The New York herald., 1921-12-18

Lindenfeld has a wife and two chill
dren living in New York. says Mr..
Burns
Before Mr.. Burns's arrival both the
agents of the Department of Justice In
New York and the New York police
seemed to be completely ,nystified by the
story from Warsaw of Lindenfelds con-
tession. They said they never had heard
of him. In Washington Mr.. Burns was
quoted as saying that Lindenfelds rec
ord was well known to the police here
as we'll as 10 the Department Of Justice
He added that the man had at one time
been an informant for the police and
that later he went to work for the Burns
Detective Agency.
But Sergeant James ]. Gegan, head
of the police bomb squad, Yho has
worked with the Government detectives
iE the investigation OF the Wa street
explosion from the start, said the police
Department had no record Of Lindenfeld,
that he never had been one of its "undor
cover" men and that he knew nothing
about the man who has been arrested
in Warsaw.
Furthermore, the members of the
bomb squad are skeptical as to the
genuiness of the confession. They said
they hoped il might oe true. but that il
| sounded Incredible The chief point of
their attack was Lindenfeld's alleged as
sertion that the Wall street murder gang
were to be paid $4,000 FOR their work
The police say they never heard Of
anarchists or communists doing such
things for money
They also point out that the rewards
offered for the capture of the person or
persons who set off the bomb in front of
the Morgan office amount to three times
the sum of the supposed payment for the
deed. it struck the police that men who
would do or arrange murder for hire
would be the kind OF men who would
turn informers for more money, espe-
cially in view of the fact that they prob
ably would obtain immunity for them
selves.
Police Chary of Confessions.
Altogether the police have little faith
in such confessions" They are re-
minded of case in which a man made
thirty-six Confessions" i'm different
cities, saying each time he had COM
mitted crime in New York Patient
Investigation indicated that he never
had been in New York and could not
possibly have any guilty knowledge of
the crime.
The police also say an anarchist who
sets out to explode bomb never con-
fides in more than one other person.
That is an unwritten law of the
tribe" a bomb squad veteran said. I'm
the first place, that is the way their
minds operate. and also they have
learned that their ranks are honey
combed with informants put among
them by the police. by private detectives
and financial institutions, and that If
they repose confidence even in small
groups their plans are wrecked. It is
because these plans originate in one
mans mind and that the really danger
Gus anarchist never talks except in gen.
eralities that he is so hard to catch
Having become convinced that certain
person or place should be bombed the
anarchist goes to work single handed, or
with never more than one accomplice."
Escaped From Siberia.
AS Lindenfelds story is given out
here, he was banished to Siberia for
activity in the Russian revolution OF
1905, but escaped. came to America and
plunged into radical industrial move
ments. He had told Government agents
| he was n sort of director of violence"
for one of the extremist organizations.
In Chicago he became friendly with Leon
Trotzky. and just before Trotzky re-
turned to Russia to overthrow the ker-
ensky Government Lindenfeld gave
dinner for him.
Later. il Is said, when he realized
he was under constant observation Lin
denfeld offered TO give the Government
information about radicals He reported
several suspects TO the Government, as
the story goes, but as they had habit
of disappearing just before the time
fixed for their arrest the Federal agents
began to suspect Lindenfeld was fooling
them. He bobbed up again after the
Wall street explosion and told the Gov
ernment that it was perpetrated by n
band of anarchists, organized as an in
dustrial body, the majority of whose
members were Italians
Lindenfeld said that the Wall street
bombers had fled to Europe but would
attend the Third Internationale. He
agreed to go over and point these men
out Che said he didn't know their
names) to United States agents. These
agents reported TO Washington that Lin
denfeld was pointing out innocent men
and soaring away those who seemed to
be the real criminals. A scheme was
then arranged to draw Lindenfeld to
Warsaw. where at the request of the
American agents the Polish Government
arrested him for travelling with pass
port representing him 10 be an Ameri-
can citizen. which he Is not. Sylvester
Cosgrovo was then sent to see him. and
| Paul Altendorf, who is a native of Po-
land, went from Germany to look him
over too.
Known ns Linde i'm Second Avenue
On Second avenue he was known as
Linde He was a member OF the Social
list organization of the Eighth Assem-
bly, district but his fellow Socialists
seemed to have believed that his in
Weighing against violent attacks on capt.
talism was not sincere. He had plenty
of money, but no one of his old acquaint-
ances could recall yesterday that he
had ever worked steadily at any Job.
1. NJ. Sactin, a lawyer in the Knicker-
booker Building. Forty-second street
and Broadway. said yesterday he had
acted for Lindenfeld in several matters
since 1914 At that time Lindeafeld
was editor and manager of the Tribune
Polskd, of which Sackin was counsel,
and he got the paper into the good
graces of the Government, so that dur
ing the war II was not compelled to
publish English translations of it's
| Polish articles. Mr.. Sackin said his
client was arrested on a charge of fe-
lonious assault in 1919. but was dis
charged.
Last vear IIndenfcfd had some