New-York tribune., 1918-10-16
Four Bolshevik
Prisoners Will Saw
Police Beat Them
New York Soviet Sym.
pathizers Placed on Trial
Under Espionage Law
One Dies in Hosp;t,l
Attorney Says Defend.,,.
Will Testify Victim Wa.
Knocked Unconsciou.

-Four men, arrested on the East Ga.
seven weeks ago for alleged VIOLATES
OF the espionage act, were placed ~
trial yesterday and their attornev .,
serted they would testify that tb.,
and fifth defendant It were beaten when
they were locked up at Police Hs.a
quarters, after their arrest, their eor.
panion SO badly that he died Va,
terday as result. Harry Weinbero,,
who represented the four remain;,.
defendants, made this assertion befo,s
Federal Judge Henry D. Clayton.
Mr.. Weinberger declared that Jacob
Schwartz, one of the men arrested. s.a
at Bellevue Hospital yesterday afss,
he had been kept seven weeks in II.
Tombs with bleeding heart. Schwa,s
was married and lived at 5 East lOas,
street. Mr.. Weinberger asserted th,,
the defendants would testify h,.
Schwartz with the other men had b..,
subjected to the third degree" ami
was locked in room at Police HesS.
quarters from $3.50 p m. on Augu,,
Z3 till a. m. the next day, and fhss
when the lights were turned on afts,
scuffle he was found unconscious 4.
the floor with bleeding mouth Ths
attorney alleged that the testimonv
would show that Hyman Lachowsky
another defendant, was pulled abouH.
the room by his hair while Gabris
Prober, Samuel Lipman and Hymar
Rozansky were badly injured
Jacob Abrams escaped injury.
Alleges the Third Degree
Mr.. Weinberger said the third De.
gree" was resorted to by the detectiyss
in an effort to induce the men to teIl
where circulars entitled, THE Hy.
pocrisy of the United States and Her
Allies" had been printed. These cir.
culars impugned the motives of the
Allies IN invading Russia. They were
in Yiddish and English and were dis.
tributed on the East Side. 1t wa,
later discovered that the circulars had
been printed in basement in Madison
AvenuI
When the government put on wit
one woman-Mollie Steimer-yestar
day, Mr.. Weinberger devoted his cross.
examination to the alleged third De.
gree" methods of the police. Sergeant
Henry L. Barth told of having arrestsi
the defendants.
"Were you in the room when h.
spector Tunney went. out so the De.
tectlves could beat up the prisoner
Barth was asked.
~ don't remember that inspector
Tunney left the room," he answered.
Weren't you there when the lights
were put out and the men were beaten
in the dark 2"
II don't remember that the lights
were put out and didn't see any Of
the men beaten"
Sergeant Thomas F. jenkins denied
that he pulled Lachowsky about the
room by the hair"
"Did you see Schwartz unconscious
on the floor when the lights were
turned on?" asked Mr.. Weinberger.
Il did not" said jenkins.
Mr.. Weinberger said he had asked
the county medical officials to per
form an autopsy on Schwartz's body.
At Bellevue Hospital last night it was
said Schwartz's death was caused by
pneumonia.
George Creel, chairman of the Com
mlttee on Pubic Information, was noti-
fed yesterday that he had been sum
moned to appear at the trial with the
originals of the documents which were
made public by him recently to show
that the Bolshevik government was
pro-German and had been bought of
by the German government. Mr.. Vein
berger said the purpose was to show
that the documents were unauthentic
and that 1.-The Allies were not justified
in intervening in Russia"
Mr.. Robins Will Testify
Raymond Robins, former member
Of the American Red Cross commission
to Russia, who was threatened with ar
rest Monday after he had locked hin.
self in a room in the apartment Of
Mary Elizabeth Dreier 43 Fifth Ave
nue., while subpoena servers were tT
ing to reach him, IS expected to bs
witness when the trial is resumed
10:3O O'clock this morning.
Henry w. Wickersham, his couus4
told Judge Clayton yesterday that NJ.
Robins would respond. Mr.. Robins Is
reported to have attacked the genuhe..
ness Of the so-called Sisson documen"
made public by Mr.. Creel.