The New York herald., 1922-08-12
EAST SIDE BAD MAN
KILLED AS SHOTS FLY
Street Cleaner and Girl Are
Felled by Bullets After
Valenti Drops.
ESCAPE EASILY MADE
Joe Masseria, Target of
Similar Fray on Tuesday,
Arrested at Once.
TWO OUTBREAKS LINKED
Victim, Known as Gambler and
Bootlegger, Dies Without
Giving Clew.
TWO OUTBREAKS LINKED

The second episode of the East Side
gang war that started Tuesday was
staged yesterday at Twelfth street and
/ Second avenue. On Tuesday two bold
gunmen tried to kill Joe Masseria at
Fifth street and Second avenue, and
after pumping two bullets through
Masseria's straw hat fled in a motor
car. shooting their way through a
crowd of striking tailors in front Of
Beethoven Hall in Fifth street near
Third avenue. One OF the tailors died.
Yesterday the battle was renewed
seven blocks to the north and this time
the shooting was better. Umberto
Valenti, whom the police classified as
a gambler. bootlegger and all-round
bad man. was shot to death. Joseph
Schepis, a street cleaner of 104 Seneca
avenue. Brooklyn, got bullet in his
throat. A little girl, Agnes Egginger,
II years old. was shot in the breast as
she stood terror stricken on the stoop
OF her grandfathers home, 232 East
Twelfth street.
Valenti, said to have been strong in
his hatred for Masseria. was killed
coldly and with as little conjunction
AS one would swat fly Two of the
men who fired shots at him ESCAPED
oy running through the basement of
2SS East Twelfth street and over the
back fence through another apartment
mousse into Thirteenth street. Whether
Schepis and Agnes Egginger we're shot
Dy riccocheting bullets or wantonly. aa
we're the tailors on Tuesdary, remains to
De learned. About twelve or fifteen
ouiiets were fired and there Is a diff
ierent story told for every bullet.
Masserfa Promptly Locked Up.
AS matter of fact it is not known
now many gunmen attacked valenti or
now many fired at him. But one of
the 1irst things the police did was to
arrest Masseria, who was locked up on
the charge of homicide. He was at lib
erty in $4,000 bail charged with com
phcity IN the murder OF Silva Taglia-
somoa, who was shot to death about
two months ago on Bootleggers' Curb,
Grand and Mulberry streets. Masseria
doggedly insists that he was in his
room at 50 Second avenue all yester-
gay and knew nothing about the plan
10 XIII his enemy, Valenti However.
the police say they will show later
Valenti was behind the plot to kill
Masseria on Tuesday
While the doctors at Bellevue say
there is plenty of hope for the recoy-
cry OF Schepis and Agnes Egginger,
whose nome Is at AZ Hulburt street.
New Haven. and who was in this city
with her parents on visit, both are
Tar from being out of danger. The
child's grandfathers name is Reinhod
Schulz. With the child in a blanket
the old man ran madly up and down
in front of his home until the ambulance
came.
Umberto Valenti. like Joe Masseria,
mad sinister police record. In 1915 he
was arrested for the murder OF Rosario
PelleSrino, gambler and gunman
known as Sally Brown. Sally Brown
was shot in front of 4is East Four
teenth street. Valenti was tried but not
convicted. He was one of a triumvirate
OF gamblers and. later, bootleggers. one
OF whom was killed on 3ootleggers'
Curb some months ago. The surviving
member of the trio limps up and down
Second avenue with five bullet scars
on his legs and body.
Valenti's home was at 405 East Ninth
East Side knows as snappy dresser.
The most reliable stories of what hap
pened yesterday have 1t that Valentl
was sauntering north on the east side
OF Second avenue. II would seem that
at least five men were trailing him.
Some versions have IL that they were
actually with him as far as Twelfth
street. but that seems unlikely.
At any rate. just before Valenti
a - n. IH.t.
street and Second avenue-just in front
of the Royal restaurant-two of his
enemies hustled diagonally across
toward Sherman's drug store on the
northwest corner. A taxicab. driven by
Samuel Zuckerberg. 20 Stanton street.
was rolling north toward the southeast
corner 1t was just after the noon hour
and there were scores of persons on all
four corners.
Crowd Ducked for Cover.
From the two men who had gone
toward the drug store there came q
shot Spurred by experience. the crowd
ran for cover. Apparently no one waited
TO see what was happening. Everybody.
or nearly everybod, hunted the nearest
doorway Then there were twelve or
dfteen shots, and in the midst of the
shooting Valenti clawed at his chest and
stumbled toward Zuckerberg's taxicab.
lie made a futile attempt TO pull hts own
revolver. but lacked the strength.
Zuckerberg threw open the door Of his
vehicle. but vaienti collapsed at the rum
ming board.
The firing ceased. From doorways
came the crowd, and 1t seemed az though
Il was going 70 surround the two men
on the drug store corner Any such in
tention the crowd may have had was
abandoned when the two began sweep
ing their revolvers IN arcs An front OF
them. The crowd melted. and together
the two men ran west on Twelfth street
to 233.
Mrs Rosie Matraiska, wife of the
cantor OF that building. saw them rush
through the basement. out into the yard
and leap the back fence.
Some say that three other men ran
east on Twelfth street. Others have II
that three ran south on Second avenue.
However. after the firing both Schepis
and Agnes Egginger lay in Twelfth
street.
The police say valenti operated at
least five blind tigers and that he had
accumulated fortune by conducting
gambling rooms and bootlegging enter
rrises. Some of the more enthusiastic
~ the detectives say that valenti must
bavo been worth $500. 900 or more. All
= ayvoo that he was rich Assistant Dis