New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-10-29
BARBER CALLED GAMBLER
LANDS ACCUSER IN CELL
John ReiSler, Famed in Art and
as Murder Witness, a Ton
serial HaWkShaW.
SAYS FOE ASKED BRIBE
Dictagraph Fails, but Sleuths,
Stratagem and Marked Money
Combine to Effect Capture
of Edward Feiner.

of Edward Feiner.
! John Reisler. who attained fame as
John the Barber" a witness in tine
| Rosentt al case. and was held for the
grand jury as a common gambler ten
| days ago. believes in the maxim, HE
| laughs best who laughs last
| Yesterday he had the complainant
against him in the gambling case ar
rested on a charge Of extortion. On John
the Barber's" complaint Edward Feiner
was locked up in the Elizabeth street
police station. Reisler asserting that Fem
er offered to leave the jurisdiction before
the gambling Case got to the grand jury
If John would pay him 5000.
For three days the police and the Dis
trict Attorneys office have been trying
to snare the elusive Feiner. on several
| occasions they were baked by his fear
of dictagraphs, with whose use, he said
he was familiar through his attendance
at recent Broadway dramas He was
finally arrested yesterday at John the
| BARRIERS" home. at 19lst street and Wads-
worth avenue. and it is alleged that he
|
F'einer is a jeweller at No. 81 Fifth
avenue. AS a side line according TO
| John the Barber" who has known him
for many years, he discounts notes and
cashes checks-deducting 4 percentage ;or
| the risk which attaches to the cashing
of checks along Broadway. According O.
Reisler ii was Feiner's check cash!nS
methods which brought on the trouble.
Several weeks ago John the Barber"
was busy shaving a customer (and re-
calling the Rosenthal murdeD in his shop.
in West 18th street, when William Buck
ner, theatrical agent, came I'm. Buck
ner, il appeared. was in hard luck, as
theatrical agents sometimes are. and
asked for a small loan It'll he got on
his feet" John gave him two checks.
each for 800.
The BARRIERS Revenge.
Buckner met Feiner in Broadway, and
the eatter cashed the checks, deducting,
so Buckner says. so for the risk attach
ing to the transaction. Later BuckEer
told John the Barber OF the deal. The
eminent tonsorialist was indignant that
one of his friends should be so treated.
| He invited Feiner to talk 1t over with
him, so the story goes. in game OF
pinochle. At the end of the game Feiner
was just 500 short.
The apt rebuke thus tactfully admins
tered by John the Barber ranked in
the heart of Feiner. and he went TO In
spector Dwyer, giving evidence which
resulted in the arrest OF Reisler as COM
mon gambler. John got out on bail. and
10 him came William Buckner. now OH
his feet Buckner, II is alleged. said that
Feiner had sent him to John with the
message that for 500 he would leave The
Jurisdiction and be beyond reach when
Johns case was reached by the grand
jury.
John realized that for the moment the
| laugh was on him. He sent word that he
would accept il. Last Friday he met
Feiner i'm Buckners office, at i3d street
and Broadway. and then and there, he
SAYS. proffered the 800 Feiner. accord
ing to John. seeing how easy II was TO
get $50. demanded $500. John the Bar
her" spurned the offer Indignantly and
went straightway TO the District Attor-
neys office. where. through his services
in the Rosenthal case. he knew Frederick
]. Groehl, assistant district attorney.
Under Mr.. Groehls direction negotia-
tions with Feiner were reopened. An Of
fee was hired for Saturday on Broadway
and an engagement made with Fener to
meet John there. Reisler was TO be ac-
companied only by his attorney, John j..
Weiss" who was really Detective Leigh.
OF the District Attorneys office. A dicta-
graph was installed at some trouble and
expense. At the last moment Feiner tele-
phoned that he could not come. Mr..
Groehl and his fellow conspirators went
to the Hotel Astor to talk things over
and Relsler got Feiner on the telephone
again. This time Feiner wanted the meet
ing TO take place at Turkish bath in
Harlem. His offer was refused IL was
finally agreed that John and his lawyer"
should meet Feiner in the office OF his at
torEey, at No. 10 Wall street.
The Plot Thickens.
That meeting took place on Monday
| Feiner's attorney would not listen to any
such proposition and the deal apparently
fell through. Later, however, Feiner
agreed to meet Reisler in the latter's
apartment the following day.
Yesterday afternoon Mr.. Groehl, Detec-
tives Thomas and Leigh and stenogra-
pher hid themselves in John the Bar
bars rooms. They hid carefully, and it
was well they did for before Feiner en-
tered the house a friend went through
every room in the apartment, apparently
| TO make sure that Reisler was alone.
The friend reported to Feiner, but came
back in moment, saying that Feiner
| would not enter the house after all and
that John would have to come out. John.
of course, refused, and Feiner went across
the street to a drug store, whence he tele-
phoned TO Reisler
| At last Feiner was persuaded to enter
Johns apartments John received him in
the dining room Across the hall. in a
bedroom, were Mr.. Groehl and his staff.
They heard the entire conversation.
As Feiner walked out he was counting
$3.50 in marked bills according 10 the
charge. and was then and there grabbed
by Leigh and Thomas. Feiner angrily
accused Thomas of having taken sl05 and
a diamond pin from him during the
search Under Mr.. Groehl's supervision
a second search was instituted and s95 in
81. IT,.