Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-09-07
UNEARTH 3 MORE
STRANGE DEATHS .
IN GIBSON CASE
Stumbling Blocks to,
Lawyers Plans Are J.
Mystery Victims.
SLEUTHS MISTAKEN In
SUPPOSED MRS. MENSCHIK'
District-Attorney Rogers, of
Orange County, to Confer
With Whitman.


will come to this city today to con-
fer with District-Attorney Whitman
on the investigation of the strange
case of the will of Mrs. Rosa Men
shlk Szabo, WHO was drowned at
Greenwood Lake July 16, while boat
Ing with her attorney, Burton w.
Gibson.
The two prosecutors, 1t Is under
stood, will endeavor to find some
means by which they may work to-
gether in esta bllshing the facts that
Mrs Szabo was murdered, and that
fraud and perjury were used In se-
curing the probate of the will, which
Gibson pi esented here shortly after
his clients death.
THE five tragedies that have oc-
CURED In the course of my career at
the bar are mere continental and
nothing more. No proof can be Of
fered to the contrary. and every ac-
cusation and suggestion of wrong
doing on my part is utterly without
foundation" said Burton w. Gibson
this afternoon.
Unearth More Mysteries.
The most sensational late disclos-
ures made by those who are inves-
tigating the case show that three OF
Gibson's clients, or those he opposed
in suits, In addition to the three al
ready mentioned. mysteriously died
or disappeared within the past six
years.
Acting District-Attorney Wasser-
vogel, who is In charge of the In
vestigation New York county is con-
Quoting, has ordered Deputy Assist
ant District Attorney Minton, in
charge of the homicide bureau at the
| prosecutors Office. to reopen the
records of cases IN which Gibson has
figured, especially that of Mrs, Alice
C. d. Kinnan, who was strangely
murdered in the Bronx In 1905.
Heir Is Murdered
Mrs. Kinnan was the heir of her
mother, Mrs. Louisa Stenton, for
whom Gibson was attorney. She and
Gibson, so It is said, quarreled over
| the lawyers fees and she was mur-
dered. 1t developed after Mrs. STEM
tons death that Gibson, who was
executor of her estate, also held title
to Bronx property once owned by his
client. This was in order that he
might act for Mrs. Stenton in dispos-
ing of it.
George Ide Malcolm, Mrs. Stenton's 3
nephew, and other heirs asked that
i Gibsons title be declared void. but
the surrogate held that any action for
that purpose must be brought by the
executor of the estate. This left Glib
son, who was executor, In the strange
position of having to sue himself, so
Surrogate Thomas named Malcolm as
executor of his aunt's estate.
Executor Disappears.
Shortly after Malcolm mysteriously
disappeared and his body was found
floating in Long Island Sound, or
Fort Schuyler. 1t was said that he
committed suicide, for he had been
depressed for some time and he was
greatly shocked before his disappear
ance by the death of his 12-year-old
son.
Another death in this case was that
of Michael Shippo, who lived in the
same house as Mrs. Stenton. He was
first on the scene when Mrs. Kinnan
was dying on the porch of her home,
and he testified at the inquest that
she said to him:
"The lawyer hit me-"
Kinnan witness Drowned.
Shippo's body was found floating in
two feet of water In Pelham creek
in 1909, three years after Mrs. Kin
mans death. The mystery was never
cleared up. Shortly before his death
Shippo was waylaid and badly beaten,
and afterward expressed fears for his
life.
! Another death of a Gibson client
was that of Edward Minnicks, who
sued the East River Gas Company,
of Long Island City, for $500 after
falling into a trench. Minnicks, ac-
cording to his widow Mrs. Matte
Dickinson, of Brooklyn, died the day
before a settlement of $500 was
made. From Gibson, she said. she
received only s95, he telling her he
had effected settlement of 5000 and
that 500 was due him for his services.
The remaining $5. he said. he had
given to her husband. She signed a
receipt, thinking II was for only SOS.
and when she sued for the balapce
Justice Maddox in Brooklyn threw
her case out when she admitted that
the signature on the receipt present
ed by Gibson was genuine.
Bank officials Aroused.
The Franklin Bank, where Mrs.
Szabo hae part of her money on de-
post, has started an independent in
vestigation Of the will case. The sus-
picions of the bank officials were
aroused when Gibson came to the in
stitution to draw out Mrs. Szabo's ac-
count of $4,000. and gave contradic-
tory reports Of the manner in which
she had met her death.
The bank refused to turn over the
money to the lawyer when the Aus
tro Hungarian consulate general
started an investigation Of the case.
Arpard A. Kremer, counsel for the
Austro- Hungarian consul, will proba-
bly, write to the grievance committee
of the Bar Association today and
present facts in connection with the
Szabo will case with a view Of start
ing disbarment proceedings against
Gibson.
The nature Of the charges Mr.. Kre-
mer will bring cannot be learned.