The evening world., 1894-01-20
DARK FOR GOTTLIEB.
Strong Evidence Given that He
Set Fire to His Apartments.
Held for Trial in Default of $4,000
Bail
Fire Marshal Mitchell Expects More
Arrests Soon.

Fire Marshal Mitchell said this morn
ing that, aided by his Assistant Marshal.
Freel, within n day or two he expected
to make some important arrests ir con-
nection with the many cases Of arson
which have been reported during the
past month. 1t is intimated that some
OF the fire insurance adjusters will be
among the number. He mas been look
ing for a woman against whom he has
a clear case for several days.
"She has skipped the town. Mr..
Mitchell said to an Evening World"
reporter, but as soon as she comes
back We will put her under arrest"
1t is also believed that some of the
gang of ire-fiends are anxious to turn
States evidence. The Marshal promises
more sensational developments In the
neal future.
The Marshal and Mr.. Freel were in the
Essex Market Police Court this morning
70 press the charge of arson against
Henry Gottlieb, who Is accused OF nring
his apartments in the tenement 1856 Ave-
nue. q, on Tuesday last. by means of
some explosive matter. wrecking the
building and endangering human life.
The motive for the crime is said to
have been the insurance money of s.. 900,
his goods being worth less than 5000.
Mr.. Mitchell made out what both he
and Justice Hogan, who presided. con,
eAeSAtt N va tNhblg 'uS'. tlINl
the prisoner was heid In Sz,yO bail for
trial In General Sessions. An attempt
was made to have the bail reduced to
1880 or even 5000, but 1t was denied.
The examination in the case, which
lasted nearly three hours. was opened
by the Fire Marshal himself. who went
The Evening World stories. He pro-
duced a diagram OF Gottlieb's apart
ments and showed how the force of the
explosion blew. In the partition walls,
And waa In fact On RfFnnU that tho
front and back brick walls were bulged
out
He could not tell how the explosion
happened. or what explosive was used.
There was kerosene scattered all over
the place, but kerosene had not caused
the wreck. on the contrary, 1t had evil
denlty been used to spread the fire as
soon as the explosion started it.
He also told of similar fires which had
broken out in the same neighborhood
recently from similar unexplainable
Mrs. Elizabeth Dunno, who occupied
apartments on the same floor with Gott-
Heb, told a graphic story of the explo-
sion, and of the narrow escape of herself
and child from the building. She was In
her rooms nursing a SICK baby when the
partition wall fell In upon her.
Capt. Connolly. of Engine Company 2S,
who had been one of the first to re-
spond to the fire alarm, told how he
mad to break in one OF the doors, as
all OF them were locked. He found kero-
- INV ilhh III NSl-
tation In stating that the 1ire started
In an explosion. but that kerosene did
not cause II.
The sensational witness was Joseph
Tracey, a bartender, who lives over the
saloon. ISL Avenue c. Gottlieb and his
wife insisted that he (Gottlieb) was not
near the place after 1.3O o'clock In the
afternoon; The explosion took place at
40 O'Clock.
Tracey swore this morning that he
saw Gottlieb in, the saloon two doors
After leaving the saloon Gottlieb must
have gone back into the building. The
theory Is that he then set a fuse burning.
and afterwards went to his saloon at
Broome and Pitt streets. This was made
clear by the evidence OF Miss Maggie
Dent, who lived in the same house. She
swore that at $40 o'clock she saw both
Gottlieb and his wife in their apart
ments
Fireman Martin Breen, OF Engine Com.
Of Capt. Connolly.
Assistant Fire Marshal Freel, who
made the first official investigation, told
had given out after the explosion. Gott-
lieb told him he had not been In the
building after 1.3O o'clock, and knew
nothing of the explosion or fire. He
his wife and children on account OF
being burned out. They were then, he
told the Marshal, in his saloon at
Broome and Pitt streets.
The marshal went with him to that
place, hut Gottlieb suddenly remem-
bered his wife was not there. but that
instead he had sent her with the chil-
dren to a friends house on Rivington
street.
He did not know the name OF the
friend, and later, when Freel insisted
on seeing her, Gottlieb took him to 1888
Rivington street. Two of the children
were in bed. Mrs. Gottlieb was half
Indressed. and the marshal concluded
that the family had actually engaged
the rooms and were living there.
Lawyer Morris Gottleib, for the prts-
oner, tried to shake the testimony OF the
witness, but failed.
It also transpired that the policy for
LOCO was only taken out Dec. Q last.