The sun., 1909-06-23
FIREp2O0F KNDLING WOOD
EAST SIDE TRAGEDY ALONG
TIE RIPkIN TRAIL.
penlnants OF the saenserfest Platform
Given Away 10 an Eager Eyed Push
cart Man and Sold as Firewo oOd-But,
According to Law, II wouldn't Burn.

According " Law, ~
Ginger McGinness. the only Irish push
cart man on the East Side, for weeks
mast has gloomily indicated the brick fat
On the southeast corner OF Broome and
PITT streets and has said that some day
something would happen to the Ripkin
boys Sig and Nanny. who rent the top
foor. Ginger has said that the Ripkins,
especially Sig were biting of more than
they could chew and that the avaricious-
ness stuff was bound to get them in time.
From all that has happened to the Ripkins
in the past ten days it looks as if Mr..
McCinniss were right.
Ginger isn't particularly interested in
Nanny Ripkin. but he is sore on Sig.
Nanny. although four years younger
than Sig has outgrown the pushcart
industry and has hranohed out into q
variety of pursuits. thus leaving one less
business rival in Ginger's chosen pro-
fession. Sig Ripkin. however, is still
actively engaged in the vocation OF push
log a pushcart the's in the firewood line
now, and this may have some bearing
upon Ginger McGinness's anilnosity-al-
though Mr. McGinness denied this in an
sentative of this newspaper late last
night
Young Nanny Ripkin got in bad one
night last week in the course Of a big
dinner held at the New Star Casino up
in Harlem. Nanny. who is now a pro-
moter. had secured the fan privilege
Hundreds upon hundreds of diners sat
st the tables and the night was hot
Nanny saw to it before he sent his twenty
Two assistants among the diners to sell
his red. white and blue paper fans that
all the windows of the New Star were
closed and locked.
By his foresight in closing the windows
Of the hall Nanny sold much larger
quantity OF fans than he had expected to
sell. but one result Of his overanxiety for
gain was that he lost forever the hand OF
his sweetheart. Miss Sarah Mendelbaum.
who lives on the second floor OF the flat
IRON at Grand street and West Broadway.
Miss Mendelbasm got sickness as a
result of the heat at the banquet and has
been laid up ever since. She said ysster-
day afternoon that she does not care to
see Nanny again, and it is rumored among
East Side circles that the wedding that
was scheduled to take place in Clinton
Hall on June 2s has been postponed for
ever
But Manny's troubles are as nothing
compared to the things that happened
TO Mr.. Sig Ripkin yesterday. They We
been brewing ever .ince Monday noon
but they did not come to a crisis until
late yesterday afternoon when the East
Side began to compare notes. Ginger
Mc(iinness helped a great deal in giving
out the details Of Sig's bad break and
predicted that the business career of the
Ripkin young men is now at an end on the
East Side.
As everybody knows, there's been a
great saengerfest under way at Madison
Square Garden since last Saturday. In
order properly to place the immen Sc
throng OF choristep it was necessary
to buy thou sands of feet OF No. North
Carolina pine and hemlock and build
great platform for them. A builder
named John L. Hamilton OF West Twenty
seventh street had the job TO construct
the platform. When it was finished
there were whole groves OF odds and ends
Of pine and hemlock left over.
On Mo dav morning Sig Ripkin was
trundling his cart along Twenty xth
street eastward when his keen eye lighted
upon the piles Of remnant lumber heaped
or Fourth avenue all ready to be carted
away. Builder Hamilton was not on the
Job at tine time, but Sig Ripkin got hold
Of foreman and begged permission TO
remove the waste lumber. When Sig
found that the bright new wood was his
for the asking his soul was torn with
conflicting emotions-gratitude, happi-
-,v-A % ata
treasure (he's in the firewood line, as has
been saidl and a wilder desire to hurry
back to the East Side and get somebody
to help him to pile the wood on many
pushcarts and cut it up into firewood
len sths.
In time Sig tore himself away from the
lumber and ran painting down to the
Delaney street market under the bridge.
Hy Nathansohn, a cousin Of Sig's wife,
was the first recruit Sig captured and
few minutes later the two prevadled upon
Sol Hersberg and another man (whose
name has not yet been learned but who
is known TO have worn beard on Monday
morning) TO hurry back to the Garden
with them.
What the money consideration was
between Sig Ripkin and his two assistants
is not definitely known. Mr. McGinness
said merely that 1T wasn't much but he
gave no reason for his remark. and SO it
must be taken at it's worth. Efforts to
find Sig Ripkin and learn OF the financial
transa ction we're unavailing mp to very,
late hour this morning. Neighbors SAID
that after repeated knocks at Sig's door
Yesterday evening had brought no re-
sponse and the door was broken in Sig
was found to be not at home and that the
disordered rooms gave evidence that MIR.
Ripkin had left his apartments in great
haste. 1t was evident that the apart
ments had been unoccupied for some time
10 Judge from the emaciated appearance
OF the three gold fish and the large Ger
man carp that he keeps swimming about
in his bathtub. The neighbors first fed
the fish and then told Of the cause OF Sigs
troubles.
Builder Hamilton, IL should be said in
he first place, is wholly innocent Of
wrongdong. either directly or indirectly.
All he knows Of the case is that a push
cart man asked his foreman at the Garden
for the wood, which request was granted.
Later this wood was removed anxiously
BY Mr.. Ripkin and his two assistants:
Then, 90 It has been learned. the wood
was carted down under the " illiamsburg
bridge and sawed into firewood lengths
and bundled into five and ten cent pack
ages. Following which Sig, Sol Hersberg
aud the man who wore the beard on
Monday. started out with pushcarts piled
high with the firewood and proceeded to
sell it.
II was Just twelve minutee past last
ri ght when Mrs. Morris Salsburg OF o
Pitt street ran down the incline from her
~, AZ II. .Joo han Nh fha bridge