ered that Koenecke, sent home from | St. Louis by the Dodgers yesterday to make way for fresh talent, ap- | peared under great stress when they started their flight from Detroit to Buffalo. Constable Wethered said Mul- queeney told him Koenecke had been drinking, but was quiet for the first | few minutes after the take-off, sit-| ting at the front of the plane with | the pilot. Koenecke Starts Trouble. For no evident reason, Mulqueeney said, the base ball player then began to nudge him with his shoulder. | “I told him to cut it out, that I had no time to play.” the pilot said. “But when he kept up the horse play | 1 told him to get into the back seat with Davis, Koenecke began to poke him in the shoulder again, Mulqueeney said, and Davis, sitting near the outflelder, at- tempted to quiet him, only to precipi- | tate a struggle. The ball player and the pilot’s assistant, locked in a bitter grip after Koenecke bit Davis in the shoulder, went to their knees on the floor of the plane. The ship rocked dangerously, and | the pilot said he lost all sense of di-| rection as the fight raged for 10 or 15 minutes, Striving to keep the ship | on an even keel, the pilot was unable to go immediately to his helper's aid. Seizing his opportunity finally, Con- stable Wethered said Mulqueeney told him, the pilot battered down Koenecke. “With the passenger quiet, I took a look around, saw the open field with | possibilities of air landing and came | down,” the pilot said. Plane Off Course. It was not determined whether the plane strayed from its course in the darkness as it flew along the northern side of Lake Ontario. New Toronto, where Mulqueeney landed his ship, is in the suburban area east of Toronto proper and on Lake Ontario. The plane was equipped for night flying. Col. Douglas Joy, inspector of civil eviation for the Federal Government, examined the plane. In addition to the damaged wheels, the tip of one blade of the propeller was bent and the end of the wings buckled. Residents of the New Toronto dis- trict sald they heard the plane circling about for a quarter hour or more before it landed. Koenecke, who set a new major league fielding record last year with an average of .994, being credited with but two errors in 123 games, left St. Louis, where the Dodgers were playing, @t 3:45 pm, Eastern standard time, Yyesterday for Newark. Two Brooklyn pitchers, Les Munns and Bobby Barr, also left with him for Newark, but at the Detroit City Airport, Koenecke chartered the sec- ond plane to fiy to Buffalo. Native of Wisconsin. Koenecke, born January 18, 1905, at Adams, Wis., began his organized base ball career with Springfield, IIl., in 1927 and finished that season with Moline, where he batted .343. He went to Indianapolis in 1928 and batted .397. He played with Quincy in the Three-Eye League in 1929 and with Springfield, Quincy and Indianapolis teams in 1930. With Indianapolis in 1931 he batted .354 and was considered one of the most of the 1932 rookie crop. John McGraw of the New York Giants was 80 impressed by his per- formance in the minors that the Giants bought him in 1931 from In- , dianapolis for the equivalent of $75,000 in players. He was the last man McGraw scouted personally. Koenecke failed to click with the The wheels of | When police | arrived they found Koenecke dead, | covered with | | airline officials said Koenecke THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1935, ’ Figures in Midair Slaying 1934¢—was the high spot of his base ball career. He set his major league flelding record while batting .320. This season, however, he hit another slump and proved of little use to the Dodgers, TWICE REFUSED PASSAGE. | Put Off Plane at Detroit. DETROIT, September 17 (#).—Offi- |today that Len Koenecke, Brooklyn | outfielder killed in a midair fight, had chartered the private plane in which he was beaten fatally after they twice regularly scheduled airliner last night. Koenecke and two pitchers for the Brooklyn National League Club, Les Munns and Bobby Barr, arrived here about 5:30 p.m. yesterday en route | from St. Louis to New York. had | created a disturbance in the plane, and that they refunded the balance tinue the trip. He attempted to take a later plane, they said, and again was refused. About 9 o'clock he inquired at the | Airplane Officials Say Koenecke Was | cials of the American Airlines said | had refused him passage east on a| The | of his fare and refused to let him con- | William J. Mulqueeney (right), who, according to police, admitted killing Len Koenecke (lower), Brooklyn base ball player, in mid- air to save the lives of himself and Irwin Davis (left), a parachute jumper. Davis is holding up arm which shows white through cloth where, he claims, Koenecke bit his elbow in the death struggle aboard the plane. —Copyright, A. P. Wirephoto. airport office chartering & private plane, and was referred to William J. Mulqueeny. They took off about 9:30 o'clock. THRILLED AIR RACE FANS, player's widow and 4-year-old child live here, asked: “Was it certainly Len?” He indicated he wished more knowledge of what had occurred be- fore he would tell the widow of the mishap. His voice became inaudible as he pressed for details of the midair plane battle and was unable to answer ques- tions. STENGEL EXPRESSES REGRET. ST. LOUIS, September 17 (#).— Casey Stengel, manager of the Brook- lyn Dodgers Base Ball Club, expressed “deep regret” today when he learned of the death of Outfielder Len Koen- ecke in a midair fight with an air- plane crew. “I am very sorry about this,” Sten- gel said. “I was upset when I first heard the report and I couldn't be- lieve it. I can hardly believe it now. “Koenecke was a good player last year. He was not quite so good this year and was one of those sent home so we could try some of our new players. “I deeply regret his death and can't explain his actions, for when he left yesterday he seemed all right and in good spirits.” Stengel declined to talk when he first heard reports of the death. When he verified the reports he was stunned and left his hotel, John Gorman, sec- cretary with the Brooklyn club, said. Hopi Snake Dance. The exact date of the famous Hopi snake dance in Northeastern Arizona is not known till about 10 days in advance, when it is announced by the Indians. SPECIAL AUTO RULES IN EFFECT AT 6 P.M. Free Parking to Be Allowed Back of Navy and Munitions Buildings Tonight. Special traffic arrangements will prevail tonight around the Washing- ton Monument Grounds and the rear of the White House in conjunction with the Constitution day celebration, Capt. P. J. Carmll, head of the United States Park Police, announced today. They will become effective at 6 p.m. Free parking for the public will be provided in the rear of the Navy and Munitions Buildings, but ingress and egress from this area will be gained culy by the Nineteenth and Twenty- first streets gates. None will be al- lowed to go in by way of Seventeenth street, Inspector Willlam Wright of the buildings branch of the National Park Service, declared. WILL TEACH FIRST AID Red Cross to Sponsor Course to Cover 10 Weeks. ‘The District Chapter of the Ameri- can Red Cross will sponsor a standard course in first aid beginning Thurs- day at 8 p.m. at the Chapter House, 1730 E street. “The class will meet weekly for an hour and a half period | during the next 10 weeks. A nominal fee will be charged to| cover the text book cost and other necessary equipment. O. L. Bohar s | the instructor. W. & ]. Sloane Assistant to Pilot Was Known As “Batwing Jumper.” CLEVELAND, September 17 (#).— Irwin Davis, assistant to pilot W. J. Mulqueeny of the plane on which Cutfielder Len Koenecke of the Brook- 1yn Dodgers met his death, thrilled the audiences at the national air races here this year with his parachute jumps. Davis, known as the “batwing jumper,” and Clem Sohn, another well-known parachute jumper, were billed as the “human bats.” Davis used a suit of his own inven- tion, which permitted him to change his direction in the air and slow up his speed in the downward plunge. The suit consisted mainly of canvas sewed between the arms and legs. Mulqueeny had been flying for 15 or 16 years. He was involved in a spectacular crash near Toledo, Ohio, in August of 1931, when his ship fell | on the roof of a farm house. Recently he has been piloting the ship in which Koenecke was killed for | Edward Steep. the owner, who char- tered it for private flights. BROTHER GRIEF-STRICKEN. Seeks More Details Before Breaking News to Widow. ADAMS, Wis., September 17 (#).— Herb Koenecke, brother of the Brook- lyn outfielder killed in a plane near Toronto early today, was grief-stricken | when advised of the tragedy. Koenecke, at whose home the ball ‘Human Ground By the Associated Press. WATERTOWN, Wis,, September 17. —Leaves were falling, a crisp odor of approaching Autumn was in the air and Arthur E. Gehrke, Watertown's “human groundhog,” was preparing today to “turn in” for his twenty- fourth Winter of hibernation. Fifty-three years old and 212 pounds, Gehrke, a tavern operator, has an aversion to cold weather. Each Win- ter he remains in his house, spending most of the time in bed. When he ap- pears in the streets in Spring residents knowing of his odd practice assure themselves that Spring has arrived. “I'm in and out of bed most of the time during the Winter,” Gehrke said today. “I stay inside, working around, and then sometimes I keep in bed for a week or more at a time.” His wife Grace said her husband | started his hibernations after their marriage 23 years ago. That year,| she said, he remained in bed a week' or more. As years passed, the time extended, so that now he’s in the house from about Thanksgiving to Easter. He lets his beard grow, making him “some sight” when he crawls out in | the Spring, according to Mrs. Gehrke. His cronies keep him in touch with the doings about town. He's an ardent | | follower of bowling and for years con- | tributed weekly prizes to honor men | in Watertown leagues. Gehrke blames his dislike of the | cold on a “nervous stomach.” Mrs. Gehrke, however, disagrees after watching him consume turkey and hog’ Preparing To Hibernate for 24th Winter other choice victuals during hiberna- tion time. HMis friends say he just likes to rest, and Mrs. Gehrke agrees with them. “I don’t mind it at all,” she said. “When he stays in bed I'm boss of the tavern, and I kind of like to boss.” Gehrke said his long periods of rest allow him to store up energy so that he can keep going almost day and night through the Summer. His in- activity during the cold months, in- stead of increasing his weight, takes off about 10 or more pounds, he said. A call to jury duty rolled him out one Winter, but on another occasion he held to his plea of illness to escape an appearance in a legal action. GREATbus 3 oistricr 5600 w ANNAPOLIS HOTEL s Substantial savings on round trips to ST. LOUI NEW FAST THROUGH EXPRESSES — NO CHANGES Also New Fast Expres: Serviceto: | Phila'phia. 3.50 Boston. - 909 New York. 6.50 Buffalo 0 Richmond 1500 Cleveland. '5:25 Noriolk: Pittsburgh Chicago. Buying at Sloane’s Means Satisfaction With Saving We are fullfilling the full purpose of this slogan of ours—“always high- grade; but never high-priced”—in these Bed Room groups—and Living Room Pieces. Truly it is of the finest furniture made in America—and equally as true Open Arm Chair Queen Anne influence—the feature. When * A7 NEW YORK MAN, 70, DIES IN UNION STATION Found Slumped Over Suit Case While Waiting for Train. Relatives Notified. Elijah D. Bristol, 70, of New York died suddenly in Union Station today while waiting for a train. He was found slumped over his suite case on a waiting room bench by Dr. 8. 8. Cook, 5327 Reno road. Unable to arouse him, Dr. Cook had him taken to the first-aid room. Bristol was dead on arrival of a Casualty ll::splnl ambulance a few minutes er. Death was believed due to natural causes. The body was removed to the District Morgue and local police wired | the man’s relatives. EASTERN £/ stem Z-X 7 FALL 1S THE TIME TO TRAVEL Glorious foli- age, exhilara- ting air make this the best timetotravel. Porter & free pillowservice. partsof S ‘16 5.50 Detroit. . 00 Indianpls 4.20 L Angeles is it—that it costs no more than that of nondescript makes. May we remind you that only cabi- net woods enter into the construction of Sloane furniture. woods are used it is a cheapening substitute Alex. Smith’s Broadloom Giants, however, and they sent him .%o Jersey City for a season. There he settled down to steady playing and was brought back to the Giants. Released to Buffalo. Again he did not measure up to !." the McGraw standards and the Giant ‘" manager labeled him “a born minor leaguer.” In 1933 the Giants released him ++ 40 Buffalo of the International ngue !Zon option. Back in the minors he fulfilled the McGraw prophecy and showed up so0 well that he was bought by the Brooklyn Dodgers. His first season with the Dodgers— Meyers Takes All Honors With These Unusual Backto College Events We are proud of the fact that the young men of Washington turn instinctively to us when they prepare for the college season. We've made it our business to know what's best to wear—and we've priced everything to suit the college man’s budget. We're ready to outfit you completely, economically. Schloss Bros. 1 & 2 Pants k Suits, Only 25 New—in both fashion and value! Clever style in quality fabrics, New MUNRO Raglan Style Sport Suits $35 One and two pants suits that present a new idea in tweeds, grays and browns, “LINX” A new shirt idea combin- ing the practical features of the processed collar plus the “Linx” collar grip, in white, blue, stripes and plaids. $].65 COMPLETE MENS SHOP 1331 F STREET 2 Hours Free Parking at the Capital Garage. Sturdiweve Suits are Sensations! 828.50 They live up to their name—and do it smartly, New shades and patterns. Kerry Keith Custom Fashion Fall Suits $50 True elegance in fabrics, styling and fit. and look them over. Come in CHARGE IT: (1) 30-Day (2) Budget (3) Lay Away T h e 4-panel posts, solid mahog- any; horse-hair filled. Comes in brocades, damasks, broca- lettes. Up to $10 yard qual- ity. $19.50 Sloane Westbury Sofa Supremely comfortable and graceful model — with roll back, curved roll arms. En- tirely filled with horsehair and down-filled cushions. Uphol- stered in gold tapestry. $120 Sloane Westbury Chair A companion piece to the Westbury Sofa. The ideal chair for reading and loung- ing. Duplicate construction details—and smartly uphol- stered in rust tapestry. $64 Sloane Colan Chair —with that comfortable pitch to back and seat that has made the design wonderfully popu- lar. Down-filled cushion, real horsehair filling and effective green tapestry covering. 849 Sloane Hornby Sofa Inspired by the Queen Anne school of design; gracefully carved cabriole legs, curved arms and back, down cush- jons, real horse-hair filling, and covered in red damask. $135 Sloane Hornby Chair Low arms, cabriole legs, deep- seat, down-filled seat and back cushions and beautifully up- holstered in green damask. $79 House Bedroom Furniture Honduras mahogany early Colonial group—each piece of the eight being an interesting adaptation of a fine old original $225 Solid rock maple early American group of eight pieces, in- cluding twin beds. It simulates the antique, with worn edges and peg construction - 5189 Genuine mahogany American Hepplewhite group. The beds are the antique spool design; full front bureau; closets and chest; knee-hole dressing table are some of the exceptional features of the eight pieces $295 Real walnut 18th century English group, with beautifully figured walnut drawer fronts and head panels. Eight pieces Beautiful hanging mirror. $360 Colonial group, in mahogany, finished in the old red cclor. Twin poster beds, with reeded posts and shaped panels. Eight pieces $265 Early American group, in oak, and after the Jacobean period in design. Full-size bed, handsomely carved, as are also the hanging. mirrors; Seven pieces in the group Hastings Barrel Chair Queen Anne style—in size and proportions that make it practical for com- fortable use. Very deco- rative in its effect and rich in the gold velvet uphol- stery. $89 Charge Accounts —will be opened and settlements arranged for your convenience. 711 Twelfth Street With wrought iron drawer pieces. $195 Clifford Wing Chair ‘An American interpre- tation of Chippendale, with carved ball and claw feet; and filled, curved arms, back wings. Horsehair down cushions, blue tapestry upholstered. Courtesy Parking —for our customers while shopping here —in the Capital Ga- rage. W.&J. SLOANE t he DI. 7262 Green Carpets From no other looms in America does Broadloom Carpet come in such perfec- tion of weave and such “tru. tone” colors. The deep, rich pile and the fidelity to color and character have given the Alexander Smith Broad- loom the highest reputation. “Nearly right won’t do in carpet colors” —and Alex. Smith colors are exactly right. There are five great grades of these Broadloom Carpets, each a surpassing value in its price range. Normandie In 9 beautiful colors and two widths—9 and 12 feet. $3.45 Sq. Yd. Deepdale A national favorite—in 24 distinctive shades — and 9, 12, 15 and 18 foot widths., 53.95 Sa. Yd. Claridge One of the popularly pre- ferred weaves—in 25 rich shades, and 9, 12, 15 and 18 foot widths. $5.95 Sq. Yd. Caracul A special frieze quality, in 15 choice colors and 9, 12, 15 and 18 foot widths. ss.’s Sq. Yd. Buckingham The finest of them all— with 16 colors for choice— and in 9, 12, 15 and 18 foot widths. $4.95 All the above can be had in the popular 27-inch width. Sa. Yd. S hhuwt ter s