The Washington herald., 1910-10-03
TWO PERISH IN FIRE
Old Five-stOry Tenement
Burns in New York.
SPARK IN A MESS OF PAPERS
Aged Man Held for Homicide. when
Blazing End of Match Falls Among
Rubbish of His Book StOre-Fire-
men Find Bodies of Victims on the
Top Floor OF the Building.

! New York. oct. Am old f1ve-story
/ tenement at 50 Hester street was Quilted
this morning by a fire In which two
/ seventy-eight years old, who lived in the
house, was arrested for homicide IN set
ting fire to the place.
! Pruckatz, who has a bookstand out
/ side, lived on the third floor with his
wife, Anna. They had lived there for
/ seventeen years. The ground floor was
| occupied by Isaac Fox as a storeroom
FOR peddlers' supplies. on the top floor
lived Mrs Bertha Kessler and her two
Israel. thirteen years old.
This morning, as Mrs. Kessler went out
she called for Mrs. PruckatZ. The two
often went out together, as Mrs. Pruek-
gtz was old and felt safer If there was
some one with her. The old book seller
told them he would be down presently
and open his stand
Prepares for Holiday.
When they came back he said they
would see the "Marzers.' which he had
laid in for Rosh Hoshanah, that is the
Bibles for the Jewish New ear holt
days, which Will begin at sunset to-
morrow and last until sunset Wednesday
night.
After the women had left him. the old
man drew on his dingy cutaway coat.
tied about his neck the red bandanna
which served him for collar and neck
tie. and went downstairs He CROPPED
his way TO the dark pocket under the
stairs where he kept his stock OF books
and struck a match 10 pick out those he
wanted. The match broke as he struck
it, and, blazing, fell among the odds and
ends Of rubbish that Uttered the floor.
The old man elevated his spectacles to
his forehead and peered about for the
spark. BY the time he had found 1t. II
was spark no longer, but a blazing
mass Of papers, at which he stared a
moment before realizing that his home
was afire
He ran into the street, crying Fire."
in his quiyering voice. one man ran
for the fire alarm box at the corner of
Orchard street. The ancient stairs were
all ablaze however, In that short time.
and Max Levy had 10 come out He
ran into the house next door, and. going
on the fire escape, lowered the ground
ladder. Then he came down and propped
the ladder up against the fire escape of
No So
Falls on Picket Fence.
He started up. but when he was about
half way the ladder slipped a trihe, and
Levy fell on a picket fence in 'front.' OF
the house. He was taken to Gouverneur
Hospital. both legs badly bruised and
a cut on his head His ladder was of
some use, though Samuel Brown.
plumber, who was at work on the second
floor, when the fire started. came clam
bering down it just as the firemen ar
rived
Policeman Cortes also made use of the
ladder. He went through the house as
far as the fifth floor. where he was driven
back He found no one.
1t was not until the fire was nearly
out that the bodies of David and Israel
Kessler were found. Lieut. Stevens and |
two firemen stumbled over them as they
drove the fire TO the wall on the top
floor. David's boiy was in the hall near /
the top Of the stairs, and Israers was
under rear window leading 10 the fire
escape.
When Mrs. Kessler and Mrs Pruckatz |
came home to see the "Marzers." one /
saw the bodies of her two sons being car |
ried out. and the other her husband /
placed under arrest
The damage was estimated at $4,000