The New York herald., 1922-04-12
GANGSTERS' SHOTS
HIT MAN, STUN WIFE
West Side Rowdies in a New
Game of Roof Battling Get
Innocent Victims.
POSTAL WORKER MAY DIE
Mother of Baby Five Days Old
Faints on Window as
Husband Drops.
POSTAL WORKER MAY DIE

Two Of the young men who seldom
kave anything to do except hold down
the curb at F'iftieth street and Tenth
avenue became involved in an argument
SO acrimonious just before O'Clock
yesterday afternoon that hey took to
slugging each other Before they had
rolled across the street once their friends
got into the brawl and in a minute or
so wild free for all was in progress.
Some one sighted patrolman and
gave the signal. Neither side had gained
victory. nor scented defeat, so it was
suggested that they repair to the roof OF
524 West Fiftieth street and finish 1t
there. Just why 524 was selected re-
rains mystery. On the roof the two
originals. each supported by three or
I. ur seconds. Went at It again. And
ol.ce more their friends entered the fray.
Before the fight was two minutes old
one of the warriors, probably unequal
to the combat with his fists, drew a
revolver. From the opposite side OF
the street the battle could be seen by
those tenement dwellers living on me
top floors.
Gallery watches Fight.
The word passed from house to house
that the gangsters had taken to fight
ing on the house tops. now that the
police were under strict orders to break
a gangsters head wherever or when
ever one appeared in public.
The top floor dwellers Watched the
combat until the first gun appeared and
then ducked. There was one shot and
then another. Then a fusillade of shots
and woman in her night gown fell
Imply upon the window sill on the
second floor OF 525 West Fiftieth street
just across the street from the gang
sters' Lookout Mountain battle She
screamed wildly and then seemed to
faint.
Patrolman John Donnellan OF the
West Forty-seventh street station. hav-
ing heard the shots and being informed
that the gang was exterminating it.
self on the roof of 52i. boldly drew his
own revolver and raced UP the stairs.
But the signal system over on the West
Side is always in good working order.
Before Donnellan had reached the roof,
ready to give battle to all the gangsters
in the district If need oa the warriors
had fled east and west
They leaped areaways and swung
like monkeys to fire escapes. They
took to the open skylights and roof
traps and got away. In few moments
they were scattered all over Hell's $
Kitchen. looking as though they had
never pulled trigger or hated fellow
human being. They had fled all the
faster because they had heard the
woman's scream and had heard some-
one shout:
"They've killed Mrs. Horabe. and her
with baby only five days old
Woman Limp on Windowsill.
Donnellan. finding his quarry gone,
ran down and across the street, where
a crowd had collected in front of 525.
still limp on the windowsill above was
Mrs. Horabe, wife of James Horabe. 3S
wears old. a letter carrier attached to
the sub-post office at Fifty-first street
and Broadway. Inside the flat Donnel-
Ian found Mrs. Horabe crawling across
the floor toward the bed wherein her
new baby and her two Older babies were
sleeping She was not injured
But on the floor. his hands digging
into his stomach. writhed her husband.
Donnellan turned the letter carrier over
and found him shot in the abdomen and
in the left arm. They took Horabe TO
Bellevue where 1t was said his chances
OF recovery were so slight that he might
die before morning.
Horabe had reached home just before
) o'clock. He opened the window and
sat there In his shirt sleeves. His wife,
still in bed since the birth of the baby.
heard the shots. saw her husband fall
and then dragged herself to the window
TO scream and faint. Detectives McAu-
life and Cooney arrested a man whose
name was not made public. He is held
as a witness. They say they know the
names of three or four OF the fighting
gangsters and expect TO make arrests at
once