New-York tribune., 1921-09-09
Starving Artist
Knitted to Deatl,
In Village Room
Joseph Swat Found Slain
and Companion Is Gone;
Rumor = Women Were
Murdered Draws Crowd
Boarder Shoots Landlord
Avenue A Resident Near
Death After Attack byI
Cunman, Who Kills Self

JOSSpu SNate, eWSuty-elgNt years Ola,
Of II Charles Street, a painter OF i'm
pressionistic portraits. was stabbed to
death with bread knife in his room
last night. Swatt's body was found
lying in the hallway on the third floor
Of the building. which is operated as
rcoring house by Mrs. Kurt Boyer, the
lsndlady He had been stabbed in
dozen places.
Screams of Mrs. Beyers and women
roomers in the house attracted crowd
Of several thousand persons and oc-
cupants OF lower floors secured the
neigh borhood in search of patrolman
without success. Firemen Powers and
Mahoney, of Engine House 1s, Tenth
Street and Greenwich Avenue, assisted
IN controlling the mob until Detectives
Burke and Dolan arrived from the
Charles Street police station.
Mrs. Boyer told the police that
Swat. who she said was also known
as Joseph McNulty, had been rooming
at the house for three months. OF
late he had lacked employment.
Roommate Borrowed Knife
Two weeks ago a man whose name
was given to Mrs. Buyer as Joseph
Sanders, whom she had also heard ad-
dressed as Dorsey, arrived at the
rooming house, and together with
Swat took room on the top floor
Swat borrowed a carving knife of
Mrs Boyer asweek ago, she said, re-
marking that they had all they could
do to get bread and had no knife to
cut it with. 1t was with this knife
that Swat was slain. 1t was found
beside his body.
Mrs Boyer told the detectives that
Sanders came home soon after $3.50
last night and following his arrival
women roomers heard q quarrel be
tween the two men. Then came the
sound of a scuffle and man was heard
to run down the stairway and enter a
bathroom on the second floor AS he
did not emerge a search was made and
it was found that he had fed through
the bathroom window into yard at
the rear Of the house, having slid down
the roof of shed.
Rumors Alarm Village
Detectives discovered Swatt's valise
partially packed. The police theory is
that Swat had intended leaving the
house and that Sanders objected.
quarrel arising. Detectives are seek
ing Sanders, who is said to have been
seen later in the night at Seventh
Avenue and Twenty-third Street.
Rumors that two women had also
been killed spread rapidly throughout
Greenwich Village. and occupants OF
tudios and apartments for blocks
around thronged to the scene of the
staJhing. Police reserves were called
to 1es-ore order after patrolmen on
.ha ground had Vainly tried to dis
perse the constantly increasing crowd
Both Swat and Sanders are said by
the police to have been members CT
society affiliated with Soviet Russian
propaganda.
An hour earlier John Surhr, fifty
one years old, of 228 Avenue A, was
shot and probably fatally wounded at
Eighteenth Street and Eighth Avenue
by Paul Stehnek, forty eight, boarder
in his home. Surhr was shot in the
right eye and left shoulder. 1t was
said at Bellevue Hospital last night
that his chances of recovery were
slight. Stehnek shot and killed HIM
self.
At the time of the shooting Surhr
was standing in front OF his house con-
Versing with another man. Stehnek ap-
preached and, with the remark GIVE
got you now" opened fire with large
caliber revolver on Surhr.
Had Been Ordered to Move
The latter fell to the pavement and
was later rushed to Bellevue. When
Stehnek was taken to the hospital later
by Patrolman Raymond, of the East
Twenty-second Street station, surgeons
pronounced him dead.
Mrs. Surhr said last night that the
cause of the shooting was that Stehnek
had been ordered by Surhr to seek an
other boarding house. Immediately
afterward, she said, the man began ut
>.ering threats.