New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-08-02
Death Roll of Lunch
Room Victims Growing
With 100 I'LL and License
of Cafe Is Suspended
Baker Held Under
Bail as Witness
Quit and Part of His Old
Dough Was in Pastry;
One of Owners Stricken

Two more deaths were added last
night to the four caused by arsenic In
pie served at the Shelburn Restau-
rant, li27 Broadway. Charles Roman,
sixty-three years OLD, manufacturer,
Of 114S Lexington Avenue, died in
Mount Sinai Hospital, and Joseph Laub-
heimer, thirty-eight years old, Of II
West Sixty-ffth Street, died at his
home.
Four others died earlier In the day
and at least 100 more were affected,
many 80 seriously that they had to
have hospital treatment. More deaths
are looked for. 1t has been impossible
fering from the poisoning because most
Of them are being treated at their
homes.
The four who died yesterday morn
ing are:
Hyman Bernstein, thirty-two years
old, Warren Avenue, Palisade, N. j.
Lillian Getz, eighteen years old, 1852
Brook Avenue, Bronx.
Ida Weissburg, twenty-five years old,
976 Kelley Street, Bronx.
Jacob Pfeffer, forty-eight years old,
1881 Eightieth Street, Brooklyn.
Mr. Pfeffer was an advertising man,
with Offices at 318 Broadway. He was
well known among Jews in this country
and Canada as a forceful editorial
writer for Jewish newspapers. At one
time he was connected with "The Jew
ish Daily News" and at another period
published "The Jewish Weekly" a pa
per OF his own.
uo he, ~, Coi; ;oio +-,,
came TO this country about twenty
eight years ago. He was prominent
member of the Independent Order
Birth Abraham and one of the lodges
of this organization was named for
him.
Banton Holding for Motive
District Attorney Banton will sum-
mon every employee Of the restaurant
to appear before him to-day in an at
tempt to fix the responsibility and to
find motive for placing the poison in
the pie served in the, restaurant on
Monday. Samuel Drexler, head of the
hrm which operates the restaurant, is
helping the District Attorney in every
possible way. Drexler went to the
Bronx and to New Jersey yesterday to
see if he could identify the dead per-
sons as among those who ate in the
restaurant on Monday. In this connec-
tion Mr.. Banton declared that it might
be difficult to establish legally q the
TACT that those who died did actually
aine In the restaurant, and therefore,
ne said, he wished that all those who
ate there on Monday would communi-
cate with him, as they might be help
Srl on this point.
:, A special meeting of the Board of
Health ro11aS
by. Acting Health Commissioner Mon
aghan, at which Drexler and his at
torney, Harry H. Oshrim, were pres
eht' AS result of this meeting, the
license issued to the Shelbourne
restaurant was revoked pending the
Inyestigation by the District Attorneys
once, the revocation to take effect i'm
mediately. After the meeting, Ole
oaithe, chief of the Bureau Of Food
ana Drugs of the Health Department,
sala that chemists of the department
naa made an analysis of sample of
ne PIE crust taken from the restaur-
s.'s ana found that it contained arsenic
~ considerable quantity. All the in
S.eoiehes winch were used in the max
sng OF PIE dough were analyzed and
found to be pure.
"Malicious,' Says Salthe
"a, Al my opinion" said Mr.. Salthe,
sne arsenic was maliciously put into
sne pie dough-" He also announced
.na' samples Of all the food served in
s.e restaurant were in the possession
" " the Health Department and that
aese would be analysed as soon as
l., me District Attorneys investigation
,rh nds aslied. SO far to reveal any one on
sd ssnom guilt may be fastened. Mr..
cahson 1a,h;ta thought it possible rat poison
Smhien contains arsenic) or some SINH
mi.s "a. substance might have been mixed
wiz. WIN the dough by mistake in place of
'0Ge OF the proper ingredients.
-. oharies Abrsmson, baker, who left
,Me employ of the Shelbourne Restaur-
Si. IN. on Saturday, was questioned by the
uis'rict Attorneys office. Later he
@ mss held as a material witness and
yas released In 500 bail. According
H Mr. Banton, he is apparently not to
me examination Of witnesses dis
i0a ioseo yesterday that Abramson had
zen yseh connected with the restaurant for
uhss e5ass months. coming into its employ
"nsa Louis Mandell, the former baker,
fC0nfInued ,ars