New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-05-30
DRAGGED FROM SICK WIFE.
INSTALMBNT SHARKS THROW BARBER
INTO JAIL WITHOUT TRIAL.
PAYMENT ON WATCH CHAIN IGNORED AND
HEAVY CHARGES ADDED TO
ORIGINAL BILL

Another striking instance of intentional vio-
laton of the law in nstalment cases has just
come to light. The Tribune has printed accounts
of many of these breaches and has, together
with the Legal Aid Society. worked to bring Of
tenders to justice The crusade has been sue
cessful. Cases like the following, which was
disclosed yesterday much more rare than
hitherto.
Vincenzio Marine. intelligent Italian. forty
five years Old is now in the Ludlow Street Jail.
Some time ago. while caring for his wife. who
lay i'll and exhausted in dark little pair of
rooms at No. 1874 Water-st, Marine seized
night by Marshal Lee and hustled off to Jail.
He had received no summons to court. Though
Marine has been in this country for seventeen
years he speaks almost no English. He strug-
gled with the language in his efforts to learn
why he arrested, but told to be silent.
His wife joined in his demand for information
as to why he summarily dealt with. but
she received the same answer. The four young
children, ragged and i'll preserved. cried when
their father left them. They have not seen him
since that night.
Yesterday in the Ludlow Street Jail Marine
told of his troubles He proprietor of
barber shop at No. 81 Gouverneur-st. One day
q man came to him and asked Marine why he
did not buy from him beautiful watch chain.
The visitor said he had fine example of mod
ern jewelry. which he would sell to the Italian
for $50. although it easily worth 500. 1t
was really worth about S15.
Marion took the chain on these conditions:
He was to pay So down. and thereafter 20 cents
a week until the whole debt discharged
After the Italian had paid 81 account he
fell i'll. His sickness was induced by a badly
cut finger. which forced him to abandon work
in his barber shop and visit Gouverneur Hos
pital daily This happened about six months
ago. His business neglected it was, failed.
The mortgage his shop foreclosed and
the members of his family, one after the other,
lost their health. During this critical time,
which lasted for two months the instalment
agent, who represented Adolph Titelbaum.
through whose order Marine at last ar
rested. called and threatened the Italian with
immediate trouble if he did not pay his debt
Then followed the student arrest.
No service of summons to suit made.
Marine had no opportunity TO defend himself.
He had time in which to secure attor-
ney. He denied by this grossly unfair and
plainly illegal procedure the opportunity to APP
pear in court and state his case before magis-
trate.
To-day he is in jail, sentenced to three months
Imprisonment. He can only secure his freedom
if his wife, confined to her bed. can collect
$34 - the alleged to he due and owing
Titelbaum. MarinO paid 81 of the original debt of
SO, and yet this part payment has not been
credited to him. Instead he was charged with
the original debt of $50. plus 50 10 costs, plus
81 for alleged service of summons and other
expenses incident to the arrest Thus the Legal
Aid Society finds a wretchedly poor man re-
tanned in jail, his stay made certain by
the steady augmentation of the sum he could
not pay. The chain is now in n pawnshop,
where the Italian pledged il to obtain SO with
which to keep his family from the poOrhouse,
l.. w. Harbinger. attorney, prosecuted Marine.
The Legal Aid Society is working to secure to
the Italian his rights. The society has Wig
orously and consistently followed up the in
designations of similar cases. accounts of which
have from time to time appeared in The Trib-
une.
On May Z Isaac and Samuel Stromberg.
full instalment houses the lower East Side,
arraigned before Magistrate Alfred +.
Sears. in the First District Court of Kings
County. a charge of eXtortOn. GregOrio
Della Pia made the charges. The Strombergs
were held in $500 bail to appear on the following
Friday. According to Della Pia's affidavit, the
wrongs he suffered at the hands of the de-
PENDANTS. which were reCfted in The Tribune at
the time, were even more serious than those of
Marine. The Strombergs. through their attor-
ney have secured several poStponementS, but
the will soon be brought to trial. Assistant
District Attorney Elder has charge of it for the
people.
Marshals Angerman Krauss, Irwin and Lee
vine, against whom the Legal Aid Society pre-
ferred charges of alliance with the most de-
PRAYED and desperate inStdlment sharks In the
city will have a hearing next Monday. The
case of Marshal Lee, against whom three weeks
agO similar charges were preferred. and VINO
more recently arrested Marine. the Italian bar
ber will be heard next Monday.
1t is satisfactory to learn that a welcome
change has come over Ludlow Street Jail since
The Tribunes agitation against lnstalmeht
sharks was begun. Where, four weeks ago the
Jail corral for ignorant victims OF lnstai-
ment dealers, now the number brought there at
the instance of these law dodgers is very small.