The evening world. Newspaper, January 22, 1904, Page 1

| I ! « Circulation Books ireulation Books Open to All.” | to All. ireulation Books Open to All.” | , EDITION PRICE ONE CENT. “ Circulation Books Open to All.”’ |_ ea ———- NEW YORK, FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 1904. PRICE ONE CEN?. SS vt OAS GLOTHEG OHOWN IN COURT ROOM Even the Stern Judge Is Compelled to! Hide His Emotion When the Grief-Stricken| Little Mother \Tells on the Stand the Stery of Her Dead Daughter’s Disgrace. ALMOST FELL FROM HER CHAIR : AND CARRIED OUT FAINTING. Witness Denies that She Has the Least Idea! as to the Identity of the Person Who Murdered Mabel and Says Her Son Killed! Himself Because He Was Arrested. * (Special to The Evening World.) ALLENTOWN, Pa., Jan. 22.—The grief of an old woman caused a voluntary recess in the trial of the Bechtel case to-day. So pitiful was the bent little figure of Mrs. Bechtel, shrinking in the witness box from) badgering of the Assistant’ District-Attorney, that the machinery of the Jaw came to a halt without the suggestion of any one in authority. The stern Judge arose from his chair and walked back.and forth behind the bench with head bowed; the jurymen moved uneasily in their seats with misty eyes and tightly compressed lips. Many women in the courtsroom Mrs, Brobst, the daughter of Mrs. Bechtel, took a glass of water to her mother, whispered words of encouragement to her and patted the wrinkled face and the withered, toil-worn hands. Bravely the old woman sat up and fought for composure. When it seemed that she was able to go on Assistant District. -Attorney Lutz took his Dias and said ‘softly: “Let us go on with the story.” STORY OF DAUGHTER'S SHAME. . It was the story of a daughter's shame that Mrs. Bechtel had been tell- {ng, the story of the wreck of her family. She had been pinned down on statements made by hér In her direct examination yesterday and the mul- tiplicity of questions, had confused her. At last she had come to tell of the finding of the body of her beautiful daughter Mabel. Very circumstantially the Assistant District-Attorney went Into thin He brovght befcre the mental vision of the aged mother the blood-stained body of a gir. lying In the cold of the dawn in a dirty alley. He made her describe how she had stumbled against the body, what she had done, what others had done and how the body had been carried into the house, He made her say that she had not seen her daughter in death from the time she stumbled against the corpse until she saw it in a coffin. SINGERS JN BEECHER MEMORIAL. CHOIR WHOSE DISMISSAL HAS RAISED RUCTIONS IN THE CHURCH. ‘DISCORD JARS CHURCH ChOlh ‘Many Members Leave the Beecher - Memorial, Saying Brother Stewart Is Attempt- ing to Take Charge of Affairs. Many members of the Beecher Mem- orial Church, on Herkimer street, Brooklyn, ,have sought other church homes, ‘They say it i all on ‘account of the joining of a new tember in the person of Brother B, H, Stewart. Some of*the members say that the appear- ance of Brother Stewart in-the con- gregation was like the introduction of a drop of yeast Into a pan of dough. Brother Stewart's advent was sig- nalized by the defection of Choir Master James Graygon. Brother Stewart ob- tained the appointment for Edward EB. Haslam, and then the trouble began. Saturday night Mrs. Jacob Simonson, whe had been second soprano for six- teen years, received a note telling her in future to occupy a pew, The choir was to be reorganized and Mrs. Simon- son's services were no’ longer needed, Then Miss Katherjpe Recht, who with her sister Amelia hi been in the choir for years, wus notified that she could not sing any more, and it was delicately intimated that Miss Amelia's resigna- tion would also be in order, Mrs. Si- monson and Miss Recht say that they tried to find out why they were dis- ed, but were unable to do so. ne Misses Recht live at No. 107! Putnam avenue, Brooklyn, Miss Amelia Reeht suid to-day that her sister had been discharged by Hastum and that she hyd been told not to come back her- Atle peculiar thing about Mr. Husiam's new chor is that no one » MOTHER COLLAPSES ON THE STAND. It was here that mother love and bitter memgries overcame iron reso-| Intion, The old woman dropped as though she might fell trom the witness) chair} her daughters sprang @o her assistance. No word was spoken by the! Judge or the court officers, but out of deference +- this unfortunate mother the proceedings halted. } When court adjourned she was practifally carried trom the court in a/ 9 fainting condition. + When Mrs. Bechtel's trial was-resumed in the afternoon she was not in the court, The terrible ordeal during the morning had been too much even! for her iron nerves. When escorted out of the court-room fainting, her son | took her to the offices of her chief counsel, Capt. James L. Schaadt. There Mrs, Schaadt did much to console her. The boys And the daughter went home for lunch, but Mrs. Bechtel ate luncheon with Capt. and Mrs, Schaadt. | She drank strong coffee to strengthen her nerves and felt better. It was by Capt. Schaadt’s advice that she didn't return to court. She gladly accepted It but said later on she would walk across to the court-house and take her accustomed seat. Mrs. Bechtel said she felt more grateful than she could say for the'kindness of Judge Trexler during her cross examination, "God knows I told the truth,” she went on. “How those men can make believe that they think I didn't tell the truth is more than I can compre- hend, They gaid Judge Trexler Is a kind man and a good man, good to| poor people in distress, and 1 know he'is such a man, I shall hever forget how good he was. Such actions as his make me think that perhaps after all the whole wofld isn’t scoffing at us.” A dramatic incident occuyred when Capt. Schaadt had one of the Bech-| tel hoys bring iit @ huge box. From it he drew Mabel Bechtel’s good clothes, tan coat, brown skirts, shoes, &c. , < GRUESOME SPECTACLE IN COURT. i He took the clothes from the box and had Martha lay them out on a chair before the jury as they were found the morning of the tragedy. From the pockets Martha drew forth, just as she had the day the body | 0 was found, Mabe.’s engagement ring trom Eckstein, tied to a handkerchie?, her neck pin, her belt and her ribbon tie. Martha swore that when these were found ‘in Mabel’s coat pocket that | fateful morning thcy were neatly folded. This she said was entirely unusual, as Mabel, was in the habit of jamming things into her pockets. Q (By Mr, Schaadt). Martha, do you know how and where your sister Mabel was killed? A, Positively not. | Under cross-examination Mrs. Beehtel sald that after Mabel left that! ‘morning before the murder she went upstairs and found her good brown street clothes. These Mrs. Bechtel hung in Mabel’s room. Asked how Mabel had been dressed, she replied the girl must have | rales | ne 31 | unless his or her name is C Collins, a painter and dece tenor Of the reorganized quartel Collins, his wife, is c thelr daughter, Js the a aven't selected a regular bass maid one of the old-choir to-day, ‘ause they can't find any more Col- Unses’” ‘The new choir meet the fings of the old by saying: that .it)ts/mere yet It is said that the-clfurch has lost some sixty members, all because of the internal dissensions, and the once happy choir of fifteen has shrunk to. four. There are many members left who say that they, would prefer the, old-frshioned kind of singing to the new and dramatic, na Will be enrnently discussed. MUST PAY PAY S12 FOR HIS MISTAKE For his mistake in identity Edword Weston, President of the Weston Flec- trical Instrument Company, of Newark, \ will pay Dr. Ashbel P, Grinnell, of the University of Vermont, $12,300 damagos. A jury before Justice Truax in the Su- preme Court this afternoon returned a verdict for that amount in favor of tho plaintiff tn the famous, trial’ for, faire . Grinnell, who was arrested | AU the same timeas her husband ag a sult pending against Ar. Wes! Like her husband's, her sult is for #5, Th his complaint Dr. Grinnell a x that on March 22, 1902. he w: Grand Central Depot while about a train for his home in Burling- ton St Dr. and Mrs. Grinnell were ice Headquarters, held th iple of hours ind then ed Jefferson Starker, Po Court. . There t! re Mentifed and disohareed: by Macisterte Hoan, Mr, Woston admitted In the tyinl of t that he had mistaken Dy. Grin- nell swindler known to him is Raymore. | Raymore had buncoed Mr. Weston Gut pf $9, Subsequently Wonton saw ‘Dr. Grinnell at. the Wale dorf-Astoria and identified him as Ray- more. Fle caused the doctor to ue taken fore a io FLOODS: MENACE SPECIAL LITTLE GIRL EXTRA. IS SCALPDED TO DEATH Mitit Angina, ten years old, was soalded to death late this fternoon by the accidental upsetting of a pan of boiling water y her. mother at No. 58 East T se poe ——— “AGED MAN FALLS DEAD IN HALLWAY. . Michael Quinn, seventy-five years old, dropped dead'late:to- hird street. jay in the hallway of His home, No, 82 Henry streets pra cE SS ilah biases ors - RESULTS AT NEW ORLEANS. Firat Race—Preakness i. Ralph Young 2, Ida Penzance’3. Second Race-—-Hymettus 1. Four Leaf C.2,Mrs.Frank Foster, Fourth Race—Lev. Dorsey 1. Fifth Race—Little Scout 1, P ——— WORKMAN. KILLED IN Third Race—Custus 1, Sane 2, Erbe:3. Caterpillar 2. Dr. Stephens: s. ayne 2, Bessie McCarthy:3. ELEVATOR SHAFT. David Wilkins, forty years old, of No. 124 West: Twenty- fourth street, while at work on the sixth floor of No. 41 East Eleventh street, fell down the elevator shaft and was killed. UP-STATE CITIES Swollen Rivers at-Danger. Mark and Heavy Damage Threa- tened While Railroad Bridges May Be Swept Away. BUFFALO, Jan. 2%2,.—Nearly twenty- four hours of continuous rain, with from two, to five feet of snow on the ground, has sent every river in Western New York over its banks. The situation in South Buffalo, where carly thaws al- ways cause a flood, has not yet become serious, but if the rainfa’ jhould con- tinue throughout the ye vaya | breaking rise of the water is looked for. Despatenes from all points in Western New. York tell the same story of rising} waters and fears for unprecedented; floods. The territory at the headwater of ‘Shenango, Allegheny and Cremung Rivera is covered with snow to a depth of froin five to six feet and the sudden | thaw. In sending immense quantities of water into the river. A despatch from Sharon, Pa,, says tl Shenango is now four feet above Its ni mat level and rising rapidly, Two tr tles on the Pennsylvania Railroad have been carried away. Erie and Lake Shore Railroad bridges are threatened. GOVERNMENT GIVES WARNING OF FLOODS; WASHINGTON, Jan, he enema forecast insued by the Weather Bire wu} to-day regurding the flood situation’ say? curred stice Thurs-j n the gravity of the flood situation in the upper Obio. | Can ditions continue, extremely x inthe vieinity of Pittsburg. At cine nati heavy fee Js running. Korges above and below the city having broken dur- ing the night. ‘The weather conditions| shadowed by detectives ‘and finally caused his arrest. continue favorable to a ripld breaks Up of the tee tn the rivers and small streams of Central and Eastern sylvania, j the bank, on Oct BANK CASHIER $170,000 SHORT Produce Exchange Company of | Mg! Cleveland, 0., Forced to Close Its Doors, Because of Em- ployees’ Extensive Peculations CLEVELAND, 0., Jan? 2%.—The Pro- | ¢ duce Exchange Banking’ Company, iat Broadway and Central’javenue, closed its, doors 'f4-day.. THe, sudden and,. for a time, unexplained |actign came as a great. surprise to all’ the banking inter- ests in the city. The reason, was ex- posed when it: was discovered that George Rone, the!*cashler, was’ short $170,000 in his. accounts. 4 | [+ As soon as the business of the bank was stopped the insolvency ‘court ap- pointed a ,receiver.. ‘Tie Cleveland Trust’Company will conduct the affairs of the Produce Exchange until such time as a+ thorough Invtstigation Is made. The assets and liabilities of the bank are each placed at $1,599,000. ‘The Produce Exchange Banking Com- pany is an Ohio corporation. Its of- cers are: President, William H. Gabriel; Vice-President, D. H. Kimberly: Secre- tary and Treasurer, ©. O. Evarts. In the deed of assignment tt was stated that the transfer was made for the benefit of t editors and storh holders of the company: The Iiet financial statement mide db; 1, wave {ts tot na. sources st $1,769,689; total Habilitics, the sand a nennt. The New York correspondents of the Produce Exchange Banking Company ate the Market and Fulton Bank. It} was said by the authorities of this bank to-dny that they will suffer in no way ————— on account of the peculations of thy Cat. coabiassofethet Ohio: bankas. by ROP SSNSaegnas ahs un SHOT TO DEATH * OVER BORD BL |Vincenzo Roccho. a Contractor, Killed by a Man Who Refused | | to Pay a Debt Because He | Was Out of Work. |MANY ITALIANS THEN | ENGAGE IN A RIOT. | Murderer Is Almost Beaten to Death by Friends of Dead Man but Escapes and Hides In a Dense Wood. Vincenzi Roccho, an Italian contrac tor, living at Willlamabridge, was shot and instantly killed to-day at his home by Marco Trebl, twenty years old, who lives on Mulberfy street, Roccho was doing extensive work in | the widening of White Plains avenue, jin the Bronx, ‘‘rebl and four other Nalians, all of them laborers, went to Roccho's place last night to get work Besides being in the contracting busi- ness, Roccho managed a large boarding- houre for the laborers in his employ. Roccho demanded that the men pa their board in advance this morning and, It is sald, ‘rebl replied: ‘ “No. When [ get work ll pay you.” This, it Is asserted by the police, an- gered Roccho, and he put the tive men, Including ‘Trebi, out of the house Trebi went peacefully, it 1s asserted, but some of the others resented tho treatment and refysed to leave. Roc- cho was a large, powerful man and was roughly using somo of the men, when Trebl, to protect them, pulled a revolver and fired at Roccho. Three shots were fired. ‘The first shot struck Roccho in the breastbone and passed through the windpipe. He fell to the ground, dead. Roceho's friends rushed at Trebl and @ general fight ensued, ‘Treb! was un- mercifully beaten, Detective Bergt. lien, who lives in Vy ili 5 want out to ee ‘Trebi. fe luca Haines ip, the woods and arrested posttean tai im. | fbr sa SCOLDS A CAR CONDUCTOR Nickel-Taker Started Trolley When Magistrate and Others Were Ten Feet Away and Hurrying to Get Aboard. «Ina hurry to reach Morrisania Police Court to-day Magistrate Flammer ran to catch a crosstown car standing at One Hundred and Thirty-fifth street and Highth avenue, He had run about twen- ty feet and reached # point ten feet from the car, when the conductor gave the signal and the car moved off, awe ing the Magistrate and several other persons at the corner, among them: a woman with a baby ‘ms. When he arrived at court on the fol- lowing car Magistrate Flammer tel phéned to Superinténdent Carrigan, of the Union Railway Company, and re- lated his experience. A little later the conductor, who wore badge 1: entered the court-room and apologized to the | Magistrate, receiving a scolding for his 8. “What did you mean, conductor, by starting of so quickly, leaving that woman and baby and the others when you must have known they wanted your ar? “It was time to go and I went,” re- sponded the fare-taker, “If I had known you wanted the car I would have wal SWwnat ald you think I was running . “T didn't know." “You didn't know? You thought you had a real good Joke on me, pulling out 80 quickly.” awe. the conductor renewed his and asked him what he should Superintendent “Tell him,” said the Magistrate, “that your apology Is not accepted When the cond) had departed Magistrate Flammer instructed the Court Clerk to telephone Superintendent Carrienn and request him ngt to dis- | charge the man. ————— MANSLAYER GETS 12 YEARS. A ing Joseph Romano. Justice Giegerich in the Criminal Branch of the Supreme Court to-day sentenced Amades Botta to twelve years in Sing Sing Prist Botta was cc ed of manslaughter in the second degree. was indicted for murder in the first degre for kiiLng Joseph Romano with a pair of she. dneduly % last, during a ouarrel ina Spring street swestshop ——T WEATHER FORECAST. Forecast for the thirty-six hours ending at 8 P. M. Saturday for New York City and vicinity: Rain and warmer to-night; Satur- day rain, fog on coast, brisk east to south winds. yeith ou, Rotta Sentenced for Kill- Veo LOOT; Blo Rt IO AGING IN BROOKLYN ee Lieut. George Gibson After Leading His Men Up a Long Ladder at the E. W. Bliss’s Company's Factory Is Knocked Dowa by . a Fierce Sheet of Flamee SLID FIFTY FEET AND WAS THEN IMPALED ON A PIECE OF STEEL. Upper Part of the Building Where Casings for. Whitehead Torpedoes Are Made Is Gutted ---Two Other Firemen Injured and Type- writer Girls Have Thrilling Escapes. 9 = ss Lieut. Ceo rge Cioscn, of Truck 68, was instantly killed ab <e tho sixth story build’sg of the E. W. Bliss Company, machinz and: dye works, at the the foot vs Adams street, Brooklyn, this ai Fi alarms were turned in on the fire, which threatens adjoining Propertys It is feared other lives were also lost. ‘ On the ssecond alarm, which was turned in at 4.30 o'clock, Truck 68 responded.” It was obvious that the worst of the fire was’ on the sixth floor, and a long ladder was run up from the truck to the edge f one of the sixth story windows. Gibson led his company Up this Ta him- self carrying the end of a long line of hose. Ten men, followed ‘Gibson, up the ladder. i KNOCKED DOWN BY SHEET OF FLAME, They were close behind him on the dangerous journey. When Gibsom reached the top floor the window was closed. With his bare fist he shat+ tered a large pane of glass. A column of flame, forced out by a baeit draught, shot squarely in his face, and dropping the end of the hose ling — he lost hié grip and started to slide down the Inder. The man {mmellsteliag behind him tried to catch him, but failed. Gibson slid along th outer edge of the ladder about fifty feet, where a large, sharp prong, part of the mechanism by which the joints m the indrlat y are coupled, was protruding. He struck this prong on his side and if passed clear through his body, holding him impaled in midair. THE BODY RELEASED. The sight sickened the large crowd Which was watching the heroit work of Gibson and his men. Every man on the ladder who was passed by Gfbson in his.descent made an effort fo stop the falling man, but no ore was able to save him, As soon as the men on the ladder saw what had happened to him three’ of them went to work and im a very few. seconds managed to release his body. ; He was then gently carried to the sidewalk and laid out in a while physicians were summoned, The first doctor that arrivedd nounced the man dead. Other doctors who examined the bedy said’ 2 Gibson died instantly. TWO MEN BADLY BURNED. Just before 5 o'clock a number of firemen attached to Engine» No, > were cut off by the flames on the Pearl street side of the building. — Ay two, Capt. Conroy and Fireman Redigan, ‘Theeo hey were so badly burned that they had w& managed to escape but two were finally rescued, but ; be removed to a hospital Twenty girls were rescued from ‘the third floor of the building. After the fire had been buning some time Henry Karbin, the elevator man made three trips through the flames in his car, In addition to a Jarge machine shop, the E, W. Bliss Company has dye works and a plant especially equipped for the manufacture of casings for the Whitehead torpedoes. No explanatioz of the cause of the fire hes been found, A large force of men were at wora, but all managed to out in time. BLAZE SEEN THROUGH FOG, From the manhattan side of the river the fire was discernable throw the thick fog. The outlines of the building were shown only as oe tongues of flame leaped fr the windows end fro: he roofs, Ferryboats and other craft turned loose tt with hose lines approached the fcot of Adam Other ugs patrolled the water front in the vicinity of the fire to,ext! the flying ks as they were blown away from the burning bulldingiow 37 KILLED IN TORNADO THAT DESTROYS TOWN At least thirty-seven persons were killet town of Moundville, fifteen mailer TUSCALOOSA, Ala., Jan. in a tornado that demolished part of the south of here, to-day ‘The storm swept through the centre of the State, striking a number of settlements and cities and doing heavy damage. The path of destruction ixty miles west of here, and scattered reports ii~ extends to Birmingham, s dicate that there was loss of life in remote places. Moundville .s a town of about 300 inhabitants. The first report Fer, ceived here was that the entire town had been wiped out and that all His inhabitants had been killed. Every doctor in Tuscaloosa, including the physicians at the State Hospital for the Insane who could he spare went to Moundsville on a special train. Wires. are down and comm tion is difficult ‘A section hand who went from Moundville to Tuscaloosa on a car reports that the entire country around Moundyille is de ws |e dead hodies_are to.be seen on all hands, ¢