Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-09-13
ARRA|GN GIBSON
AS MURDERER
OF MRS. SzABO
AccusedLawyerPlans
to Fight His
Own Case.
DECLARES SLAIN WOMAN
WAS A MRS. RITTER
Postpone Examination on Ap-
Plication of District-At-
torney Rogers.

, MIDDLEToWN, N. Y. Sept. IA
The examination of Burton w. Glib
son on the charge of numbering Mrs
Rosa Menchik Szabo, at Greenwood
Lake, July 16, was postponed today
until September a. The postpone
ment was granted upon application
of District Attorney Rogers.
Gibson, who appeared without
counsel, won his point in an argu-
ment with the court as to whether
the examination could be postponed
without his making formal applica-
| ton.
Wants Complete Case Disclosed.
| When the matter was taken up
Gibson said he wished the complete
case disclosed. Mr.. Rogers, the dis
triet attorney he added has told
me 1t would be impossible to. assem-
Die his witnesses and get his case in
shape prior to September "a. l am
entirely willing to oblige Mr.. Rogers. "
i shall have to ask you TO apply
Tor the postponement," Judge Royce
! directed. Otherwise, | can only
/ postpone II for two days"
I believe the law says, the ac-
cused lawyer continued, that the
examination be postponed longer IL
the accused applies for or consents
to postponement. | do not wish
TO be placed in the position of hav-
ing To apply for a postponement of
nearly two weeks, but | consent to
IT."
Judge Royce looked up the law.
You're right he announced.
| District Attorney Rogers then for
mally applied for the postponement
and 1t was granted
Until the day set for examination
Gibson will be confined in the county
jail at Goshen.
Judge Royce, who issued the war;
ranat for Gibson's arrest, sat al the
arraignment. The accused lawyer
| appeared in his own behalf, and. af-
ter leaving the courtroom announced
that he would not engage counsel at
| present. He was taken back to the
city prison.
[ When Gibson came here in charge
of Deputy Sheriff Degraw last night
he went to a hotel and appeared
ready to establish himself there un-
| til he was taken to court. Judge
Royce, who was out of town, as soon
as he had been notified of Gibson's
arrival. telegraphed Degraw to lock
his prisoner up, saying Gibson was to
receive no more consideration than
any other prisoner.
| Gibson has been taking special
pains to ingratiate himself with the
| Orange county officials.
Gibson Tells His Defense.
At the city prison here today Glib
son issued lengthy statement Civ
| ing the possible line of defense he
will pursue In his fight to escape
| conviction.
The accused lawyer has let down
entirely the bars of reserve that have
served to repel questioners since 1t
was first brought out that Mrs
Szabo's death at Greenwood Lake
July &c. and the filing OF her will for
| probate a fortnight later, possessed
circumstances strange enough to
make an investigation necessary.
Mrs. sxabo Not Drowned.
Gibson Is now most amlable and
appears even anxious to discusss vari-
| Gus phases of the case with reporters
| His defense, so far as can be de-
| termined from the statement he has
made since his arrest yesterday, will
| be founded on this: That 1t was not
Mrs. Szabo, daughter OF Mrs. Petron-
ella Menschik, who died at Greenwood
Lake but a Mrs. Rosalie Ritter. who
bore the same family name as Mrs
| Szabo.
| This woman's mother, the lawyer
| declares is alive and will be pro-
duced by him when her presence Is
necessary. 1t will be recalled that
the mother of Mrs. Szabo has been
dead two years, according to advices
received from the chief of police of
Vienna, Austria, and that the cable
gram that announced this fact was
the first means of disclosing possible
fraud in connection with the filing of
Mrs Szabo's will and possible vio-
Ience in connection with her death.
Calls Dead Woman Mrs. Ritter.
Gibson, when talking of the case,
has not once referred to the dead
woman as Mrs. Szabo. He insists
that her name is Mrs. Ritter.
The lawyers statement was as fol-
lows:
"The woman | am charged with
killing was not the Mrs. Szabo, of
| Vienna, but Mrs. Ritter, Mrs. Rosa
Ritter, just as she was buried under
that name. Her mother, the sole heir
under her will, is alive and in New
York city Her name is Menschik
and she speaks English but poorly
But she understands English very
we'll
Il will not reveal her residence till
the proper time comes, but then
1t will be manifest that what l am
saying is the truth, that the Mrs
Menschik whose death the Austrian
consul is taking such pains to estab-
ish and the Mrs. Menschik with
whom | am concerned ace two very
different persons, and that their
daughters were.t two different women
1.-THE daughter of Mrs. Menschik
about whom the Vienna authorities
speak, may have been a Mrs Szabo
OF that l know nothing. But the
woman who died when she was out