Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1912-11-16
ANOTHER PATRICK
CASE POSS|BLFAT
GREENWOOD Lake
Mystery, Surrounding Muir
der Of Mrs. Szabo May Be
Cleared at the Trial Open
ing Monday.

WA ~ ANAA ~ 00SOV &A4oy 0O
Cleared at the Trial Open
ing Monday.
New York, Nov. 1.-THE case of
Burton w. Gibson, the lawyer charged
with the murder Of Mrs. Rosa Men
schik Szabo. his client. on Greenwood
lake on July Is, OF this year, is sched-
uled to be called for trial next Monday
at Goshen. N. r. in the county court
Of Orange county. The trial promises
to be Of unusual interest and full Of
sensational incidents and unexpected
developments and It 10 the general be-
lief among lawyers that tho Gibson
case may become another Patrick case.
There is striking analogy between
many Of the salient features Of the two
cases. which seems fully to justify the
representation OF q parallel.
Everything is said to be in readiness
for the opening of the trial. The pros
ecution win be conducted by Assistant
District Attorney Wasserfogel of New
York city and his colleague. Mr.. MUIR
ply. while Gibson will be defended by
two able lawyers, Robert H. Elder of
Brooklyn, and Jacob J. Singer Of Jer-
sey City, N. J. The local end Of the
prosecution will be taken care Of by
District Attorney Rogers Of Orange
county.
Gibson is charged with having MUIR
dered Mrs. Szabo. his client. while row.
Ing with her on Greenwood lake. New
Jersey, on July 16. Mrs. Szabo was
the widow OF Bella Szabo, a Hungarian
Of good family, who came to this coun-
try 20 years ago. On July 16 Mrs.
Szabo went rowing with Gibson. They
were near the center Of the lake and
just within the New York state line,
when the boat apparently tipped over
Gibson asserted later that he and Mrs.
Szabo were exchanging seats and acct
dentally upset the boat. When motor
boats came to the scene Gibson was
found clinging to line. The woman
had disappeared. Three days later
Mrs. Szabo's body was found and the
case was first believed to be one of
accidental drowning.
Start Of Investigation.
1T was George Teichman, an employe
of the Hotel Knickerbocke and friend
of Mrs. Szabo, who started the inves-
tigation that resulted in the arrest of
Gibson. He said that soon after Mrs.
Szabo's death and before her friends
knew that she was dead, a man, whom
he identified as Gibson, called at his
house to inquire whether there was
any mail for Mrs. Szabo. The caller
said that Mrs. Szabo had gone west.
Teichman went to Ernest Kirch-
knopf. the acting Austro- Hungarian
consul general in New York city, and
the latter detailed DIR. Franz Fische-
rauer. the vice consul. to investigate.
Where Austrian subjects die in a for
eign country without relatives there
the representative Of the government
acts as administrator of the state. AS
soon as Mrs. Szabo's death was estab-
lished the consulate found that she had
left an estate Of more than $4,000 and
that Gibson had filed will making him
executor. 1t was also found that on
July 21 woman posing as the dead
Mrs. Menschik had appeared before
Donald Lyon. a Brooklyn notary, and
signed a waiver Of citation, which
placed Gibson in full control of the es-
tate. Mrs. Menschik was the mother
Of Mrs Szabo and had died two years
ago.
Steps were at once taken by the con-
sulate to stop Gibson from disposing of
the estate, but not before $7100 had
and for which he has not
yet accounted Suit was brought to
have him ousted as executor Of the will.
On Sept. IL the body of Mrs. Szabo
was exhumed. An autopsy resulted In
a finding that Mrs. Szabo was not
drowned, but strapgled to DEATH Glib
son was arrested in his office in New
York and taken to Middletown. N. Y,
and afterward placed in the county
Jail at Goshen.
His Past Record.
An investigation of the pes- record
Of Gibson by the Austrian consulate
has brought to light the interesting
fact that there have occurred four
mysterious deaths by violence or acct
dent in connection Of cases in which
Gibson figured as attorney. Mrs. Alice
D. Kinnan, daughter of an aged woman
whose property Gibson handled, was
murdered at her home in the Bronx in I
1906. Gibson was held by the coroner. |
but the case was afterward dropped. |
Michael Shippo, witness against |
Gibson in the Kinnan case, was found |
drowned in Pelham creek two years |
alter. George I. Malcolm. Wall street i
broker and nephew of Mrs. Kinnan's |
mother, who had sued Gibson for GER
lain property Of the estate, was
drowned in Long Island sound under
circumstances. John Rice
0'Neill, British subject who had won
! $4,000 damage suit and whose affairs
Gibson managed, disappeared and no
race of him has ever been found.
Records have also been unearthed
which throw an extremely unfavorable
light upon Gibson's honesty in dealing
With some Of his clients.
Mr.. Jas. v. Churchill. 80 Wall ST..
Auburn, N. Y, has been bothered with
erious kidney and bladder trouble ever
ince he left the army. and says: II
al I