The Jersey City news., 1898-10-29
CHARGES CONSPIRACY.
Defense Of Jacob Joffse a
Bayonne Storekeeper on
Trial for Arson.

Jacob Joffe of Bayonne was put on trial
in the General Sessions Court yesterday
on an Indictment for arson. He was de-
Tended by Lawyer Joseph M Noonan
and Assistant Prosecutor Van Wrinkle
represented the State Joffe kept cloth
ing store at No. 451 Avenue D, Bayonne,
adjoining the corner Of Twenty-first
street The store on the corner was oc-
cupied by David Sachs as q shoe store
and wooden partition divided the two
stores.
About A. NJ on September 6, the day
after Labor Day, fire was discovered in
a working room in the rear OF Joffe 5
store, and it burned 50 fast and furious
that the people living upstairs narrowly
escaped with their lives. Some of them
were taken down by ladders in scanty at
tire The circumstances threw suspicion
on Joffe and he was arrested. David
Sachs was the first witness called yester-
day He testified
= II closed my store the night before and
went home. l was called about FIVE
O. clock in The morning and told that my
store was on fire. When / saw my place
burning up / cried. Joffe came to me and
said, We're all right How are we all
right? l asked him, what dc you mean2
Why he said, Pm insured for $1,000, and
you are Insured for $1,000; isn't that ali
right?' / told nim l was not insured at
all, and he went away. I saw him again
the next morning about nine O'Clock.
ssIIe said, I understand you are going
to make me some troubles? Sure said.
7 have lost all my stock. He said he
was willing to settle with me and I told
him | didn't know what he meant. He
said he had settled with Joseph Levitch,
who lived upstairs for s100, / said. ou
can't settle with me nothingi | am going
to do my duty. He said he would give
me $500 I said, You can't buy me for
money, you little cockroaeh.
II propose to SHOW said Mr.. Noonan
Warmly, that this is q conspiracy to rail
road this man to State Prison. propose
to prove that the stock in Sachs store
was stolen from New York, and what
was not stolen was bought in Brodsky' 5
name"
"Do you know Moses Bernstein, of No.
80 West Twenty-third street, Bayenne?'
asked Mr. Noonan.
Eyes, know him"
s.Did you tell him that you wanted
him to do you the favor to sec Joffe and
ask him to raise a few hundred dollars
for you, and that if he didn't you would
say that he made the fire in his store?''
The witness denied that he made any
such request of Bernstein or of any OF
several other men named by Mr.. Noonan
These are all false people, he ex-
claimed. that come here against me.
ar,
Joseph Levitch. who lived up stairs
testified that he and his family went ur
to the roof of the extension to sleep, the
night was so warm. Joffe came up there
The roof has two skylights looking into
Joffe's back room. Levitch asked Joffe
for cigarette and Joffe gave him the
one he was smoking. Levitch's family
went to their rooms and he and Joffe
lay down on the roof.
Some time in the early morning the
witness smoke up and he saw Joffe COM
ing up stairs Joffe said he had beer
down to get a cigarette. Leyitch went
to sleep again and was awakened about
five o'clock by an intense heat He saw
through the skylight that Joffe's room
was afire.
The witness ran to save his family an6
shouted fire as hard as he could. The
witness told about the excitement and
the difficulty there was in getting the
people out.
On cross-examination he said that he
and Joffe left the roof together and thai
Joffe had not offered TO settle with him
for s1o0 or any other amount.
George MeiIendick, assistant engineer
of the Bayonne Fire Department, testi-
fled that there was very strong smell
OF kerosene oil about the burned prem
ises.
Mrs. Hannah Miller who lived on the
top floor with her children. saw Joffe and
Levitch sleeping on the roof of the ex-
tension. She heard Levitch shout MUIR
der. She and her family got out with
great difficulty.
The State rested and Mr.. Noonan moved
for an acquittal The motion was denied.
Moses; Bernstein, Max Goodman and
Leon Lazarus all testified that Sachs told
them that unless Joffe gave MIN few
hundred dollars he would have him ar
rested for setting fire to the store Sew
eraI witnesses testified that JofTes stock
was worth about $1,000.
Joseph and Sigfried Rosenthal. adjust
sers for Joffe, testified that Joffe's stock
was worth $500. Sigfrled said that the
ueighbors were helping themselves to the
stock The trial will be continued on
Monday.