The New York herald., 1922-12-28
CONFESSIONS REVEAL
PAID ARSON IN FEUD
OF RIVAL LAUNDRIES
Police Say Three Prisoners
Admit Sabotage Aimed
to Ruin Rivals.
SIX MEN ARE JAILED
Arrests Solve Origin Of
Fires in Tenements
Over Shops.
JOBS COST UP TO $500
Prosecutor Murphy Told Burn
ing Has Been Regular Wea-
pom in Trade War.
JOBS COST Up TO $500


alleged employers were rounded up by
! the police yesterday and confessions
obtained that solved the mysterious
origin of at least seven tenement
house fires. These tenements were
built over laundries. The prisoners
say the aim was to burn the laundries
only In an effort to destroy compe-
tition in the laundry trade.
Up to late hour last night six
prisoners had been taken to Police
Headquarters with the expectation
that before the night was over two
more would be brought from Brooklyn
and three from The Bronx. All the
prisoners are to be arraigned in the
Harlem Court to-day charged with
arson in the first degree. which carries
a penalty OF forty years.
Detectives OF the Loft Squad and AS
sistant District Attorney Richard Muir
ply, assisted b. Fire Marshal Brophy.
have been working OH the case since
early Tuesday night and. although over
score of witnesses have been inter-
rogated. they believe they have only
scratched the surface of the depreda-
tions carried on in the feuds that exist
both in the big steam laundry and wet
wash groups.
A Year OF Sabotage.
Tho investigation was inspired by for
nler Senator Thomas |. Sheridan. coun-
sel to the Manhattan and Bronx Coop
erative Laundries Association, in a COM
plant which he made 10 the District At
| torney's office concerning flre In a.
laundry in East 10th street. Arson.
Senator sheridan said yesterday, was
a favorite weapon OF a certain element
| IN the laundry trade and that for nearly
year members Of his association had
been subjected TO interference by Tire
and sabotage. lie finally laid the mat
ter before the authorities. phd The pres
ent arrests resulted
The men charged with arson are
Louis wallinger. SO. Wyckoff street.
Brooklyn; Frank Marchese, "a. 2l27
Third avenue: Andrew J. Shea, 81,
| chauffeur, &c Myrtle avenue. Brooklyn;
Irving L. Paul. 3s, 1854 Eighty-hrst
! street. Brooklyn: Max Podoisky. 81,
| 3l4 East 110th street. and Benjamin
Lituchy, 81. l40 West if7th street.
Confessions Of having actually set
laundrles afire were obtained according
10 the police from Walllnger. Marchese
1 and Shea. who implicated the remaining
prisoners Boris Amis. "a. Of Sea Gate.
| Coney Island, another prisoner. was
held on a burglary charge. the complaint
being that he entered a laundry at 22S
East i25th street accompanied by Shea
| on November 26 and stole some piston
rods TO destroy the machinery.
| The most important arrest made so
! for nv the police is that OF Irving l..
! Paul. who Is the secretary OF the Wet
Wash Laundrymen's Protective Associa-
tlon at 80 Park Row. Paul was arrested
| in the offices or the association follow
ing the confession OF the three prisoners
and the books and records OF the asso-
ciation seized and taken to Police Head
quarters. District Attorne. Murphy de-
| clared that the investigation showed
men were kept on the payroll OF the
laundry association at $40 a week while
actually engaged in other jobs. and that
they were paid from S75 to $500 extra
| for the work OF incendiarism and de-
struction depending upon the size and
the importance Of the work at hama.
Suspected for Months.
The only other member OF the pro-
2
| who acted as a collector OF dues. The
| cutthroat competition between groups Of
laundries hcJ been known 10 the au-
thorities for some months and the fact
1 that many OF the fires .sat have recently
! occurred in tenement houses were found
to have started In or near laundries To-
Gated on the ground floor aroused the
suspicious of the Fire Ma-shals staff. but
/ no definite clew was unearthed until
/ 10 ha
When Marchese and wa.linger we're
arrested at 2i27 Third avenue early
/ yesterday morning on suspicion of hav-
! ing been connected with the fire at 1874
I East 110tn street. income tax receipts
from the New System Laundry at 81
Hawthorne avenue, The Bronx. were
\ found in the prisoners possession. Dis
( trict- Attorney Murphy called UP the
| laundry snd was informed by the own
ers that their place had been robbed on
! Tuesday night and $4,000 worth OF laun-
dry and machinery damaged.
Mr. Sheridan said last night that the
persecution OF his clients laundries con-
| tlrued in various forms even after
/ plants had been temporarily lncapaci-
/ tsted For example. he said one pant
| had been burned one month and then
| robbed the next One of the big steam
/ lsundries in The Bronx he said. had
| been put out OF business for ten months
| and damage done to the extent OF s75.-
| 900. In all ten or fifteen laundries. he
/ said. had been visited and damaged In
one way or another by agents Of rival
4 groups
/ The Yonkers Laundry had been robbed
/ and damaged. II we. ssid. because u
/ had been coming down into the terri
tory OF competing company that con-
! troiled n certain section OF The Bronx
| and underselling Il.
| All ihe fires charged against WAL
| l'nger Msrchese and shea are compara-
| lively small. but the authorities believe
\ they have struck the trail that will ad
( to the arrest OF men higher up who
engineered the burning Of some of the
| big steam laundries that do work for
! groups OF 100 to 100 small laundries.