The sun., 1918-09-05
EAST SIDE HERMIT
SOLITARY NO MORE
He Is in Newark Jail With a
Goodly Company Of Other
Enemy Aliens.
HIDING WITH HIS MONEY
Never Left Flat and Kept His
Windows and Blinds Shut
in Hottest Weather. 9.

The women and children OF the fam
lilies living on the upper floors OF the
tenement at 15s East Twenty-seventh
street have been auickenlng their steps
for months past in crossing the landing
on the third floor. There was no mem
ory of a recent tragedy to raise vision
Of an uneasy ghost, no troublesome ten
ant on that floor prone to boisterous
outbreaks, no tangible reason whatever
only mystery.
East Side folk are not fnicky about
those who choose to live in the same
building with them. The rule Is not to
trouble about your neighbor until he
troubles you. Yet the communal inter-
est is as strong as that OF the people OF
a country town. and gossip spreads.
Gossip in the Twenty-seventh street
tenement has busted itself with the fiat
opening on the third floor landing.
There was a man in the fiat-that was
all the other tenants knew. They never
saw him, but three times each day a
Greek from a near by restaurant car
ried in a tray filled with food
Neighbors at the rear and across a
small court reported that the windows
of the fiat were always tightly closed
anu Nnt cur uoWh, CNSh az
the hottest days Of July.
Paid Rent without q Word.
The man never left the apartment.
Nobody called to see him. Each month
the agent Of the building knocked at the
door and when It opened a hand was
stretched out to pay the rent and take
the receipt The transaction was &C.
rnv uhal mil ohat - No
This sort Of thing got on the nerves OF
the women and put spectres in childish,
minds.
A woman who lives in the tenement
| reported the mystery yesterday to a po-
liceman. An investigation disclosed that
the hermit was German who thought
he could escape detection after failing to
enroll In the enemy alien registration by
burying himself in an East Side tene-
ment.
The man was Chris Won Claim, So
who during many years in this country
failed to seek naturalization. He was
! taken to the Enemy Alien Bureau and
examined by Perry NJ. Armstrong. chief
examiner. He said that when the regis
tration came he had saved a good dea
of money. He decided that instead Of
obeying the regulations he would go into
| seclusion and live on his savings
Plenty OF Company Now.
Mr.. Armstrong committed Won Clair
to the Essex county Jail at Newark. tt
| be held pending examination.
Won Claim emerged from his seclusior
| to find himself in a crowd. He was one
OF a large number Of men examined Al
the Enemy Alien Bureau yesterday. Mos
Of the prisoners were arrested as a by
product Of the roundup OF draft suspects
Among the other enemy aliens exam
| ined at the bureau and committed to th'
Newark Jail was Charles Kruhman. 9;
South street. He lived on the watel
| front. and was the captain OF a scov
or a barred zone pass. He told Mr.. Arm
strong that he was in French seapor
at the time of the registration here.
| Charles Jensen, 30. 81 First street
Jersey City. was brought to Americs
when he was three months old. He sale
he had not registered because he wa:
ashamed OF his German birth.
Franz Scharf. Hoboken, was arrested
| for being in a restricted area without
permit. He worked as Rn engineer at
building at Broadway and Sixty-eighti
/ street. near an armory.
Other aliens arrested for violation o.
| the regulations and held were Paul Kle
man. 400 Third avenue; Theodore Bull
| lendunk Red Bank, y. J.: Karl Vein
| rich, 1922 Exchange place. West Hoboken
ken; Frank Scheitler, All Spring street
West Hoboken; John Carstens, IS;
| Ogden avenue. Jersey City: william
Suerschucr, 397 Central avenue, Jerse!
| City, and Paul -. Dompke, l34 Lincoln
| street, Jersey City Heights.