Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-12-14
MURDER CHARGE
FORMALLY MADE
IN BLEICH DEATH
Negro Held Without Bail in
Connection With Supposed
Killing.
SEVERAL OTHERS JAILED
AS WITNESSES IN THE CASE
Police Theory Is That AssaiI-
ant Thought Victim Had
Money.

Frederick Smith. of 20 BroDme
street, twenty years old. a negro
waiter in Behroffs dance hall, Spruce
and Broome streets, who is known to
his pals as Red" was held without
bail in the Fourth Precinct Court by
Judge Herr today on the charge of
murder.
lie is charged by Captain oscar
Nogel with causing the death of John
Bleich, OF 470 Bergen street, whose
body was found on the sidewalk in
front Of 200 Broome street shortly
before o'clock last Tuesday morn
ing with the mark Of a blackjack on
his head.
Smith. with four other negroes of
about his age, and four negresses, all
of whom frequent Lehroffs s dance
hall, were arrested Saturday by Po-
licemen King and Salter, of the
Fourth precinct, who learned that
they We're engaged in, or present at
a fight in the dance hall on the night
of the murder, and that in the course
of the fight a blackjack was used
which might have caused such
wound as was on Blelch's head
The police traced the course OF the
blackjack through several hands to
the room of Henry Walker, at POS
West Kinney street, and they have
il in their possession. 1t is a stout
club of lignum-vitae. about seven
inches long and weighing pound
and half. with a hole in one end
into which had been fitted an iron
cap. This club is said by the police
to fit the wound in the dead man 8
head. Walker, in whose room it was
found has not been seen lately, but
the police are seeking him as a ma
terial witness.
Captain Vogel will not talk about
the other evidence upon which he
bases the murder, but ii is known
that several of those placed under
arrest Saturday have talked freely
about the case. They were arraigned
with Smith today. and Judge Herr
held the following without bail as
material witnesses: Clifford Bern
ardo, nineteen years old, so Jones
street; Martin Vaudeville, twenty. rs
Clayton street; Millie Wallace, eigh-
teen, $50 Clayton street; Ruth Jones.
eighteen, 213 Broome street, and
Naomi Taylor, eighteen, III Broome
street.
White the afraignIneat Was going
on the police arrested Alfrcd Brown
twenty-one, of 300 Mulberry street.
another negro, and he was also held
without bail as a material witness.
The following were paroled: Edward
Gordon, twenty, 167 Broome street:
Henry Epps, twenty. Il Boston
street. and Ethel Jefferson, nineteen.
8 Pearl Street
Theory of the Police.
1t is the theory of the police that
I3leich who was siXty-eight years
old and a street sweeper, was be-
ieNed 10 have some money from the
fact that he had spent a day or two
in the neishborhood saloons and had
said that he was taking a week Off.
II is not believed that he did have
any money, however, as he was
loafing because he had been laid off
for a week and not because lie
wanted a vacation.
In his pocket when found was
twenty-five cents and the police be-
lieve that whoever felled Bleich was
frightened away by the approach of
Policeman Kolberg, who found the
body lying on the walk. The pres
ence of the warm loaf of bread in
the dead mans arms has not yet been
explained, nor the condition of his
clothing, which was pulled up behind
as would be the case had the man
been dragged along the ground by the
heels while lying on his back.
fore the murder is regarded impor
tant, not alone from the fact that
talk of it disclosed the fact that a
peculiar blackjack was used, but jeal-
ousy arising from the fight has loos-
ened the tongues of some of those
under arrest.
The police have been told that Ber-
nardo and Miss Jones, the latter
known in her set as Little Ruthy,
had been greatly interested in each
other, but that night something hap
pened which caused them to quarrel,
and Mandeville, who is something of
preliminary bout pugilist, took the
part of Little Ruthy.'
The blackjack is said to have been
originally the property of Bernardo,
and it is believed that Red" Smith.
the waiter, condscated it in the in
terests of harmony. but in so rude a
manner as to make Little Ruthy'
believe that "Red" was not friendly
to her.