Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-05
Russian Peasant Woman
Comes to Claim Husband.
FINDS HIM AGAIN MARRIED
Charge Of Bigamy Il Lodged Against
Barny Deitsch.
PATHETIC STORY IN COURT
Says She Helped Him Desert the
Army and Paid His Passage
to America.

Two women claimed Barney Deitsch
this morning in the Police Court. One of
them has just come from Luga- which
Is in the province OF Volina, In Russia
The other one has been in this country
from long times" she said. When she
married Barney Deitsch in Passaic, n. j..
she did not know anything of Sarah
Kapparahs, and in fact she knew moth
ing at all about Sarah until the two
women faced each other. big eyed and
scared, before Judge Aukum this morn
Ing.
Barney Deitsch is known sometimes as
Benny Deitsch, and he does house paint
ing for q living. He Is not so fat as he
was when he had picture taken several
years ago in Russia. and which picture
eventually brought him to court. He re
members Sarah very well. and Sarah
brought from the old country a great
stack OF letters written In Hebrew, all
calling Sarah a loving GIRL" and many
Of them sending kisses to a little Russian
boy who is somewhere over In Luga now.
and who knows Sarah for his mother.
Russian Woman's Story.
Nearly the whole story this morning
was told by Sarah. She spoke Hebrew
only, and Detective Jacob Bermann inter-
preted for her. 1t took a long time. con-
sidertng II was q police court matter, and
when It was all Strengthened out It was
something like this:
Sarah said she had married Barney
In the old country, with great deal
Of fun and noise and feasting, after
the Russian custom. She remembered
all about the wedding. and even had
q marriage certificate with her. 1t was
rolled rather tightly and is nearly
ready to fall to pieces, but she exhibit
ed 1t proudly. 1t to her was the sole
bit of evidence necessary to substan-
tiate her story. but Attorney Kicks.
who represented Barney Deftsch. did
not think so much of 1t.
ASK her, please, Mr.. Bermann, II she
can't buy those things in Russia for
10 cents"
There was low conversation for a
moment, and then Sarah. flashing her
bright brown eyes angrily, spurted out
some warm Russian.
"She says no. not for thousand
cents or a million"
At which Barney smiled an inscrutablel
Russian smile.
And, to go on with Sarah's story. the
time came when Barney was drafted
into the Russian army to undertake the
regular military service prescribed there
hated to have him leave her. Especially
did she want him at that time. for. she
explained In much Russian, the stork
hovers in the province Of Volina just
as 1t does in other places
Helped Him Desert Army.
So one day she managed to plan with
him that he should desert the army and
go to America. where he would get rich.
pretty soon she would go over. too. and
live happily until the end Of the chapter.
What she did then, according to her
story, was a triumph of womanly devo-
ton, for she went to a great dressmaker
In Luga, q woman who makes the finest
gowns for the richest women OF that part
of the country, and for the sake or getting
she worked hard for eighteen months.
Not a penny of money did she receive,
but had her wages all sent to secret
friend. who was going to buy the ticket
in his name, and get Barney slowed away
safely. Meantime. the stork tapped his
wings and went away, leaving a rather
sQuawly baby. But Sarah kept working
and finally Barney escaped safely and
landed in New York.
Letters from Barney stopped coming so
regularly after two years. and finally they
stopped altogether. Sarah, who had heard
odd tales OF America. says she thought
q skyscraper had fallen on Barney or
that some characteristics American &C
cident had befallen him.
Located by His Picture.
And here enters the power Of the press.
There is a newspaper in New York
him for six MONTHS he said. and he i'm
ries a feature known as the gallery of
husbands,'' and when a wife in the old
country wants to locate a missing hus-
band she sends name and description.
and. IL possible, picture. The newspa-
per picture fell into the hands Of q long
bearded New York Russian Hebrew who
smokes brown cigarettes.
"If it's Sarahs husband I'm knowing
him for six months" he said, and he i'm
mediately wrote to Luga, telling Sarah
where Barney was. In that way Sarah
began keeping track Of Barney, and when
finally she had saved up the sum of $bJ
she came over via steerage in peasant
clothes and carrying her baggage I'm a
pudding bag.
In New York. and she even found there
a friend named Benjamin Brockmovitz
which Is a coincidence. inasmuch as Ben
tamin claimed this morning that Sarah
and Barney had been married in his
house in Luga.
Knew Them Both in Russia.
From long I know her, chudge." ne
said today: from when she is seek years
know her. and heem. Barney, I know
from when he is tree years, maybe tree
years unit four weeks"
The judge asked Benjamin il he re-
| membered the name of the rabbi who
performed the ceremony, and when the
| answer was being translated for the bene-
fit OF all concerned Sarah got violently
excited and started to shout Rabbi
Froehm. Rabbi Froehm''
| Then Sarah sat down and from the wit
! ness room came the woman who claims
to have married Barney in Passaic N. j..
and again June Is OF this year at 427
street northwest In this city when Rev.
DR.. Nj. Becker married them under
District of Columbia license. She was
scared looking. and eyed Sarah as If
she were very much afraid something
| would be done to her. She knew nothing
| of any other woman, and said she loved
Barney very lots
| That was the whole story except that
| Sarah came to Washington In her peas
ant clothes Saturday and got l. S. Gott-
Iieb. a lawyer. to help her. Mr.. Gott-
| Heb had a warrant issued. and by q little
| sleuthing Policeman Boyle OF the second
precinct found that Barney Deitsch, a
! painter. lived at 1922 7th street northwest.
Arrested in Early Morning.
Sarah, Policeman Boyle and Mr. Gott-
Heb went to Barney's house at o'clock
Saturday morning. Boyle knocked on