The evening world., 1922-12-27
ARRESTS REVEAL
CROOKS HIRED TO
BURN, ,LAUNDR|ES
Blaze That Killed II in Har.
lem Linked in Feud Between
Rival Concerns.
TWO HELD FOR ARSON.
Taken When District Attor-
ney Gets Startling Story Of
Fires and TheftS.

The arraignment in Harlem Police
Court to-day on charges of arson and
violation of the Sullivan law Of Frank
| Marchese, twcnty-four years old, No.
"i27 Third Avenue, and Louis Wal
linger, thirty nine years old, an eK-
convict now under bail and awaiting
trial on charge Of burglary, dis
| closed that the District Attorneys
office, Fire Marshal Brophy and a
squad of police detectives have been
Investigating for several weeks a series
Of suspected iucendiary fires in laun-
dries throughout Manhattan, the
Bronx and In Westchcstcr County.
Among the fires under investigation
is that of Nov. s last, when a blaze
which is believed to have started IN a
laundry on the ground floor destroyed
the tenement at No. 1874 East 1lOth
Street with loss of eleven lives.
Marchese and Wallinger have. been
Identified by several persons whose
laundrcs have been set on fire or
| burglarized. Assistant District Attor-
ney Murphy said at noon that several
members of gang of combined fire
bugs and burglars have turned States
! evidence and furnished the informa-
tion upon which MarchosC and Wal
linEcr were arrested.
MIR. Murphy, Marsha, Brophy and
Capt. Staplctoa of the Safe and Loft
Squad were at work all night at Po-
| Ice Headquarters.
The questioned eight men and one
woman. At o'clock this morning
Detectives Braunsworth and Hayden
were sent to No. 2l27 Third Avenue
with instructions to arrest Marchcse,
who lived there, and Wallingcr who
| had been lodging with him.
| When the detectives reached the
| address neither Mnrchcse nor Wal
| linEer was in. Tho two men arrived
| about o'clock ard were allowed TO
tcnter and go to bed, Then the de-
| tectives broke in and arrested them.
| Two loaded reyolvcrs were found in
the bedroom.
The detectives found also some in
| come tax receipts made out TO tho
| New System Laundry, No. FL Haw-
| thorne Avenue, NonkcTs. Mr.. Murphy
| called up the laundry and one Of the
owners, l.. Rippncr informed him
| that the place was entered last night,
| about s., 900 worth OF laundry be-
| longing TO patrons was ruined, the
| safe was blown and robbed, ma
| chinery was damaged and account
books were destroyed. The other
partners name is Oppenhcimcr.
"TheY are evidently trying 20 put
us out of business" said Rippner.
About "A week ago a man threw "A
| lighted bottle Of gasoline into one OF
our wagons. We caused his arrest.
We will have to make good for the
laundry that was ruined last night"
Since early last Summer there has
been lively feud between The big wet
wash laundries and the small uoiEhbor-
hood hand laundries, competition be-
tween which is generally bitter Mr..
| Murphy says the evidence AZ hand in
dicates that a gang of ir' bugs and
burglars took advantage OF the teud
and the keen competition ana Nolur-
teered to set fire 10 and rob establish
/
| approached.
| The police and fire marshal haYe been
suspicious ever since the faul Harlcn
| fire that started In the laundry in tie
building. This laundry was hou-h, a
| short time before the fire boy one VII
liam Ourin. Detectives have learned
that Ourin began to cut rates and made
himself unpopular with othcr Laundry
owners In the vicinity.
The suspicious Of the police we're
strengthened a week ago when State
Senator Thomas sheridan, o. counsel
TO the Manhattan and Bronx Laun-
| drymen's Association, submitted 10 the
| District Attorney sworn sHtcmcnis
made by persons who said they had
been employed 10 burn und rob
| iaundries, senator rueuulu told
| Mr.. Banton That moro thn1 fifteen
| laundrics have been burned aud many
others have been ruined iu the la-l
six months, causing damug" running
! into the hundreds OF Thousands Of
dollars