New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-06-15
S|RROCO GANG SHOOTS ia
WRONG MAN; ESCAPES
CheCkbook in Bullets Path ?
Probably Saved Realty Brok. :
er'S Life, Surgeons Say.
PATROL MEN LEAD MAN HUNT
Shooter, Hatless, After Chase
Over Back Fences, Steals
Saloonkeeper's Hat and
Mingles with Pursuers. AZ

In daring attempt to get one Of
the big Jack" ZeIig gang yesterday
i'ternoon, members Of the Jack" Sir
roco band fired three shots at Herman
Wischer a real estate broker, az he was
passing the northeast corner Of Clinton
and Delaney streets. One of the bull.
let's entered Wischer's right breast, in
ficting a serious wound. The shooting
occurred within a block Of the Clinton
street police station. .ss
! The police believe Wischer was shot bv
mistake, and that the man who fired al
passing the corner at the same time.
After emptying his revolver the gang.
man threw the weapon under a boot.
| blacks stand and ran down Delancey
street. Although followed by fully q
thousand people including reserves from
the police station, the gunman escaped.
Wischer was taken to the Gouverneur
Hospital In a serious condition. Before
becoming unconscious he told the police
he believed the shooter was aiming az
sent out a general alarm, but up to
late hour last night no arrests had been
made
| For half an hour before the shooting
three men had been lettering in front OF
saloon at Delaney and Clinton streets
They made no attempt to conceal them
selves, nor did the crowd passing the
corner give them second thought.
Wischer, who lives at No. 400 Miller
avenue, Brooklyn, had been TO Manhat-
| tan on business engagement. and AS
on his way home when shot. He walked
around the corner at a brisk pace, in
| tending 10 take a car over the Will
| iamsburg Bridge, which has it's approach
ut Clinton and Delaney streets. Just
as he got opposite the bootblack stand
one Of the young men stepped calmly
| forward and fired three shots. the first
Of which struck Wischer, going through
checkbook in his breast pocket. The
| second bullet smashed plate glass
! window in the saloon and the third fat
! tened itself against the brick wall
After seeing Wischer drop 10 the street
the man with the revolver threw II from
him and dashed across the street run
ming east through Delaney street toward
Attorney street. His hat fell off with
the impetus of his flight, but one Of his
! confederates picked it up and dashed or
! in an opposite direction.
The shooting had been heard i'm the
! rli,ta,, ,plira ~ nd the
serves came down the street on the run
their numbers being added TO by hun
| dreds Of people in the streets. AFTER
reaching Attorney street the man who
had done the shooting turned north ana
| ran into the hallway OF the tenement
7 house at No. 81.
! Followed by the police, he ran to the
rear fat, occupied by Max Spritzer,
cleaner, and out into the rear yard.
Here he vaulted a couple Of fences and
! jumped into the rear yard of No. 81, oc-
cupied as a saloon by Emanuel
Zwicker. He picked up zwickers derby
J hat, which was lying on a table, put II
! on his head and walked carelessly into
the street, mingling with the people who
were shouting for revenge on Wischer's
assailant. His daring saved him, the
crowd being on the lookout for man
without a hat.
The police later recovered the revolver
under the bootblack stand. 1t was .3S-
calibre weapon, but bore no unusual
marks by which }, might be traced To
the owner
At the Gouverneur Hospital. after the
surgeons had extracted the bullet from
Wischer's body. it was said the check
book had probably saved the mans life,
IS the bullets progress had been i'm
peded and IL had not entered vital
spot.