The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-04-12
TWO INDICTED IN ASCH FIRE
SHIRTWATST PROPRTETORS ARE
HELD ron WANSLAlGHTER.
Two indictments Against Each-Coro.
ncr's Jury Looks over burned I3uiid.
inE-ltaiian Consul Has Andavits
Of Girls That Doors We're Locked,

place was burned out on March rs with
the loss of i42 lives. were indicted yester-
day. There are two indictments against
each Of the men charging them with frat
and second degree manslaughter.
Their attorney entered a plea Of not
guilty with the usual provso that he light
change it when the case was called again.
The case will be called on April rs. Dis
trict Attorney Whitman hopes that ID
will come to trial before the end OF the
June term.
Both Blanck and Harris were released
in S25 900 bail each. which was furnished
by the United States Fidelity and Guar.
antee Company.
The Grand Jury will continue its-in.
quiry..and.mofe indictments may follow. =
The Coroner's jury which is holding
the inquest into the Washington place
fire did not take any testimony yestsr-
day. but met at the scene of the disaster
and carefully went over the burned build
ing. As the jury is made up Of mon all
professionally interested in building the
survey took on particular point. They
we're conducted through the building
by James p. Whiskeman. 1.-THE engineer
who has had charge Of the Asch Building
| since the fire, Assistant District Attor-
ney Rubin and Coroner Holtzhauser
went along too.
While the Jurors were looking over the
eighth ninth and tenth floors they were
met by the Italian Consul. Gacomo
Fara Forni. who told them he has been
conducting a separate inquiry and has
taken the affidavits of more than forty
Italian girls who escaped with their
lives.
All these girls who testify at all to the
position of the doors on the Washington
place side Of the building swear in signed
statements that they were locked and
that the girls on that floor had to Use the
Greene street exit to get out.
Mr.. Fara Forni later stated that many
OF the girls have told him that they have
been approached and asked to sign affi-
davits to the contrary. Some of them
had.
The District Attorneys office has part
| OF a door from the Washngto on place side
VI shO VI tlc IAstu
The bolt is shot to. Detective Barney
Flood got the fragment of tho door.
Twas we'll along in the afternoon when
the Grand Jury filed into Part II. of
General Sessions and their foreman.
Maynard Hoilister. handed up the indc'-
ments against Blanck and Harris to
Judge O'Sullvan. Judge OSulivan
thanked the jury for their work and di-
rected them 10 continue the inquiry
Within very few minutes after the
indictments had been handed up word
was sent to the detectives from the District
Attorneys Office, who have been keeping
tabs on Banck and Harris ever since the
testimony before the Grand Jury began
TO point toward them, and in less than an
hour they were in court
Blanck was self-possessed and faced
the court without tremor while the
charge was read His partner. a smaller
man, was pale and clung TO the rail for
support. Max ID. Steuer. their counsel,
asked that bail be fixed at $1,000.
District Attorney Whitman opposed him
and bail was fixed at s25, 900 each.
1t is charged that Blanck and Harris
violate ed section 50 of Article of the labor
law, which reads as follows: "All doors
leading in or TO any such factory shall be so
constructed as to open outwardly, where
practicable, and shall not be locked,
bolted or fastened during working hours"
1t is alleged that the doors were locked and
that deaths resulted therefrom Viola
ton OF this section is misdemeanor.
Section 1850 of the penal law under
which they are indicted for first degree
| ot,,,a
mansaughter in the first degree when
committed without desire to effect death
by person engaged in committing or
attempting to commit misdeamenor"
Section 1852 under which they are in
dicted for second degree manslaughter
defines it as homicide committed without
desire to effect death "by a person COM
hitting OF attempting to commit tres
pass or other invasion of a private right
either Of the person killed or Of another
not amounting TO a crime
The District Attorney intends 10 prove
that the doors were locked and that at
lcas. two girls lost their lives on that
account. Detective Flood of his office
yesterday showed To the Grand Jury a
chatred fragment of Il door containing
a shot bolt which he found on the ninth
floor OF the building
The bodies of two girls were found near
the door on the ninth floor. One was that
of Rose Grasso and the other that of Ma
garet Schwartz Witnesses havo said
that Rose Grasso had her hand on he door
and tried il, only to find that it was locked
Besides looking over the cha"red bit
of dooc yesterday the Grand Jury exam
incd twelve witnesses. most of them sur
vivors Of the fire.. They may investigate
the Building Department as well as look
into the general condition of lott buildings
in every part Of the city.
Both Blauck end Harris were in thoir
Office on tho tenth floor of tho Asch Build
ing when the fire b,'olsc out, Max Blancks
two daughters, Hcnrictta. IL Yeas old,
end Mildred yea = old. and their gov
erncss were also in the Office Thoy all
escaped by way of the roof and Mr. Banck
said thct they took good many Of the
employees up with them.
The Coroner's jury met at hotel berors
going TO the Asch building yesterday
and went in a body, Before going ~
they saw work.>en repairing the s!,'~-
walks, broken by the fall of bodies. The