The New York herald., 1922-03-23
FRAUD PLOT DENIED
BY DIVORCE RAIDERS
Insist Man They Found Was
Hirsch and AbsOlve
BerkOwitz.

Magistrate Oberwager, Will decide IN
Tombs court this morning whether there
Is evidence to hold Jack Berkowitz, ac-
cused when arrested Tuesday of having
admitted he had manufactured divorce
evidence in 22i West Thirty-sevcnth
street.
In view of denials by Berkowitz and
essential witnesses. District Attorney
Banton abandoned yesterday his inten-
tion of going before the Grand Jury
Immediately to ask an Indictment Tor
subornation of perjury.
Harold Hastings, Assistant Distric.
Attorney, questioned the three men on
whose affidavits Mrs. Helen Hirsch is
suing her husband, Sidney Hirsch of S03
West 1S0th street, for divorce. 1t had
been alleged the man found with q
woman in a room in the West Thirty
seventh street house in December last
was not Hirsch but an agent of Berko-
witZ, who had been made to resemble
l1irsch SO closely he fooled the raiders.
The raiders, questioned by Hastings.
swore the man they trapped was reall!
IIirsch. They said Berkowitz had moth
ing to do with the raid, and that they
made it at the request of Morris Fein
father of Mrs. Hirsch. These raiders
are Mortimer NJ. F'iss, vice president and
treasurer of William II. Fleisch & Co..
insurance brokers, As John street Sam
uel Margulies, cloak manufacturer. l2it
Broadway, and Ira Waldstein. manu-
facturer of millinery, III West Forty
second street.
Berkowitz protested he was an limo.
cent truckman. He denied he had OBJ
..t, Il -.
divorce case or that he had represented
himself as having done so or being will
ing to do so. He contradicted Samue
L. Chess. lawyer of rs Park Row. who
said Berkowitz told him how Hirsch hac
been framed and how he. Berkowitz
had in his employ man and a woman
both good actors and adopts at disguise
and for Sl,000 could concoct evidence thai
would win any plaintiff a divorce. III,
also confuted the testimony of Detective
Sergeant Flood and Detective Heller
Thomas, who placed dictaphone ir
Chess's office and say Berkowitz Offered
to supply witnesses whereby Mis-.
! Thomas could divorce her supposed hus
, band
With Berkowitz denying everythn:
and the three witnesses In the Hirscl
case absolving him of having had
I
ney was not prepared to rush ahea'
without investigating further. He viii
ask Magistrate Oberwager to hold tn,
truckman, possibly on a conspirac,
charge. until this can be done.
Last night Sergeant Flood reported e
District Attorney Banton he had taker
Berkowitz's finger prints to Police Head
quarters and found they correspond Will
those of Jacob Berkowitz, convicted or
June 20, 1919. before Judge Mcintyre il
General Sessions. of receiving stoler
goods and sentenced to States prison
for term of from two TO Ave years
Flood said Jacob Berkowitz was arrested
for burglary in 1917 but not convicted
and was arrested as suspicious per
son" in Bethlehem. Pa, April Is, 1919
In the Tombs. where he Is held II
$4,000 bail, Jack Berkowitz told FLOOD
he had been arrested once for speeding
He willingly submitted to finger print
ing. Berkowitz has a trucking offic,
in the house in West Thirty-seventl
street. and says that Is his only con
nection with the premises.
In Supreme Court Attorney Chess go
permission from Justice Lehman to post
pone for one week a motion for a jur,
trial OF the Hirsch divorce suit. Ches!
said he had evidence that the charg,
against his client was manufactured ant
that $500 had been offered to him oil
condition he cease to defend the suit.