New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-02-14
BAFF WITNESS
EAGER TO TALK
Auto Driver, in Fear of
Chair. Worries Over
Wife and Children.
SWAMI SAYS FOUR
WILL BE CONVICTED
Merchants Who Gave 20 Death
Fund Deny They Wanted
Rival Killed.

details Of his participation in the plot
which ended IN the murder OF the
chicken king Of West Washington Mar
ket. The smooth, olive face Of the
slight, dapper man was wan and nag
card from the strain OF endless hours
Of police questioning He spoke eager
~ and nervously In the dark eyes
that watched his questioner's face with
childlikc eagerness lurked the terror o.
the electric chair. This is the one
overwhelming fear the boy feels. It -
his hope that the prosecutor will allow
him to become states witness, for
the sake. he says, of his wife and two
small children.
Whether or not District Attorney
swami will grant his plea is not known
He said yesterday that his office mad
collected sufficient evidence TO convict
four of the men accused of killing Baf'
and that it was possible that this
might be done independent Of the tes''-
mony Of any Of them. All Of the facts
which he has collected will be laid be-
fore the grand jury to-day. indict-
ments will follow shortly.
Forrara appeared only too willing 70
talk Yesterday. He was lonely ana
frightened All day long he had been
unable to eat.
ct is the first time have ever been
in trouble" he explained 81 am wor-
ried about my wife and children.
wish had broken both my legs before
| ever started downtown with '"a'
gang" oo,,irped.
he was out Of work. Occasloha"S w
drove car for Patsy GaroIoil. o own.
Of the Market Garage. m ha3I ~ ~
street Then the war came and spoiIe1
all OF his hopes OF regular enip'oy
ment At this time lppollto Greco
nower in Harlem's Little Italy, came 10
10 LII. "hig monev." When Ferrara
questioned him, he SAID:
5000 for Murder Trip.
1--WE are going to pull off a murder
md We want YOU 70 take Us downtown
There is 5000 or maybe more IN II lol
YOU If il comes out right
Finally the chauffeur agreed, and tne
next day took Greco and the o'her
members Of the murder party down
town 10 plan the crime Inc day aL'c'
that, some time early IN august et
rara says, they attempted TO se1
Baff. but were fooled because OF W,
81
and several friends. 49,,
L was almost three months lheIe
after when Greco told ms hehehme,
that this time they would get pan
and get him right
Il told him I wouldn't 60 until | got
mine Ferrara said yesterday an j
we had big argument men ne gay :
me $50, and | paid up a lot OF DEBTS
had"
OF the actual details Of the SHOOTING
the boy would not speak. lie asserted
that he sat in the car all the time ana
knew little about the execution OF INC
crime. A few nights later Greco gave
him 500 more.
I'VE always felt I'd be caught some
time" he repeated dolefully. Il got a
wife and two children. | wish I'd
broken both my legs before ever
started downtown
The TWO hundred chicken merchants
who contributed 70 the $4,000 murder
fund the price OF the life OF barne,
BaF-are probably at present the mos
miserable tenscore OF men in New York
Citv. Since Yesterday morning, when
rewspapers published the details or the
plan 10 eliminate" the chicken KING
As factor in the business life OF West
Washington Market anonymous letters
from the unhappy subscribers 70 the
fund have been pouring into the Dis
trict Attorney Office.
Merchants in Panic.
Each letter admits that the writer
psid certain amount TO the war iund
raised by the smaller dealers TO fight
Baf. but asserts, asseverates ana
swears that the aforementioned writer
had no idea that murder was contem-
plated. Most of the communications
are panicstricken IN tone.
They are all badly frightened" Dis
trict Attorney Swami said yesterday.
The terror of most OF them is cause
less. for ! do not pretend 10 believe
that any Of the merchants outside the
dozen who actually planned the murder
knew that their contributions were 70
20 toward killing Ban. Nv Office would
be glad 10 learn further details OF the
plot from these men, and WISH that
we could persuade them 10 communI-
cate with Us more intimately than by
unsigned letters
These unfortunate subscribers nave
cause for worry. Most OF them believe
themselves implicated IN Bats MUIR
der. Nor do they dare come forward
and confess what they know about the
plot. The board Of strategy. which
spent $4,000 in numbering Baf. set
aside the remaining $500 20 stop per
manently the mouths OF any would-De
talebearers.
Four men whose names are withheld
bv Mr.. Swami are most urgently want
cd by the nolice These. u Is believed,
were the actual administrators or the
fund collected by the twelve who
doomed the chicken merchant 10 death.
Two Of them. IL was learned YESTERDAY
we're arrested shortly after Baf was
killed. on November p. 1914. They
we're committed 10 the Tombs for sev-
ersl DAYS and then were released
through lack of evidence.
These -FOUR have disappeared from
their homes here. The police Of other
cities throughout the country have
been asked 20 watch out for them.
Nearly twenty warrants for arrests
have been issued m all, and the Dis
trict Attorney Is confident that no the
next few DAYS wholesale arrests will
follow. which will bring 20 Jail most OF
the men responsible for the death Of
BaT
The inevitable woman In the case
was introduced Yesterday when 10 was
rumored that the police had been re-
ceiving information concerning the
murder from d relative of Bar who l..
being courted By one Of the men impli-
g