New-York tribune., 1921-05-21
Bomb Suspect
Denies He Ever
Saw w all St.
Didn't Even Heal Explosion
That Killed 80, Says
De Filipis, Arraigned as
Driver of Death Cart
Score of Witnesses Seen
Federal Detectives Speed Up
Hunt for More Evidence;
Flynn TO Take Charge

Flyun tO axe NEtaFfe
Giuseppe de Filipis. of Bayonne, N.
j., who is charged with being the
driver of the wagon that contained
the bomb which parity wrecked the
United States Assay Office and killed
thirty-nine persons at Wall and Broad
streets on September t6, was arraigned
before United States Commissioners
Hendrickson in Jersey City yesterday
and ordered held without bail for q
hearing on May 26 lie will be con-
fined in the Hudson County jail in
Jersey City.
Certain that De Felipis is the man
who drove the wagon carrying the eX-
plosives and that ne was connected
with the plot, Department of Justice
agents yesterday renewed their efforts
to obtain additional evidence against
him.
More than a dozen agents searched
the Bayonne district, while department.
heads here questioned a score of wit
nesses, several of whom are said to
of three Italians seen in the financial
district at the time of the blast.
Flynn to Take Charge
William J. Flynn, chief of the Bureau
of Criminal Investigation, who. is IN
Washington, telepraghed yesterday al
ternoon that he would arrive IN New
York early to-day to take personal
charge of tho case.
Efforts to wiring confession from
the accused man failed, although he
was subjected to q severe grllling IN
the Jersey City jail. He told govern
ment agents that he had never been IN
Wall Street in his life and that he had
not heard of the explosion until he was
month of September he was engaged
in the truck business in Bayonne.
The prisoner was taken from the
Bayonne Jail by Agent P. J. Ahearn,
Of the Department of Justice, and
United States marshal early yesterday
morning. An automobile was used to
convey him to Jersey City. Joseph
Scala, q Bayonne lawyer engaged to
defend De Filipis, accompanied him
from Bayonne to Jersey City.
The prisoner was haggard and dishev-
elled when taken before Commissioner
Hendrickson and during the formal
telligible phrases His wife, in rear
seat in the courtroom with her two
children, wept when he was arraigned
After the warrant had been presented
to the court by Ahearn the prisoner
was asked whether he cared to make
any statement. He muttered some
thing in Italian which his counsel re-
peated in English.
"Didn't Hear Explosion
II know nothing of it. / never heard
of the explosion. | don't know where
Wall Street is"
He was then ordered held without
bail pending the hearing on May 26.
Thomas j. Scully, head of the local
investigating bureau of the Department
of Justice, said yesterday afternoon
that additional evidence against the
accused man had been obtained since
his arrest last Tuesday afternoon, but
refused to disclose it's nature He said
that De Filipis had been kept under
strict observation for nearly four
months, and that the government would
present a conclusive case when the
hearing is called. 1t was said yester-
day that government agents who hur-
ried to Scranton following the arrest
of De Filipis were attempting to con-
meet the prisoner with Tito Ligi, who
was arrested in that city. on a charge
of suspicion in connection with the ex-
plosion, several weeks ago.
Department of Justice agents in
smiths yesterday in an effort to ascer-
tain whether any of them sold hoof
pads such as were worn by the horse
attached to the wagon carrying the ex-
plosve.
Four witnesses of the Wall Street
explosion were examined by CAPTAIN
Carey, of the Homicide Squad and AS
sistant District Attorney Dineen in the
Criminal Courts Building yesterday.
Mr.. Dlneen said, after talking with
them, that he did not consider the evil
dence strong enough to base charge
of homicide on. One of the witnesses,
Hiram Davis, of Bayville, L. l.. chauf
feur for Winslow Pierce, lawyer, of
81 Wall Street, was positive that the
hatless and coatless man he saw five
seconds after the blast resembled the
Bayonne prisoner.
Rushed Down Street
Davis was sitting in his employers
cSr in front of the Equitable Trust
Company's building when the explosion
happened. The man in question came
rushing down Wall Street, he said. and
ran into the building.
Miss Ruth Breuning, of 336 Stuyve-
SAINT Avenue, Brooklyn, stenographer
employed by the Equitable Trust Com
pany, told Mr.. Dineen that De Filipis
was too young to be the man she saw
driving the horse and wagon. She
thought the driver was about fifty
years old. De Filipis is twenty-eight.
John j. Gillen, a former policeman,
now guard employed by c. F. Childs
& Co, brokers at 12O Broadway, was
another who saw the hatless and coat
less man. De Filipis is an Italian,
while the hatless and coatless man,
Gillen is sure, was Of another race.
Pearce Mccormick of 277 Adelphi
street, Brooklyn, saw the sought-for
man going along the north side of Wall
Street. Mccormick said it would be
useless for him to po to Bayonne to
look at De Filipis, as he was sure he
did not see the man clearly enough to