New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-04-12

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Isaac Harris and Max Blanck. pro-
prietors Of the Tria ngle Waist company,
we're indicted twice yesterday for man
slaughter in the first and second degrees
for the deaths of two Of the 14s victims
ofsthe fire In the Asch Building on March
25. The Triangle Waist Company occu-
pied the eighth. ninth and tenth floors
Of tho building. TO which the fire was
confined. other indictments are expect
ed Those found Yesterday were handed
TO Judge O'Sullivan i'm General Sessions.
The indictments We're filed ~ & 10
o'clock Word was sent I once IN De-
tectives Boyle. Leigh Russo and Thomas,
who have had the partners under sur
veiIance for several DAYS. They were
taken into custody ~ No. . University
Place. where they had hired loft ard
resumed the business interrupted by tho
fire
BIanck was cool and apparently un-
concerned when NJ ann iliS bdt 'AtF'
brought into General Sessions ~ Sn
o'clock Harris. however. was pale and
visibly nervous. They were accompanied
by Detectives Leigh and Thomas and
Max D. Steuer their lawyer. who held
conference with judge O'Su!livan ard
District Attorney Whitman regarding
bail for his clients.
Mr.. Whitman demanded not less than
s25 900 bail for each man. and Steuer
argued that $40. 900 ought To be sufficient.
Judge O'Sullivan fixed It at $4,000 for
each. But the two bonds each Of s25.ooo.
cover both OF the indictments against
the men. Both Blanck and Harris are
named in each indictment
The bonds were furnished by the
United States Fidelity and Guaranty
Company, and both men went home.
Both Plead Not Guilty.
A plea of not guilty was entered By
both Blanck and Harris 10 each indict-
ment. with the privilege Of withdrawing
the plea on or before April -. Mr..
Whitman said he hoped TO be able 10
bring both cases TO trial before the end
Of June.
Each of the indictments charges man
slaughter in the first and second degrees.
The first accuses both men Of being re-
sponsible for the death OF Rosie Grasso
and the second with being responsible
for the death Of Margaret Schwartz.
The bodies of those victims Of the nre
were found on the ninth floor. inside the
door. in the partition separating the
workroom from the stairway and ele-
yators opening on the Washington Place
side OF the building.
II is the contention OF the District At
torney that both girls tried 10 get out of
the building by this Washington Place
entrance. but We're prevented from so
doing by the fact that this partition door
was locked. Besides the mute evidences
of the lock itself. found in the ruins,
with the bolt shot indicating that IL was
locked. the grand jury heard the evil
dence OF some Of the survivors that they
saw Margaret Schwartz reach this door
and try unsuccessfully TO open il.
Harris and Banck are held TO be re-
sponsible for the locking OF the door. n
IT was locked. and that is the reason
they are indicted as responsible for the
deaths of the two girls. Witnesses be-
fore the grand jury testified that II was
the custom TO lock the door on the
Washington Place side nightly about an
hour before closing time in order that
none Of the employees should get out that
way Each employe was compelled ~
go out by the Greene street entrances.
passing in single fle before the scru-
tiny Of persons detailed there by the
proprietors to see that there was no pill
fering
II they kept the door locked during
working hours Harris and Blanck were
committing a misdemeanor under the
state labor law. Article 6. Section S0
OF which reads
"All doors leading in or tn any such
factory shall be so constructed as To
open outwardly where practicable. and
shall not he locked. bolted or fastened
during working hours"
Section i215 Of the Penal Law makes
any violation of the labor law or failure
10 comply with its provisions misde-
meanor. and Section t.050 OF the Penal
Law states that Homicide IS man.
slaughter in the first degree when COM
mitted without design TO effect death bv
a person engaged in committing or at
tempting 10 commit misdemeanor.'
Manslauehter in the second degree Is de-
fined as the killing OF human h0ing by
IAN act. procurement or culpable negl-