New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-15
Witnesses to Murder Are
Known and Police Start
Search for Them.
GREENWICH GUNNER
RECOGNIZED, IT'S SAID
Early Arrest Soon Due as Re-
suit of CIeW, Asserts In
spectOr FaurOt.

Central Office detectives until a late
hour last night were securing the upper
East Side in a fruitless search for two
men who, it is alleged, saw the muir
derers of Barnet Baf at close range
on the night Of the shooting. The men,
whose names are known, are reported
rs having said the slayers were TWO
gunner from the Greenwich village
section of the lower West Side.
Inspecror Faurot, who has recently
earned for himself the title OF "Ihe
Clam" because Of his laconic replies
of Nothing doing" when accosted upon
the subject Of the Baff murder, for the
first time in more than a week reiter-
ated Yesterday his former promises oil
an early arrest in the case.
ave are doing finely" said the IN
spector, rubbing his hands. IAN arrest
can be expected at any moment now
Commissioner Arthur Woods ALSO
appeared to be in the best OF humor
Yesterday. He was especially grained
with the reported tribute paid TO inc
department by Mayor Mitchell at the
Friars' dinner on Sunday night at the
Hotel Aston. The Mayor is quoted as
having expressed the confidence tha'
the Raff murderers will be shortly ap-
pretended. -
Harry Baff, son of the murdered
man. visited Police Headquarters yes,
terdav. When departing he explained
to reporters that he had been sum
moned TO confer with Captain carey
of the Homicide Bureau.
~ was invited to headquarters, ne
said. "to go over the most recent de-
velopments in the case. l am perfectly
satisfied that the police are doing their
utmost TO apprehend the slayers OF my
father and | am confident that there
will be a successful issue to their Ell
forts"
commissioner Woods yesterday
found an additional reason for salts
faction in a letter of commentator
sent to him by L. f. Miller, editor OF
'Die Wahrheit," Jewish newspaper,
published at 153 East Broadway. Inc
writer of the letter congratulated the
Commissioner upon the successfu!
manner In which he had dealt with
gangsters and organized CRIMINALS on
the lower East Side. -,
at is a matter of common knowl-
edge" said the writer, that six months
ago the entire East Side was terror
ridden by a number of gangs who had
allotted to themselves the various dis
tricts of lower Manhattan in the same
manner as the brigands of yore divided
unto themselves territories for tribute.
Grand ST. and the Bowery consti-
tuted an undisputed domain of 'Dopey
Benny Broome St, as far as Houston
st. and all adjoining streets, were at the
mercy of Jpe the Greaser's gang .
The letter continues with a review of
the gradual changes accomplished in
the districts in question, and the writer
insists that the facts of the altered
condition bespeak the energy and eff
cheney of Commissioner Woods's ad-
ministration.
A chemical bomb of tremendous
power was found on the second floor
of the five story tenement house at 1927
East 108th st. last night. If there ever
was a fuse attached to il, however, 1t
fell out while Frank Mossatano was
carrying the explosive to the East l04th
st. police station.
Inspector Eagan, Of the Bureau Of
Combustibles, said the fuse probably
disappeared when the paper in which
the bomb was wrapped was thrown
away.
Detectives learned from John Marine,
janitor of the building, that his prede-
cessor and his wife had been evicted
and that neighbors said they had threat
ened to make it hot for their successor
He has been in charge of the building
since December l.
Samuel Melio, of "a Hancock ST.,
Brooklyn, walked into Police Head
quarters yesterday morning and asked
for protection, saying that ever since
his brother killed Joseph Balletare the
dead mans friends had been seeking re-
venge. Pascuale Melio, who did the
shooting, is in the Tombs.
Mrs. Balletare says Melio tried to
make her husband sell a candy store,
and threatened him when he would not.
Then, she says, she appealed to the
police, who put a guard in front of her
house for time. When they withdrew
it, she asserts, Balletare was killed.
The police war on gunner and gang
sters was reviewed by Police Commits
sioner Woods last night in a speech to
the members of the Federal Club 1t
their rooms, "a Avenue c.
Mr.. Woods spoke of the arrest Of
"Dopey Benny Fein and, like Mayor
Mitchell in his speech at the Hotel As
tor on Sunday night, referred TO the
gangster as the worst OF his crowd.
More than two hundred gangsters and
gunner, the Commissioner said, had
been arrested and many of them con-
victed. The campaign against this
city scourge is to be carried on with
the same 'relentlessness that Mr.. Woods
says the department has evidenced ever
since ne took Office.
A few days ago, said the Police Com
missioner, reporter for a newspaper
came to him and asked for the photo
graphs Of the worst gunner and gang
sters in this city.
81 gave the reporter the photo
graphs" Mr.. Woods continued. "But
the newspaper did not print them
Why? Because the men weer all be-
hind the bars.
"These criminals know that they
have a choice of three courses. They
must reform, they must leave the city
or they must go TO Jail. And do not
greatly care which of the three courses
they adopt"
MPS CARAVAN RAJ Ks