New-York tribune., 1920-05-17
Man, Defending
Children, Slain
Bv 4 Robbers
Masked Burglars Force Way
Into Apartment, Shooting
Father as He Blocks
Entrance to Bedroom
Woman Held as Witness
Two Fugitives Arrested in
Chase; Alleged Compah-
ions Seized Later by Police

Solomon Fishbein was shot and killed
:, his apartment at 77A Second Avenue
g. o'clock yesterday morning by 8
rssked robber who was one of q gang
# four which invaded the place with
the apparent intention of taking toll of
r;shbein and his friends. Four men,
o,a Of whom sat in the sociable card
rame earlier in the evening, are held
81 the 18th Precinct Station charged
with homicide, and the wife Of one Of
these. who also was in the party, IS
held as a material witness.
Fishbein died because he fought to
prevent the hold-up men entering the
room where his two children, one six
Years old and the other not yet twelve
months old, were sleeping. One shot
was fired and the father fell dying at
the foot Of the brass cot where the
younger baby, awakened from a sound
slaep, sat up rubbing her eyes.
Nine Persons Present
There were nine persons in the
dining room Of the Fishbein fiat when
the gang forced an entrance. Mrs.
Fishbein Louis Hillowitz and his wife,
Mrs. Zlotnick, Miss Jennie Fox. Harry
London, Joe Feinstein and Mrs. Rosen-
thai were seated around a table eating
cold supper which Fishbein was
serving Entrance to the fiat is through
the kitchen, the door of which opens
directly on the landing of the stairs
which lead to the second floor from,
the street.
While Fishbein was making coffee
there came a knock at the door.
Who's there Fishbein asked.
Open the door and let us in" q
mans voice replied.
Fishbein opened the door a short
e's @ @ spee eqa h3ay TnSef G9t DfessaTe was p9ss
BEN gave ~, and four men, maskec
IN black, with revoivers drawn, entered
the apartment on tiptoe.
Stick up your hands," the leader
told Fishbein, backing him into the
dining room, where he told the others
Of the parry TO get together in cor
Ter and put Up your hands"
Father Is Shot
From the dining room an archway
covered with plush portieres, gives ac
cess TO the bedroom, where the twt
llshbeln children, Katherine and th'
baby Gertrude, were sleeping. With ;
revolver at mis- chest Fishbein wa
slowly backed into this opening Then
IS the masked man showed him still
further into the bedroom, Fishbeil
grappled with his assaiant and tor
the mask from his face. The man fire,
and tISnbein tOppled over on his face
The bullet pierced his heart.
As the hold-up men dashed for tn
door the women in the party screame
and The men attempted to escape.
aora ham Hlllowltz, in an apartmen
above, came down the stairs and crap
plsd with one of the fleeing robbers
who hit him on the arm with a re
volver and ran to the street. Anothe,
neighbor threw. a bottle at a secont
man, but missed him.
Detectives Warshow and Lennon, o
Inspector Thomas McDonald's squad
after chase caught George Kust. o
AIS Grand Street, and Frederick Traina
Of 637 briggs Avenue, Brooklyn.
loaded army revolver withs the govern
ment mark erased was taken from
ralna. B0th these men were formerl
IN the military service.
Two More Arrested
Later in the day David Rosansky
2907 Surf Avenue, Coney Island, an,
Jacob Herman, St. Marks Place, ais
were arrested. The police say Herman
had appeared az Fishbeins fiat abou
midnight and asked his wife, who wa
then member of the party, how lon,
the poker game was going to continue
Mrs. Frances Herman, the wife, who j