The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-28
SHOOTING SCARES 400 GIRLS
WORKMAN WOUNDS HIS COUSIN.
THEN KILLS HIMSELF.
Man Horn shot was the superintendent
Elias Reiss--Suicide Left Letter
Accusing His Cousin OF Treauhs
Him Unfsirly-Reis Once Arrested.

Accusing His Cousin OF lTea'ms
Him Unfsirly-Reiss once Arrested.
Solomon Horn, shirt cutter OF s72 Marcy
avenue. Brooklyn. shot his cousin Elias
Reiss. superintendent OF Bernheim. Dry
foos l. Hermann $ shirt factory and laundry
at so2 Monroe street, yesterday. and then
killed himself Reiss, who lives at s2e
Greene avenue Brooklyn. was shot twice
in the back and may die He is in Gouver-
neur Hospital
Horn lay in wait for Reiss in dark hall
way in the factory, and 400 girls, who heard
the shots, were thrown into panic After
shooting Reiss Horn put the revolver to
his head, fired one shot and died almost
instantly.
Horn had an idea that he had been
wronged by Reiss. and that was his motive
for the shooting. He left two letters,
one for the Coroner and the other addressed
to his wife and boy. The letters he wrote
yesterday morning while working in the
factory Both were in German
In the letter 10 the Coroner. Horn, who
had been foreman In the cuff department
OF the factory, said that he had been de-
posed and a girl named Lizzie Epstein
put in his place because Reiss favored her.
Horns letter accuses Reiss OF dishonesty
and OF taking an improper advantage OF the
influence his place gave him over the girls
who worked under him.
The members OF the firm said that Horn
was shiftless and grouchy, and that he
always depended on Reiss to help him.
They had every confidence in Reiss, they
said, and put no faith in Horns statements.
Reiss owned the factory up TO seven years
ago, when Bernheim, Dryfoos q Hermann
bought 1t and made him superintendent.
In an Ante-mortem statement to coroner
Scholsr, Reiss declared that the statements
in Horns letter were false, and that he had
done ali he could to help his cousin. He
said that Horn was jealous OF him because
he had been more prosperous.
The shooting occurred about 2 O'Clock.
Riess had been ont TO luncheon and Horn
in the dark hallway on the first floor Of the
factory. Reiss started to walk through the
hallway, and Horn. who was crouched in
corner, fred one shot from revolver OF
large calibre into his back. As Reiss
turned and staggered down the stairs horn
fired another shot which struck him near
the spine. Then Horn pressed the revolver
against his forehead and almost blew on
the top OF his head.
Reiss got to the bottom OF the stairs and
collapsed. There were about 400 girls
ing, and when they heard the shots mum.
Der Of them came rushing down stairs and
fell over the two men.
william Mayo. driver. who was stand
ing In front Of the building, yelled to Po-
and with him carried Reiss to stable across
the street.
When the policeman got upstairs to Horn
he was dead. In his pocket he had
another revolver. an old one. his pay en-
velope for S13, some keys and the letters to
. ha Coropar and his wife and how
In the letter to the Coroner Horn says that
Reiss advanced two girls in the factory
ever his head and that he hadn't had fair
chance. Horn was foreman in the cum
months ago he was made cutter OF shirt
bosome. Part of the letter said:
The two women worked under me for three
Years. After two reprilnaHds and accusations
SoW w nc he trestne me- he nromsed
he would give me the place back. But then
he sent for me one sunday and after long
conversatinn he said he regretted very much
forew9man would not permit IT, felt as as
when he told inc that. j would never en-
had been the best Of friends and school
mate from early youth.
Horn refers in the letter to the revolver
he didn't use. He says that Reiss gave him
the revolver in 1895 or 1897. He got one
Of the men in the factory to clean the re-
volver about month ago. In connection
with the revolver Horn makes vague
reference to some confession and says:
1T should have been noted in the news
papers"
Reise was arrested in 1897 on charge Of
completely in the death Of Kate Herman, who
died from malpractice. At the Coroner's
inquest Mrs Maggie Bergard, sister Of
the Herman girl testified as follows,
Katie told me that on one Saturday night
Reiss lock ed the door Of the factory and put
n pistol tn her head and forced her to con-
sent to his proposals.
The Coroner held Reiss for the Grand
Jury, which dismissed the case against
him.
Horn, in his letter to his wife. told her
that he was going to kill Reiss and said she
knew Of the troubles he had had with him.