New-York tribune., 1921-12-17
Tscenty Futile Arrests
Made in Bomb Mystery
Suspects Taken in Various Sec
fions Of the Country Haze
Earned Release hy .AIihfs

Activities of Secret Service opera
tives under the immediate direction of
William J. Flynn, chief of the Bureau
Of Investigation of the Department OF
Justice. resulted in the arrest at vari-
Gus times and places o. more than
twenty persons charged with or sus-
pccted OF completely in the Wall Street
explosion, which killed thirty-seven
persons and injured Zoo more. Damage
amounting to $1,000 900 was caused
Chief Flynn expressed q belief short
iy after the explosion that the inten-
tion of those responsible for the ex-
plosion had been to kill J. P. Morgan
and perhaps other members of the firm
1t was suggested that either the bomb
had exploded prematurely or those in
charge Of the plans thought they saw
Mr. Morgan in the. CROWD outside the
Morgan Offices. Actually, Mr.. Morgan
was in Scotland when the explosion
took place. Junius Spencer Morgan, in
tanned cuts from falling glass when
the blast shook the building. Mr.. Ba-
con was also slightly injured. An en-
ployee Of the Morgan firm was killed.
First Arrest in Case
The first arrest in connection with
the bomb plot was that of Edwin 2.
Fischer, former tennis champion, who
was discovered tt have sent to mem
bers OF the French High Commission IN
New York and to several personal
keep out OF the financial district on
the afternoon Of September 49," Fisch-
er was arrested in Canada and brought
10 New York. He declared ne had been
warned by psychic influence he was
unable to define and the mystery in
volved in his warning letters and tele-
grams las never been satisfactorily ex-
planned Fischer was later sent to a
sanatoriura as irrosNonsible.
Soon after the Fischer episode life
prisoner in the penitentiary at Waupon.
Wis, declared that former fellow
prisoner named Giovanni Costello had
been connected with the bomb explo-
sion. lie went into detail with regard
20 Costello's revelations, and as re-
suit the latter was traced to the Joliet
jIllO renitentiary. 1t was satisfactor-
ly proved that Costello had been in
the penitentiary on September 16,
which eliminated him.
Two men and & woman arrested by
TIE police OF Cleveland sent Depart
ment of Justice agents hurrying there
but before they arrived the trio had
besn released. having proved an alhi
that defed attack Five days later came
the arrest at Pittsburgh of Florian
Zelenko, radical, who was alleged 10
have used threats against capitalists,
including MIR. Morgan. 1t was shown
that he had bought forty pounds Of
dynamite, but investigation proved that
he had obtained the explosive for use
in mine and had never been in Wall
Street.
The next arrest was that of Tito
Li9i, also radical OF Pittsburgh. who
proved on Investigation to have evaded
the draft ln his cottage On thu out-
skirts of Pittsburgh were found win
dow-sa weights OF the same pattern
rs those use | in the bomb. Thcs ;
weights spattered the front of the
Morgan structure with lead and
smashed windows in that ard adjacent
buildings
Ligi was brought to New York. where
he was positively identified by Thomas
j. Smith, an ex-ireman on duty with
TIA Fire Marshal's Office as one of
twS Italians he had seen in the fnan-
cial district FIVE minutes before the
blast. Nevertheless Ligi proved an
aiibi. He wss sentenced to one year s
Imprisonment as a draft deserter
Evidence Fails to Hold
The next arrest was that of Giuseppe
de Filipis. Fiiipis was also identifi ed
by Smith as having been on the scene
of the disaster. The man was arrest d
in Bayonne, n. j. After Smiths posi-
tive identification warrant was issuee.