New-York tribune., 1902-02-09
JEROME ON KURTZ TRAIL.
HE INVESTIGATES POLICE END OF DIS
APPEARANCE OF CHIEF BIS
SERT WITNESS.

new police investigation by District Atto--
ney Jerome Yesterday followed the arraign-
ment of Minnie Kurtz before Magistrate Cornell
in the Centre-st. court The woman formerly
kept the house No. ~ Stuyvesant-st one of
the places alleged to have been protected by
the police when Captain Diamond was at the
Fifth-st station She was to have been one of
the witnesses against Diamond and his ward
man, Bissert. but when they were tried and
convicted she could not be found.
At the time of her disappearance the police
were ordered to search for her, and were in
formed that there bench warrant for her
arrest on the charge of bribery. She was not
found until Friday night. when she was arrested
by a detective attached to the District Attor-
ney's office. After she held by Magistrate
Cornell on the bribery charge yesterday, Dis
trict Attorney Jerome made the startling an
nouncement that the woman had been in the
city for least two months. and had boasted
that she had spent night at the Fifth-st police
station without being under arrest
The bribery charge against the woman yester-
day was that she had tried to get witness In
the Diamond to leave the jurisdiction OF
the court. She was held in $500 bail for ex-
animation on February IL. Then new charges
were made against her in connection with
house she was said to have kept in the city since
the Bissert trial at a time when she was sup
posed by officials at the District Attorneys Of
flee 20 be in Europe.
After the proceedings in the Centre-st. court
ended the woman taken to the District At
torneys office, and Mr.. Jerome sent out for sew
eral witnesses in an investigation which he con-
Quoted. with the aid of Justice Mayer, of the
Court of Special Sessions Among the witnesses
were several policemen from the Fifth-st. sta
tion two of whom carried with them the station
bictters in which the record of police doings at
the station for the last three months kept
Detectives took two women witnesses from
the house in Stuyvesant-st., while other de-
tectives went to the house No. 212 West For
tieth-st. and found three other women who
we're taken to the District Attorneys office.
After there had been investigation lasting
about two hours the Kurtz woman taken
before Justice Mayer, in the Court of Special
Sessions and held in $500 additional bail on
the charge of keeping disorderly house. Mr.
Jerome said that he would require forty
eight hours notice before accepting bonds
man. The woman was sent TO the Tombs. where
she will have to stay until tomorrow. and per
haps longer while the investigation which was
started yesterday is continued.
The five women who were called as witnesses
I'm the investigation were not locked up. but il
was said last evening that they to- be kept
where they could not escape. Mr.. Jerome de
cned to talk about the investigation, saying
II not finished
Some of the papers IN the against the
Kurtz woman were mislaid early in the day.
and their temporary disappearance led to re-
port that papers in the District Attorneys safe
had been tampered with. The report was con
tradicted. and the missing papers were found.
Acting Captain Churchill. OF the Fifth-st. sta
tion was at the District Attorneys office late in
the afternoon with two OF his detectives.
AS he leaving the office in company with
Assistant District Attorney SandfOrd he said:
This charge IL absurd as IT is false. 1 have
implicit confidence in my subordinate officers
in the precinct, and IL the woman had been
there I would have known of it. Mr.. Sanford
will bear out when 1 say that nothing has
been brought out here to prove the charge.
Isn't that so. Mr.. Sandford?"
Il indorse all that Captain Churchill says"
said Mr. Sanford. Il think the captain leaves
the courtroom a very happy man." he added
While the investigation was in progress sew
eral of the county detectives were called into
the courtroom and sent out on some mysterious
errRnd. Later Il learned that they were
sent UP to a dsorderly house. presumably the
Stuyvesant-st house 70 get more women Wit
nesses
Just after : o'clock two detectives brought in
a woman. She was bareheaded and evidently
very much excited. She foreigner
derstood little English. and had no idea Of why
she wanted. As she was taken up in the
elevator she sobbed Historically and was
the verge of fainting. She was placed in the
office of Assistant District Attorney Gray. In
the adjoining room sat Lena Schmidt and
Rose Cireenbcrger. the chief witnesses against
WaTdman Bissert These women. for soEe
not explained had been kept in the Dis
trict Attorneys office all day.
The woman briefly questioned by Mr.
Sandford and afterward left the building with
the other two women under an escort OF county
detectives.
Later in the evening 1t was learned that the
hurry had been sent out with subpRnaes to get
Witnesses. and had been successful in serving
them on number of women. IL had been in
tended to take them to the Criminal Courts
Building at o'clock last night to have them
examined. but this was changed and they were
told to be on hand tomorrow.