The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-03-25
.D|CKER FOR TWENTY
y PRIMARY GUERR|LlAS
'KMnig Offers a Specific Case in
:. Answer to General
Alarms.
ARRESTS IN 33D, MAYBE
"Rooscvclt'' Campaign Against Gruber
Turns Up Forty Unpaid
Checks.


welt city committee that the Taft Repub-
licans were preparing to vote "guerrillas'
in some districts where contests are ex-
pected in tomorrow primary County
Chairman Samuel s. Koenig said yesterday
that he could name specific case in
which $500 had been paid out OF the
Roosevelt committees funds to hire
twenty Italians to jump into the Thirty
third Assembly district in The Bronx and
vote in the names OF Italians who are
really enrolled In the district but who
have moved away.
Mr.. Koenig says he will lay the evidence
before the District Attorney to-day.
Meanwhile on TIE strength of what he
was told yesterday by his district leaders
he has engaged Burns detectives to help
the regular watchers in seeing that there
is no funny business at the polls in the
Seventh. Twenty-fourth. Twenty sixth.
Thirty-third and Thirty-fourth Assembly
districts. To the detectives have been
turned over the records from the county
committees card index giving personal
descriptions of every enrolled Republican
voter in those districts.
The story of the specific case Mr..
Koenig told thus:
"On Friday afternoon one of the sup
porters of the Roosevelt ticket in the
Thirty third district called on a man
whose name I know and who is neither
Republican nor a Democrat. Said the
caller:
"'Can you put me in touch with an
Italian who can furnish twenty OF his
countrymen to vote the Roosevelt ticket
on Tuesday? II you can call me up to-
night at -. A certain Bronx club
house Say over the telephone that you
are Billy Bronx and that you want to talk
to Fred Melrose'
BILLY Bronx" continued Mr.. Koenig.
"felt that he had been insulted. He went
TO man who is in touch with the regular
Republican organization in the Thirty
third and suggested that it would be a
fine thing to lead Mr.. Fred Melrose into
trap. He was told TO go ahead with the
negotiations for the Italian guerrilla boss
just as il he were acting in good faith.
$50 on Friday night Billy Bronx tele-
phoned to Fred Melrose' and friend OF
the Taft organization stood beside Billy
to hear what was said. Fred Melrose'
was informed that Billy Bronx had found
an Italian who could furnish twenty
Italians from the lower West Side OF Man
haitian for primary day. Fred Melrose'
agreed to meet the Italian chieftain at a
Third avenue saloon on Saturday night.
Billy Bronx then hung up the telephone
and that ended his part in the episode.
We'll. an Italian who had been engaged
to pose as a leader of guerrillas was in
the specified saloon ON Saturday night.
and 40 was Fred Melrose' and so were
two Taft men Of the district. The Italian
and Mr.. Melrose' seated themselves in "A
stall in the barroom. The Taft men We're
in the next stall listening. They heard
the Roosevelt Republican tell the Italian
, that twenty live men were wanted to
personate Italian voters in the Thirty
| third and that he would pay $500 for them
Mr. Koenig said he understood that the
$500 had been paid at another place and
| that affidavits would be handed to the
District Attorney to-day, with a request
| for arrests.
The Republican leader in the Thirty
third district is Alfred f. Simonds. Taft
man. His opponent on the Roosevelt
ticket is Edward H. Healy.
Patrick Fleming, proprietor OF a saloon
and Broadway. il worried about for ty-
odd checks with total face value OF
s2SOl3. which he cashed for Albert G..
Phillips. president Of the Progressive
Republican Club at 2850 Broadway. u
| Roosevelt booming organization in the
Nineteenth Congress district. and which
came back marked short "a brief way
| Of making the statement that there We're
insufficient funds to meet the checks.
The checks as Mr.. Fleming understands
| the matter, We're drawn by Mr.. Phillips
or with his authority for the use OF the
club in paying canvassers for the Roose-
welt petitions but We're drawn on Mr..
Phillips's own personal bank account in
the Corn Exchange Bank.
The organization apparently did not
nuke good to Mr.. Phillips. who is running
| for State committeeman on the Roosevelt
ticket and is the only candidate of the
kind in the county. Abe Gruber is the
regular candidate. The saloon keeper has
been told that his remedy lies in a civil
suit, but he said last night that unless
somebody made good he would 60 to a
| City Magistrate this morning
II appears that money was promised
from various quarters for a campaign
in the district and Mr.. Phillips went to
Fleming and arranged with him to cash
the checks. The checks began coming
in last Tuesday and some $500 worth had
teen paid by Mr.. Phillipss hank before
the first one came back marked Short.
Mr.. Fleming notified Mr.. Phillips and Mr.
Phillips said he would see that the checks
were made good, but 80 far they have