Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-10-31
Also Alleged to Have Assaulted
and Threatened Banker
Pleads Not Guilty

Raw. Francis Gross, of 697 Cort-
iandt street, pastor of the Cnurcn o.
Our Lady of Hungary at os6 Cort-
landt street, was this morning heio III
$1,000 bail for the grand jury on two
charges the first being that ne yes
terday threatened and assaulted Louis
Csipo. a banker of State and William
streets. and the other and more seri-
ous charge that he entered the pup
fishing office of the New Jersey Her
aid, Hungarian weekly pupisneo Dy
Arthur Reichman, of State street ana
struck the editor over the head with
an iron bar, infiicting a severe wouho
two inches in length.
A summons was secured yesterday
afternoon by Reichman and Father
Gross was hailed before Acting Re-
d, corder Stephen F. Somogyi and was
paroled in custody of his counsel,
Thomas Brown, until this morning.
Upon arraignment this morning
Csipo testified that the priest had
entered his banking house in COM
pany with two sisters attached to his
parish and had demanded that Csipo
take from his window copies OF the
New Jersey Herald in which an at
tack was made upon Father GROSS
This Csipo at first refused to do, and
he alleges that the priest thereupon
started to threaten him and that he
made a motion as though to strike
him and IN doing so upset an inkwfp
on the table where the banker was
working. The latter alleges that the
priest then made a motion to take
out weapon, as he interpreted II,
and that he, rather than have any
further disturbance, took the paper
from the window. He says that
Father Gross then left the place. This
occurred at about 1:45 o'clock yes
terday afternoon.
Reichman alleges that at 1 o'clock
yesterday nephew of Father Gross,
Louis Sellyei, of 697 Cortlandt street.
entered his shop In company with
Mrs. William Fazekas, of 276 Alpine
street, and demanded to know why
the editor did not cease his attacks
upon the priest. He further alleges
that the youth became abusive and
that he ordered him from his store.
At 2 o'clock, Reichman says,
Father Gross with two sisters ehtered
the rear portion of Reichman's place
and called to him, in Hungarian, to
come to the front. This, Reichman
says, he did. The priest, he says,
was garbed in long clerical robe.
He asked Reichman, speaking again
in the Hungarian tongue, why he did
not let him alone. and why he insist
ed on attacking him in his paper.
Reichman claims that the priest
out q long iron bar and attempted to
strike the editor on the head. Reich
man ducked from under and picked
up q niece of wood, about twenty feet
in length, with which he says he in
tended to defend himself. Because
he had taken too short grip on the
plank he was helpless, he says, and
the priest was able to lean over and
strike him on the head with the iron
bar. which he describes as being
about eighteen inches in length.
The blow laid open a cut about two
inches in length on the top of Reich
mans head and the blood streamed
from it over his clothes. He rushed
after the priest, he says, who had
run from the shop and jumped into
q waiting automobile. In his haste,
Reichman claims. the priest struck
his hat against the top of the auto
mobile and it was knocked off. Eman-
uel Eller, foreman of the printing
shop, picked the hat up and now has
1t in his possession.
Reichman ran from the shop and
jumped aboard a passing automobile.
When he reached Fayette street he
asked Patrolman Frank KaspercZak
to accompany him in his hunt for his
assa!lant. They proceeded out New
Brunswick avenue to East avenue,
but had lost all trace of the priest.
helcHndh tnen went 10 LIT. q.
Siegel, where his wound was dressed,
and later to the police station where
he swore out warrant for the arrest
of the priest.
At the arraignment this morning
before Recorder Pickersgill Father
Gross was held in $500 bail for the
grand jury on the Csipo charge and
in 500 bail on the Reichman charge
Through Thomas Brown as his coun-
sci he pleaded not guilty to both
charges.