New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-10-05
PRETTY GIRL IN JAIL AS
PROFESSIONAL F|REBUC
Only Eighteen, She Is Accused
of IA or More Attempted
Insurance SWindleS.
VAINLY FIGHTS TO ESCAPE
Tries to Jump Out of Third
Story Factory Window When
Arrested-Mark Twain's
Nephew Her Nemesis.
lBy Telegraph to The Tribune.

lBy Telegraph to The Tribune.1
Harrison, NJ j., Oct. 4.-Leona FL
marko, accused Of fourteen or more in
cendiary fires, attempted to jump from
the third story window OF Chem &
Co.'S toy factory to-day when De-
tective Buonocore told her he had come
to arrest her. Buonocore grabbed her
just In time, and although the hand
some dark-eyed italian girl screamed
and tried to twist herself loose the de-
tective locked her up in the Hacten-
sack jail
The police here say the girl, despite
the fact that she Is only eighteen years
old. is one OF the cleverest crooks they
have met. We'll linked evidence points
to regular scheme she worked time
and time again TO defraud insurance
companies. She. however, denies alb
solutely that she is guilty. She goes so
far as to say she never even heard Of
or the places she has lived in.
The specific case on which the girl
was arrested was fire In Lodi. n. j..
a week ago to-day. but she and others
who have not yet been apprehended
are charged with being responsible for
fires in North Arlington, Newark and
Grantwood n. j.: Newburg, N. Y.
and other communities. The police
say the plan in these cases was to rent
a house and insure a small amount or
furniture for sum beyond Its value.
Then came a fire.
Alleged Man Aecomplice.
Two weeks ago the italian girl rented
a house in Lodi under the name OF
Mrs. Joseph Zucalla, the police assert.
She and a man who was represented
as her husband bought SO 40 worth OF
furniture and induced an insurance
agent 10 issue a policy OF Sl.0o on
these goods, telling him they expected
TO buy much more.
After the FIRE the police made an In
yestigation, which led 10 the employ
ment OF VIII Clemens, a nephew OF
Mark Twain" formerly newspaper
man and now an arson expert. lie de-
cided that the fire was incendiary. and
after he had looked up Mrs. Zucaila's
record he traced her TO the toy factory.
and advised Wendell Wright, Prose-
cutor OF Bergen County, TO have her
arrested.
Mr.. Clemens alleged he had evidence
that led him TO believe the girl, under
the name Of Mrs. Jim" Rondeau. COL
lected $500 after a fire In North Ar
lington; under the name OF Mrs. Mich
olas Lombardo collected insurance In a
Newark fire, under the name OF Mrs.
Tony Laveto mulcted an agent In New
burg, N Y. and under the name OF
Mrs. Joseph Delmarco swindled another
agent in Grantwood. The investigator
is responsible for the statement that
she was the main factor in fourteen or
more incendiary fires.
Fire Adjustsr Alert.
The man who posed as Zucalla went
u,tb I,ombardo to the office Of William
Trippe. a Newark fire adjuster. on
Thursday. Lombardo had had previ-
ous dealings with Mr.. Trippe. and pro-
posed to Introduce Zucalla, who wanted
the loss settled. Mr.. Trippe "smelled a
rat" and put the men of. Then he
called up the authorities. and found 10
his SURPRISE. that an investigation was
already under way.
Ruonocore. who is one Of the prose-
cutor's staff, was thereupon dispatched
TO get the pretty Italian girl He
walked into the factory. to where she
was seated at a table.
"Come along; you're arrested! ne
said In Italian
The girl leaped from her seat, with
a piercing shrek. and dashed TO the
window. Buonocore had quite a struggle
with her, and all the way to the office
of Justice of the Peace White she
fought him fiercely.
She insisted she was not guilty. Her
maiden name was Delmarco. she said,
and when she was thirteen years old
she married a man named Laveto. but
left him because he beat her. Detec-
tiyes, however. found in her room let
ters addressed to her under the names
of Zucalla, Lombardo and Rondeau.
Mr.. Trippe, Frederick Weland, and Jo-
seph Reardon, all fire adjusters, also
recognized her as having collected
claims in other fires. Carl Gardenberg
said she was the woman who bought
furniture from him In the name OF
Zucalla.