The Washington times., 1909-04-30
Mothers Throw Babies to
- New York Policeman.
Y He Misses Two.
BLACK HAND SOCIETY
BLAMED FOR BLAZE
Conflagration Takes Place After
Grocer Refuses to Give
Up $1,000.

NEW YORK, April SO.-Nine lives
were lost, six persons are missing, al
though they may have escaped, but
this viii not be known positively until
a complete search OF the ruins is made.
and fourteen are in the hospitals as
the result of an incendiary fire which
gutted the six-story double-decke- ten
ement, at 81 Spring street, in the heart
OF the italian quarter early today
That the loss OF life was not trebled
was due entirely to the fact that the
Mulberry street station house was only
a half block away, and the police were
on hand in very short time, ano help
ed get the frightened inmates down the
fire-escapes.
Threw Babies To Policemen
\ Great credit is being given to police
3aan Brossner today. He is a former
FaIl player, and when he reached the
scene. he stood on the ground yelling
TO the frightened people to wait for the
engines. But they would not heed, and
soon one mother yelled to him to catch,
and threw her baby down to him. He
caught IL, and as he says himself, the
air was at once filleo with flying kids ="
Seven were dropped in almost as
many seconds. and the big policeman
managed to catch five of them, while
on the curbstone, when II slpped
through his hands, and another's skull
was fractured BY striking MS helmet
and bounding OF.
who only yesterday was given a medal
for gallantry, clanbered CD into the
smoke and names, and passed down
thirty-one persons to other policemen
and firemen below.
Rescues Are Thrilling.
The rescues were thrilling in the ex-
treme, and the officers were kept busy
until the arrival OF the big fire trucks.
which finally oisared the hre-escapes
Of their terribly scorched human freight.
The fire was discovelvc by Sergeant
O'Rfordan and Policeman Kirk. and
they rushed into the building, only TO
lind the lower hail and ali stairways a
sheet OF flame. At the bottom Of the
lower stairs they found a two-gallon
can that had contained kerosene.
II is the polics theory that the incen-
diaries took the oil TO the roof and
poured II down every stairway from the
roof TO the street entrance.
List of the Dead.
The dead are: stephana Bellevia,
aged two, one OF the children the po-
hieeman missed; Annie, seveni Frank,
two. Antoinette de Bonls, Eve; Mattieo
Cisppina, thirty~fve; Concettina Pic
Cinds IWonLy-IWOs LUCIA BelleFlsts seven. /.
Dominic Puzzebi. twenty-five; unidenti-
fed man about thirty years old.
Police investigation developed the fact
that Jacob Bruck and Adelph Weis, who
conducted a grocery on the street floor.
and had another establishment in Har-
lem, a fortnight ago. received a letter
which had on the top or It skull and
cross~bones, and read as follows:
"Our society demands $1,000"
Letter Was Ignored.
No attention was paid to this. and
last Monday they rsSeIved a similar
letter which read the same as the
other, except that II also said: eve
want the money or death. Bring It 10
Mott street"
This letter was mailed at substation
A, on Green street
The police have both letters today, and
are trying to trace the authors.
At the hospitals it Is said two OF the
injured, Salvatore Caierrt, aged forty,
and Carmelia Cl-ierri. one. win die, and
the others will recover. The fact that
the tenement was surrounded by two
story structures was responsible for the
loss OF life, as all Of the inmates fed 10
the roof when the fire alarm was sound
ed. only 10 find their escape cut on.
They were unable 20 set back 10 the
street by way Of the fire-escapes, the
stairs being a wall OF flame, but as
usual in this section the hre-escapes
were cluttered with household effects
and the aDertures blocked.