Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-12-08
MEGARO TO SEEK !,
HIS RELEASE ON !
WRIT OF HABEAS
Poison Needle" Suspect De-
clares Police Have No Evidence
to Uphold Charge.
PRISONERS COUNSEL
PREPARES TO FIGHT
Police Admit That Their lnves-
tigations Fail to Reveal Any
Direct Case Against Prisoner.

Efforts to have Armand Megaro, ai-
legged "needleman," released from GUS
tody cf the police were begun by coun-
sci for the prisoner today The young
man, who IS accused of having at
tackled Mrs Marjorie Graft, bride
of only few DAYS, with a poisoned
needle, is being held in Jail in lieu
! of $4,000 bail.
James V. D'Aloia. counsel for Me-
garo, appeared this forenoon in Judge
Martins court and declared his inten~
ton to seek q writ of habeas corpus
in behalf OF his client He asserted
| Megaro had been imprisoned under a
law which does not cover the case.
The lawyer also said there is no ev-
idence to show that Megaro attacked
Mrs. Graft. as the police ailege
In the event of not obtaining a writ
OF habeas corpus he declared he would
petition for reduction of bail The
prosecutors Office has announced lts
intention to oppose the move for
lower bail
Investigations into the life and
character of young Megaro have
/ failed to show anything criminal
against him. it is said.
Captain Frank Tuite, of the detec-
tive bureau, at police headquarters,
said today that he would make no OBJ
lection to the rumored application
,,n the part of Megaro's counsel for
reduction in the bail demanded by
/ Police Judge Hahn for the release OF
/ the prisoner
| Judge Hahn who fixed the bail.
/ said today 1t was only because Of
/ the statements made to him by the
police that he fixed a prohibitive bail,
but that as the investigation had re-
vealed no special foundation for the
! charge against Megaro. he was not
/ unwilling that the amount of bail
should be reduced
/ Miss Jeanette Clark, of 121 Pacific
street, who told story similar to
that of Mrs. Graft, of being attacked
4 with what she believed to be O. pois-
oned needle while she sat in box in
! the Lyric Theatre on THANKSGIVING
night. failed Saturday to identify the
picture of Megaro as the man who
occupied the box with her
4 Captain Tuite said he arranged with
Miss Clark to submit TO medical
examination yesterday. but that the
young woman failed to put IN an ap-I
pearance. He said further that the.
Clark girls story about fainting in
the ladies' waiting-room of the the-l
atre had been denied by the matron
Vi tllt lDt0lIt.
The runlored attack upon Miss Mae
Lee, a stenographer, residing in Belle.
vile, Has collapsed, as have other re-
ported attacks that have reached
police headquarters.
The missing Minnie Klein. of 72
J Rutgers street. whose name was con-
nected with the poison needle nnys-
terry, has not returned home as yet.
Relatives OF the young woman APP
peared at police headquarters today
to learn if anything had been heard
from her. According to Captain
Tuite, the Klein girl has been seen on
the streets of Newark as late as FRI
day.
Detective Captain Tuite admits that
the case against young Megaro is very
slim. He said today that nothing was.
found in Megaros apartments that
might indicate the prisoner had been.
using drugs for any purpose. Moth
ing else was discovered that might
support the charge Of Mrs. Graft that
! Megaro was the person who attacked
her with a needle at the Lyric Theatre
last Thursday afternoon.
Captain Tuite may make a test OF
the poisonous drug, curare, or seek
some expert opinion on the subject.
Several of the detectives were willing
that he should make a test by inject
ing some of the poison into their arn,s
in the manner described by Mrs. Graft,
The bureau head, however. rejected
the test idea.