The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-15
WOMEN TENANTS
FUNNEL LESSEE
Tackle Plumber Goldman and
His Lawyer at Rent Profi-
teering Hearing.
SEVERAL GET PUNCHES
Police and Doctors Are Called
After Small Riot-Con-
ference Tonight.
SEVERAL GET PUNCHES

As Capt Charles n, Coldsmltn, con-
ciliator premier for the Mayors Commit
tee on Rent Profiteering, was putting the
finishing touches to rent dispute be-
7. tween a group OF tenants and their land
lord in the Municipal Building yosterday
afternoon the door OF the hearing room
popped open and two men breezed In.
1--WE are ready to 60 on with our case
now" said one of the pair, Isaac Do
broezynski, lawyer, I1s Nassau street. Il
have got to go to Providence and am IN
hurry"
81 am hearing a case" replied the
mediator. you must take your turn.
Find a chair and be happy
But Dobroczynski was in hurry
Catching his client, Edward Goldman,
lessee Of an apartment house at 170t
Bathgate avenue, The Bronx, by the
sleeve, he exclaimed: Come on. Gold
man, let's get out of this
Lawyer Hits Tenant.
In the outer room were a score or
( more of Goidman's tenants. mostly
women They had been waiting for their
landlords appearance for five hours. The
hearing had been scheduled to start at
10 A. NJ. and it was then 80 p. NJ.
All the women were hungry and fretful
and their grievances-rent Increases
from s1l TO s2l. s13 to SIS and SIS to
s3i-loomed large. They were particu-
larry indignant because they knew that
while they were waiting for the landlord
Goldman and his lawyer obtained five
dispossess warrants for five of their
number Capt. Goldsmith, however, In
duced the city marshal to call of the
, executions after one family had been
eyicted.
AS attorney and client started to
wiggle their way through solid mass
OF mothers, several OF whom Rugged
small babies, things began to happen
Benjamin Goldberg. tenant, tried to
stop the hurried exit Of Landlord Gold
man and Lawyer Dobroczynski smote
Goldberg on the right cheek bone. ac-
cording to the latter. Goldberg admits
he took a crack al the lawyer. Women
closed in, yelling and shrieking. They
elawe6 and pulled and pushed.
Nathan Hirsch, chairman OF the COM
mittee, who was in an inner office, quiet
~ asked whats the comrnotion?'
ITS probably the Captain settling an
other case" replied one OF the Office
staff They're quite strenuous, you
know"
BY this time the lawyer and his client
Ind the angry tenants had pusheo
through the door into the main corridor.
Somebody punched Mrs. Mary Hirsch.
n tenant and the mother OF seven chill
dren. and she went down with a hys-
terical shrek. Later Mrs. HirsSh de-
clared that Landlord Goldman struck
her Mrs. Esther Heller. who had pro-
jected herself in the very centre OF the
whirling sway OF swinging arms ana
swishing petticoats, received body blow
which caused her 10 drop. She SUISSE
auently accused the lawyer of hitting
her.
Landlord Goldman managed TO olsen
tangle himself from the surging mass
and took to his heels. He trotted down
the lorg corridor toward the elevator
shaft and two women went after him!
They were Mrs. Annie Tietler and Miss
Rose Flacks They grabbed the frightened
landlord and all but lnade hin walk
Spanish back TO the committees door.
There they slammed him against the
wall and told him few things.
Then someb body sent for the police
and inside half an hour Policemen
John W. Abt and Edward r. Decker of
the Elizabeth street station arrived.
They admitted after Intervening
dozen women that they couldn't make
head or tail of the Incident BY this
time Mrs. Hirsch and Mrs. Heller in
sisted on having a doctor and DR.. Sam
uel Feigin OF the Volunteer Hospital
was summoned. The ambulance sur
geon examined the women and declared
they were suffering from fright" He
jotted their troubles down on his record
as "hysteria" and said they would be
all right after they rested UP bit
Piumber Becomes Lessee.
All the women insisted that Lawyer
Dobroczynski and Landlord Goldman be
sent to Jail at once. However. the lawyer
was then on his way TO Providence and
the policemen were unable to find Gold
man This was due To the fact that
Capt Goldsmith, believing that the psy-
Geological moment had arrived TO get a
settlement, was having a heart to heart
talk with the landlord in an inner room.
The policemen advised the women to
have their alleged assailants summoned
TO court and then left, whereupon all
hands Joined Capt. Goldsmith and Land
lord Goldman inside and the hearing
went on.
The proceedings were typical OF many
that have gone before. Goldman, who
said he was a plumber. had decided
money was 10 be made In leasing apart
ments. He signed a six years lease for
the Ave story tenement at 1884 Bath
finally gave notice OF another boost on
August ]. which was to be the steam
price" The tenement had been a cold
ater house. but Goldman proposed TO
put in steam. The tenants couldn't see
why they should pay the steam price"
when there wouldn't be any steam until
November at least So twenty-three of
the thirty families went on strike. and
since July they haven't paid any rents
at all. Instead they put their rent
money into postal banks pending a final
settlement and then appealed TO the
Mayors Committee to help them out
Capt Goldsmith accepted the land
lords figures OF expenditures until he
has time to check them up, and said that
on the face of things he saw a chance
that Goldman might have a profit OF
around $40 year. without making al
lowances for painting, &c. The lessee
said It was all most discouraging The
tenants. whose rents had been increased
from the prewar schedule not far from
90 per cent, said It was worse than dis
couraging
Capt. Goldsmith induced the landlord
TO permit Mrs. Max Erlenbaum, whose
furniture had been dumped on to the
sidewalk, 10 distribute her things among
her fellow tenants for the time being
and not TO dispossess anybody else. To-
night the Captain, the lessee. the owner
OF the house, the tenants and all the
babies will get together in The Bronx
Borough Hall and there Is going To he n