New-York tribune., 1911-12-15
SHOW JURY death LOCK-
Supposed Fastening of Triangle
Factory Door Exhibited.
DEFENCE HINTS AT A PLANT
Court Decides Prosecution Must
Furnish Better Evidence That
1t Figured in Fatal Fire.

A lock with shot bolt. which is said to
have held back many Of the 14S persons
who lost their lives in the Triangle Waist
Companys fire. was exhibited yesterday in
Fart V of General Sessions, where Isaac
Harris and Max Blanck. proprietors Of the
waist factory. are on trial The lock was
still fastened to the ire-blackened frag-
ment Of what had once been door, the
whole being inclosed in narrow box with
glass top
John Il. Moore. a consulting engineer en-
poyed by the District Attorneys office. had
Just testified that he had picked something
up from the ninth floor, near the Wash
mgton Place door, fifteen days after the fire,
after it had been pointed out by a work
man.
- ask YOU to look in this box" said As
sistant District Attorney Bostwick, and
ask YOU If this is what the workman
showed you"
1T is" said Moore
lis # I'm the same condition now as
them"
1T is"
Max Steuer, counsel for the accused men.
objected Then. 20 the surprise Of Assistant
District Attorneys Bostwick and Rubin,
Judge Grain announced that before he would
receive or reject the exhibit the state must
show the condition Of the loft in which 1t
uas found and who was i'm the place from
tho time the first fireman arrived until the
lock was found.
The Jury was excused and both sides
pf X.
Mr. Steuer ind Gated that tine defence would
contend that this was not the lock oi the
Washington Place door, but one that mad
been surreptitiously cut out OF a similar
door on the sixth floor, "A few days after the
FIRE The intmaton was plain that the de-
PENDANTS would assert that the lock was
"nIanted" where IL was found by the po-
lice.
Mr. Bostwick smiled and replied that the
Washington Place door was a left handed
one and unlike any other in that pulldlhs'
Judge Grain interrupted him TO ask II ne
could SHOW that the lock belonged 10 leit
handed door.
yes. conclusively," was the reply we
can 20 further. We can show that thl'
Iock was different from other locks In the
building. having Deen put I'm long al'e'
the building was built. We oan trace this
lock. or similar ones. from the manu-
tacturcr TO the jobber anf then 10 the
dealer who sold the lock, and finally 10
the locksmith who put 1t in the WASH
,nqton Place door on the ninth moor.
EARLIER I'm the day the burned frame
30 ,be Washington Place door was ad-
mitted I'm evidence and placed against the
wall directly opposite the jury box me
,urors razed at il as though fascinated
Az u WAS being carried IN FUNERAL
corteqe passed in the street below, me
hand nlayiug the Dead March in "Saul.
potb defendants turned their heads away
from, tbe charred door frame ana blanck
,overcd his eyes with his right hand.
Lieutenant George +. Dunn and Fire
No, rbomas hIcehan, OF Engine Company
q the first hremen TO reach the WASH
tno,on Place door on the ninth floor.
,ost,ded that they found the side and bot
tom stiles Of the door still standing az
though locked. These they kicked IN IN
ordor TO pour water on the flames
Christina Lang a negress Who looked
oc,,r the girls dressing room on the nlnth
ooor was a greater surprise 10 Mr. Bost-
uIck sine was asked by him II she had
o,or seen persons 20 In or out Of the
Washington Place door. She said she had.
..you mean the Greene street door, said
MIR Bostwick
repeated.
The Assistant District Attorney was
! Continued on second Ease.