The sun., 1918-10-08
MERCHANT KILLED
FOR$t,75OPAYROLL
Nathan N. Fines Body Found
in Vacant Loft Under Shirt
Waist Factory.
KEY IN DOOR MAY BE CLUE
Murder Planned Long Time by
Person Who Knew Of Vic
| TINS Weekly Trip.

Nathan n. Fine, 90. OF $50 Howard
avenue. Brooklyn. a member Of the shirt
waist manufacturing firm Of Norris Fine
& Sons, 1 Greene street, was found muir
dered yesterday in an empty loft In the
second floor OF the building ut Alb East
10Th street. on the fifth floor Of which
there Is a branch factory Of the firm.
Tho s1,750.20 pay roll Of the branch,
with which he had left the Greene street
offices previously. was missing.
Tho body was discovered by Frank
Kellar. engineer of the building, about
o'clock. when he stepped from the
freight elevator on tour Of inspection.
It lay just inside n door which opens
on the stairway leading to the upper
floors OF the building.
When Kellar discovered bullet
wound over the mans heart he ran UP
stairs to the Fine factory and notified
the foreman, who gave the alarm. DR..
Yost of Reception Hospital said later
that the man had been dead less than
forty minutes. Co.," '-fy.E 60
Acting Captain Joseph McGrath of the
East 1e4th street station and Capt. Ar
thur Carey and detectives OF the Homi-
eide Squad hurried to the building.
Carried Payroll without Guard.
When they questioned the factory
foreman he said 1t had been Fines Gus
tom to go down to the Greene street fac
tory every Monday for the weekly pay
roll since last March. 1t was wrapped
in q thread box covered with yellow pa
..,l At,a aftfi In,
Of having an escort on the trip from the
downtown factory. go -'. - 3d..
Several of Mr.. Fines brothers hurried
to the factory and verified this state
ment. They said that the usual payroll
amount had been drawn from the Harri-
man National Bank, at Fifth avenue and
FNorty-third street, yesterday by a book
keeper, who carried 1t back to the Greene
street factory, where II was placed In
envelopes and then wrapped up in the
thread box.
After q careful search OF the vacant
loft where tho murder was committed
the police were inclined to believe that
tho murderer had planned the crime for
some time. A key was found on the in
side Of the door leading to the factory
stairs, and Kellar. the engineer. stated
positively that this door always was kept
locked.
Lay in Wait for Victim.
II is believed that the murderer or
murderers--the police do not know
whether II vas a one man crime or not
had a key made to At the lock OF the
door and then lay in wait for Mr.. Fine.
II would have been a comparatively
simple matter to keep the door Just
Jar and to spring out and overpower
their victim as he passed on the stairs.
None of the workers on any of the other
floors In the building heard the sound OF
the shot, which Is not strange. as ma
chinery which Is installed in each loft
would kill the sound.
The theory that the crime was one
that had been planned long in advance
Is borne out by the fact that there
were no signs of a struggle having taken
place, and Mr.. Fines jewelry and money
in his pockets were not touched.
Late last night Capt. Carey said he
believed that Mr.. Fine was dragged into
tho loft. n revolver damned UP against
his breast and fred. and thar the MUIR
derers escaped over the roof OF the two
story building next door. Mr.. Fines
clothing was charred by burning powder.
Mr.. Fine was married, and is sur
vived by his wife and one child.