New-York tribune., 1922-12-28
Net Expected to Catch
Five More Declared to
Have Fired Business
Places in Price Rivalry
Confessions Made
By 2, Say Police
Associations Books Held
After Is Jobs; Acid
Thrown; l Man Killed

AZ least five more arrests are ex-
pected, II was announced last night, In
connection with the arson campaign
which Assistant District Attorney Rich
ard G. Murphy yesterday declared has
been wnged in this city in the last few
months between warning factions Of
lnundrymen. Seven arrests were made
yesterday.
Az least a doz> arious
laundiies by acid
throw came time to
ruin clio, .,u sVous being washed,
are attributed to the laundry arson
ring by Mr.. Murphy. In one Of them a
watchman was burned to death and IN
several others burRlaries were COM
mitted. TIE principals in the incendi-
ary warfare. the police say, are on one
side a loosely organized group OF In
dependent operators and on the other
a, group of wet wash or hand laundry
men who are supposed 10 be operating
chain system that undereuts their
rivals prices.
Seven Men Held In Roundup
From Frank Marchcse and Louis
Wallinger, who were arrested early
Yesterday In a room az 2l27 Third Ave-
nue., information was obtained that led
to the arrest Of Andrew Shea, GO Myrtle
Avenue, Brooklyn; Max Podulsky, 5i4
East 10th Street; Benjamin Litushy,
14O West 117th Street; Irving Paul and
Boris Amis, Sea Gate, Coney Island.
Paul is the secretary Of the Wet Wash
! Laundrymen's Protective Association,
Of 3S Park Row, and Amis is a COL
lector for the same organization.
Charges Of frst degree arson and burg
larry, or both. were made agninBt all
the men except Paul, whose alleged OF
tense was not announced by the police.
The investigation that led to the ar
rests was instituted Tuesday night by
Mr.. Murphy in conjunction with Police
Captain Stapleton, Fire Marshal Bro
ply ano Detectives Hastings, Broun-
worth. Kilroy and Hayden. OF the Safe
and Loft Squad, and resulted from the
complaint Of State Senator Thomas /.
Sheridan, counsel Of the Manhattan
and Bronx Laundrymen's Association.
After working all night the pol ee
rounded up and questioned more than
dozen persons. finally Obtaining con-
fessions. they say, from Marchese and
Wallihger.
Fifteen Jobs Are Admitted
These two prisoners admitted, II Is
alleged, that they had been employed
by an organization of-iaundrymen to
destroy laundries not included in the
combination. In all they participated
In fifteen jobs. they said, and In four
places fire resulted from the action Of
the acid used. One Of these, the police
say, was the laundry where the watch
man was burned to death. Marchese
and Wallinger were charged first with
violation Of the Sullivan law, but Mr..
Murphy later added the charge Of arson
and said ne would ask that they be heli
In $4,000 bail each. II is believed
they may know something about the
burning Of the laundry Of william
0urin, at iS4 East Tooth Street, on No
vember 1e, and about the destruction
by acid Of 5000 worth Of wash in the
New System Laundry. In Yonkers. the
largest establishment OF the kind in
Westehester County.
Income tax receipts and other papers
belonging to the Yonkers laundry are
said TO have been found by the police
In Marehese's room.
Books Of Association Seized
The charge against Paul, the police
said, was placed specifically in eonnec-
tion with the fire in the laundry at 20
Rutgers Street on November 10. This
fire is also named in the charges
against Marchese and Wallinger, II Is
said. Amis Is accused Of having en-
tered a laundry at 225 East i25th
Street on November 20, and o. having
removed a piston rod from an engine,
thus disabling the establishment for
two days. Litushy and Shea are hc-
cused OF arson and burglary in eonnee-
tion with the fire and reported robbery
at the Square Deal Laundry, Lenox
Avenue and 12lst Street, on November
21. Lltushy is alleged to have hired
Shea to do this job.
The books Of the Wet Wash Laun-
drymen's Protective Association we're
seized by the police when Paul and
Amis were arrested, and will be exam
ined. II Is said that Marehese and
Wallingcr we're on the pay roll of'the