The New York herald., 1922-08-09
FLEEING MEN SHOOT
SMSYREET, FAILING
TO HIT REAL ENEMY
Four in Blue Automobile
Drive Through Crowd OF
Tailors in Fifth Street.
ESCAPE AT ,34TH ST.
Two Wait in Restaurant i'll
Lower Second Aye.-Fire
at Close Range.
VICTIM'S' HAT SMASHED
Joseph Masseria Saves Self by
Dropping to Sidewalk and
Playing Dead.
svICTIM's' HAT SMASHED

Two particularly daring young men
made an unsuccessful attempt yes
terday afternoon to kill Joseph Mas
seria in Second avenue near Fifth
street
Satisfied that they had made good
Job of it, for Masseria fell to his
launches although unharmed, the
murderous pair fled In an open blue
motorcar. from which, with the assist
ance Of third, while a fourth was
driving, they shot right of way
through mob of 800 terror stricken
atriking tailcrs congregated in front
OF Beethoven Hall, 21o Fifth street,
just east of the Bowery.
Eight of the tailors fell under the
fire Two Of them were seriously. and,
maybe fatally, hurt-Jacob Goldstein,
Gg7 Beck street, The Bronx, and Isa-
dore Bittner, 735 Fifth street, Man
haitian.
Chased by detectives and policemen
in motor vehicles commandeered at
random, the trio and their chauffeur
escaped. The last their pursuers saw
of the blue automobile was when it
turned west into Thirty-fourth street
from Madison avenue. But the police
have the license number of the auto
mobile.
The affair was reminiscent OF the
Gays when Big Jack Zelig and Monk
Eastman made the laws for the East
Side. Certainly nothing half as auda-
cious has happened south of Fourteenth
street since the Monk himself, turned
bootlegger, was shot to death.
Says Nothing About Assaiiants.
Masseria, quick to regain his compo-
sure. was taken to the Fifth street police
station. where he steadfastly refused to
ell the police whether he knew the men
who tried to kill him. He was not ar
rested. Later he was released.
Masseria lives at so Second avenue.
Just across the street at 70. there is a
rt staurant After the shooting shop
keepers remembered that at aboR half
rast one In the afternoon blue motor
rar containing four men stopped at the
northwest corner of Second avenue and
Fifth street. Two men got out
They walked down to the restaurant
~ 70 and seated themselves at a table
rcsir the door. from which they could
observe the house where Masseria lives.
The waiter recalled that they ordered
ample cake and coffee and bade him be
quick The blue motor car moved a
erw yards west in Fifth street. parking
at the curb near a butcher shop.
Held I'm Two Murder Cases.
Masserla Is 81 and what lower Second
avenue calls swell dresser Two months
Ego he was arrested on the charge OF
murder after Silva Tagliagomba was
shot to death at Grand and Mulberry
strcets--the center OF what the police
have come to call The Bootleggers Curb.
1agliagomba was only one Of fifteen or
twenty who have been shot to death on
The Bootleggers' Curb in che last three
wears. The Bootleggers' Curb is pre-
c'sely what It's name implies.
There was no evidence OF Masserias s
guilt. but for reasons they thought suffi-
cient the police urged that he be held
for completely IN the killing OF Taglia-
lomba. So Masseria was held I'm 81, 900
tail which was readily enough fur
iished by reputable persons who did not
seem 60 think they were taking any
great risks.
The police said they had not connected
Masseria with bootlegging and added
that the only other official knowledge
they have OF him is that he was arrested
IN January. 1921. on suspicion Of know
Ing something about the murder OF
Salvatore Mauro, an olive oil merchant.
who met his death In broad daylight d
week or so previously In front OF 232
hrystie street. The murder Of Mauro
was remarkably brazen bit OF work
Scores OF persons saw II. but nobody
could remember what the assassin looked
IKE. Certainly there was no evidence
against Masseria and he was let go.
See Masseria Leave Home.
The two young men in the restaurant
at 70 Second avenue didn't have long TO
wait Just before 2 o'clock Masserin
left his home. at so, and walked north
toward Fifth street. Without waiting
to pay for their coffee and apple cake
the two men ran out of the restaurant
and across the street IL would seem
that Masseria saw them coming.
Whether he recognized them remains to
be found out. lie wouldn't tell.
lie turned. facing them. in front OF the
plate glass show window of Heiney
Brothers women's wear shop at 50. Tho
two young men came running, and as
they reached tho curb. only two leaps
from the transfixed Masseria. they
pulled automatic pistols out Of their
pockets. Whether words were ex-
changed or not Is not known. Abraham,
Heiney was In the women's wear shop
but he knew nothing about II until the
shooting began.
Thc gunmen were within five feet og
Masseria when they fired. The merest
dub OF a gangster bad as their aim SO
often Is. hardly could have missed al
that range. But the first bullet did
MISS II pierced the plate glass show
window and. according to Abrr ham
Continued on Page Three.