New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-07-15
DEADLY MACHINE
FOR 'SLAVERS' FOE
internal" Device in Box
Sent to J. c. Hoefling,
Deputy Marshal.
NOTE WARNS HIM
NOT TO TESTIFY
Life Threatened In Letters, but
He Will Aid State In
Case To-day.

John c. Hoehing, a deputy city mar
shall, of 81 Brook av., The Bronx, who
is to be the chief witness to-day in the
white slave" cases to be tired petore
Judge Louis D. Gibbs, in the Bronx
County Court, received box yestcr-
day containing the mechanism of an
"infernal machine" with a note inside
warning him not to appear in court.
There was a black substance in the box
which looked like powder. Inspector
Eagan. of the Bureau of Combustloies,
examined the substance and said 1t was
not an explosive. =.
The package came by parcel post. II
was mailed at Sub Station r, at 149th
st. near Third av., in The Bronx, yes
terday afternoon. Hoefing was not at
his office when it arrived, but William
O'Gorman, former Coroner, his ousi-
ness associate, was there, and the pc
culiar looking package aroused his
suspicious. 1t consisted of wooden
box, about So inches long, 8 inches
wide and inches deep. This was
wrapped in brown paper, with the in
scription Handle with care" on the
wrapper.
O'Gorman took the box to the Nor
over TO Captain Andrew j. Wines, In
charge of the detective bureau. Cap
tain Wines put il TO soak in pail OF
water in the station house yard and
notified the Bureau of Combustibles.
When Inspector Eagan came he opened
it gingerly.
The lid of the box was lined with
sandpaper and several sulphur matches
L. ,,,kt,h n Gfrinor n
paper caps, such as are used in toy
pistols, ran into the powder-like sub
stance in four small compartments.
The note in the box read: I'VE advise
you TO mind your own business" and
was signed Members of the Secret So
ciety."
Mr.. Hoehing recently receiYod sew
eral letters containing death threats
and was called yesterday three times
on the telephone and told that he bet
ter not appear in court to-day.
On July / Hoehing, while serving a
dispossess notice at an apartment in a
house in East l54th St, found a girl,
Della Hanson, who told him a story of
being captured by "white slaveri."
On the strength of her story fourteen
indictments were found against Is
many Italians, who were arrested and
each held in $4,000 bail for trial to-
day before Judge Gibbs.
The detectives are still looking for
other members of the white slave
gang, and more arrests are expected
soon.
Yesterday Hoefing showed the let
ters he had received to the police. lie
did not feel alarmed, he said, and
would be in court to-day to testify
against the gang.
William A. Keir, counsel for the
"white slave" prisoners, made an APP
plication yesterday to Supreme Court
Justice Brady, of The Bronx, for a
change of venue from the county to the
Supreme Court. Justice Brady denied
the application. II was understood that
the defendants were anxious to avoid
trial before Judge Gibbs, whom they
fear.
In denying the application Justice
Brady said:
mo bias or prejudice is alleged
against the county judge, nor is any
insinuated. The defendants urge, how
ever, that he is disqualified by reason
of the fact that he listened TO the tes-
timony of the witnesses for the prose
cution while sitting as a committing
magistrate. do not think 80. He did
not determine the case in any respect,
and his mind is free and open, as il he
merely had issued warrant for the ar