New-York tribune., 1921-03-18
W oman Dies as
4 Bandits Rob
Friend of Gems
Heart Disease Fatal to Vic
tim When the Armed
Thieves Bind and Gag
Companion in Her Home
Stripped of Her Rings
Traffic Policeman Riding
By Is Halted by Cry of
ssMurder!' From Window

Push cart peddlers aligned their live
fish, orange, bread and garlic barrows
closer to the curbing Of Columbia
Street yesterday afternoon as Traffic
Policeman Walter Conroy ambled his
sleek bay horse into this noisy Brook
lyn market. As the blue-coated horse
man passed the three story tenement
at 1913 Columbia Street all thoughts of
traffic rules were driven from his mind,
ders visible at a top floor window,
screamed murder"
That was how the authorities learned
OF the sudden death of Mrs. Henrietta
DeFelice, forty-four years old, and the
robbery of Mrs. Rosa Menditto, forty
one, midwife, by four armed thieves.
The policeman drew his revolver as he
dismounted and almost within the min
ute had thrown open the midwife's
door at the top of two rickety flights Of
dark stairs.
Find Body in Kitchen
There were two figures in the dis
ordered fourroom tenement apartment.
One of these, with streaming black
hair, hitched herself along the floor
to the officers feet and collapsed. She
was bound, hands and feet, With Sec
tion of new clothesline. This was the
midwife who had screamed from the
window. Lying in the narrow kitchen
was the body of the mother of the nine
children of Andrew De Fclice, res
taurant proprietor, of 142 Conover
Street.
-Four robbers with guns!" gasped
Mrs. Menditto as the policeman after
cutting the ropes that bound her had
forced the chattering ncighbors to re-
main clustered about the door. After
g.ass OF water and few comforting
words from her 'longshoreman hus-
band, who had pushed his way through
the crowd, Mrs. Menditto completed her
story.
She explained that when she returned
from professional call about luncheon
time she found Mrs. De FeIce, an old
friend, waiting for her. They sat on a
couch and reviewed the matrimonial
troubles of the caller who was separated
from her famil y last September. They
were in the midst of discussion of
litigation involving property Jointly
owned by Mr.. and Mrs. De Felice and
complaining over the quality Of their
near-beer when the door of the apart
ment was opened and four strange men
entered.
:, Two of them had guns" said Mrs.
Menditto. at happened so quick
d dn't get to look at the other two.
They all jumped on us, tied us with
rope and dragged me into the bedroom.
| couldn't see what they did to Mrs. De
Felice. They tied a towel across my
mouth SO | couldn't holler, and laid me
on d bed with my face to the wall.
Ihen they snatched rings from my
fingers, took brooch from my dress
and hunted through the rooms.
After little whil. I heard no more
nd otN +h1
knees l managed to get to the table in
the front room and by pushing my face
against the edge worked my mouth
free. / got to the window, opened it a
little way and yelled. l never saw any
of the men before"
Woman in Mysteries
Mrs. Menditto had an attack of hys-
terlcs when an ambulance surgeon who
Fad arrived pronounced Mrs. De Felice
dead. Heart failure was his diagnosis,
later confirmed by Medical Examiner
Carl Boettinger. The midwife said that
the woman had been afflicted with a
weak heart. She also expressed the be-
lief that her friend had been robbed
Of money and jewelry Her own loss she
fixed at S240, although her first esti-
mate was $1,000.
Acting Captain Joseph O'Connor sent
for the husband and sons of the dead
woman. They said they had seen al
most nothing of her since she left
them last September. They did not
know where she had been living. Mrs.
Menditto and her husband We're taken
to the office of District Attorney Lewis
and questioned about the robbers and
about the relations between the two
women. A policeman was on duty in
their flat when they returned there
last night. An autopsy is to be per-
formed on the body of Mrs. De Felice
at the Kings County Morgue to-day.