New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-04-15
MARSHALS TO BE TRIED.
COMPLAINTS AGAINST SET-
ERAL FILED WITH MA YOR.
DISTRICT ATTORNEY PREPARING TO
HELP THE TRIBUNE CRUSADE
MOTHER AND BABY STARVING.

Official machinery is at last in motion, anu
after four years of immunity the city marshals
who have assisted in the oppression inflicted by
the instalment dealers the poor and the ig-
norant will receive little mercy at the hands
of the present administration. The Tribune Is
In position to announce positively shat early
in May the marshals against whom complaints
have been preferred will be tried by Mayor Low
This confirmed by John c. Clark. the
Mayors counsel who was seen by a Tribune
reporter yesterday. Beyond admitting that a
number Of complaints were awaiting Mr.. Low.
Mr. Clark would not discuss the subject further
1t may be safely asserted, however. that those
men who have put all the machinery of a pub
lie office at the service of the nstalment sharks,
who have assisted in every possible method OF
intimidation. will receive little sympathy from
an administration which is pledged to the cause
of the East Side.
District Attorney Jerome is ready to act. also.
Now that he is settled not many blocks from
Ludlow Street Jail. the practices that are daily
resorted to there will not long escape his atten-
ton. When seen by a Tribune reporter last
night, he offered to detail Mr. Kresser to in
vestieate the situation. He turned to him
The Tribune's account OF the scenes witnessed
in Ludlow Street Jail last Sunday.
JEROME INTENDED TO FIGHT 1T.
That is one of the things came down here
expressly to nght ana put an END TO- MT Je-
rome continued. Il know of course. about these
cases and have experienced the difficulty of get
ting evidence from the people that would stand
the test of court. The people ignorant
that when they get the stand they become
so confused that they go all to pieces. l shall
be glad, however to press any cases The Trib-
une may give me. | am we'll aware of the abuse
that Is in this sort of thing"
The Legal Aid Society has taken still
active steps additional evidence
against certain marshals against whom it al
ready has large bulk of evidence. Special in
vestgation has been started and valuable
suits are already in the hands of r. c. Ring
walt. the director of the Rivington-st. office.
Still another force. directed against the mar
shals and the instalment dealers is the District
Attorneys office in Kings. Tomorrow morning
the of Tadero Rosario will be placed In
District Attorney Clarke's hands and a speedy
action is assured. This case. which has been
explained in detail in The Tribune. is the best
example of phases of the practices en-
ployed by the instalment dealers and connived
at by the marshals.
Instances of outrages perpetrated by the In
stalment dealers. usually with the assistance of
some marshal. continue to multiply John Pal.
mieri, who defended the Lupia case. an account
of, which was published I'm The Tribune last
week, had another case to record when seen by
a reporter yesterday. Late in the week the
Rev. Foteo Tagiialatela went to the lawyers
office accompanied by poorly dressed woman.
who carried baby in her arms. Assisted by
the clergyman she told a story of the suffer
ing brought to her home by the instalment deal
ers. The story il appears I'm the a'idavits
made by the woman and her husband is as fol-
lows:
DEMANDED MORE THAN WAS DUE.
Angelo Sierra the husband a Genoese image
maker. of No. 2.039 First purchased
watch chain and muslin from firm of in
stalment dealers and agreed to pay S26 90 in
weekly instalments of % cents a week For
two weeks following the signing Of the contract
Serra paid his instament regularly. Then for
three weeks the collector failed to come around.
although Sierra had the money waiting for him.
AT the end of this time the agent called and
demanded 81. AS only 80 30 due and Sierra
had become disgusted with the way the thing
was conducted he declared that he would give
back the goods
Yes. you will" was the rejoinder DO You
think are in business to take back goods?"
But it's in the contract" said Sierra. point
ing the clause in the agreement which pro-
vides that the buyer must return the goods If
at any time he cannot meet the payment.
That's all right" said the collector. Il won't
take back the stuff and if 1 can't get the money
this way I'll try some other" With that he de-
parted.
About a week later Sierra got a summons to
appear in court on March 10. At this time he
appea red. but the case adjourned at the
request Of the plaintiff. Sierra returned home
understanding from the collector that there had
been some mistake and that there in
tention of suing him.
This was the last that Sierra heard of the
case until April ;, when he suddenly ar
rested by city marshal, and without warming
committed to Jail, where he still is.
WIFE AND BABY STARVING.
Meantime the wife and baby of the prisoner
were reduced to condition of starvation. Mr..
Palmieri told a Tribune reporter yesterday that
both the woman and the child were in wretch
ed condition when they came to his office. The
lawyer is trying to bring about the release of
the
r. c. Ringwalt the attorney of the Legal Aid
Society had another interesting case brought
to his attention yesterday. This case illustrates
another trick that the instament dealer can
call to his assistance. The case as recited In
the affidavits taken by the Legal Aid Society
is as follows:
A German named Koernig bought some prop
erty from instalment dealer named Reiss.
For this he paid in regular instalments, making
the fnel settlement on Sunday. On Saturday he
received notice from the bank in which his
savings were deposited that there a third
party order against his account here.
Koernig at once went around to investigate.
He found that the claim against him was made
by man named Buchalter, of whom he had
never heard before This man had some weeks
ago secured judgment in the City Court
what is legally known as verified complaint.
asserting that Koernig had been behind in his
payment Investigation revealed that Reiss had
made over his claim to Buchater. After max
that Reiss still continued to collect the weekly
instalment The defendant alleges that he re-
ceived no notice of the Judgment.
THOSE THAT PAY ARE HOUNDED
Still another set Of instalment cases was called
to the attention Of The Tribune by Michel RIM.