Evening star., 1940-02-21
News Dealer Is Held
In AssauIt-Suicide
Case in New York
Art Gallery Official Kills
Himself After Associate
Is Bodily Beaten
BY the Associated Press.

NEW YORK, Feb. 21.-The sham
bling figure of John (Red Poggi,
AZ, financial district news dealer,
appeared in the police lineup today
as detectives sought to connect him
with a battling case of suicide and
attempted murder, which they have
dubbed the Art Gallery Mystery. u
Poggi denied emphatically that he
had any connection with the case.
Il never saw the man before in
my life," he declared. referring to
the art gallery executive whose skull
he was accused of having cracked.
anonymously fitted into a drama
of high finance and priceless art
treasures. Poggi shuf1led into the
New Dorp, Staten Island, police
station yesterday after a vain 49,
hour search for him. and mildly
inquired If he was wanted"
He was arraigned on an affidavit
charging suspicion of felonious as
sault and was held without bail for
a hearing Friday. ,.sc .l--,.
Originally, on surrendering, he
had been booked on straight as
sault charge, and police were reluc-
tant to discuss his connection, If any.
with the bizarre case. -..'----
Identified BY Victim.
A few hours later, in Manhattan
hospital, Poggi was identified by
Milton B. Logan. former president
of the American Art Association
Anderson Galleries, Inc, as the man
who slugged him with a foot-long
piece of lead pipe. wrapped in ad-
hesive tape, during a wild ride
through East Side New York streets
Monday night.
With Mr.. Logan on the ride was
his former associate, John T. Geery,
secretary-treasurer of the art gall
leries, who, three hours later-after
meeting his wife at the Waldorf
Astoria with a bleeding face and
battered skull-shot himself to death
in the basement of his luxurious
home at Garden City. Long Island.
Mr.. Logan's story, mumbled as he
lay in a hospital bed in a critical
condition from a fractured skull,
was that he met Mr.. Geery at 5:45
pm. Monday, near the financial
district newsstand operated by
Poggi, and that Mr.. Geery intro
duced the newsie as "a friend"
SA~.,~L
1t was raining, Mr.. Logan said,
and Poggi offered to drive the two
art dealers uptown, but demurred
at taking the wheel himself, saying
he didn't like to drive on slippery
streets.
Mr.. Geery volunteered to drive,
while Mr.. Logan sat beside him. He
said that Poggi, cousin of Louie
the Lump Poggi, a police char
acter from the old kid Dropper"
gang days, hunched in the back seat.
I'VE were driving on the East
River Drive" Mr.. Logan told police,
when I was struck from behind
terrific blow.
Il turned and grabbed the blud-
geon, but he hit me again. We strug-
gled and the thing fell out the win
dow. Then the door swung open
and I fell out"
A police RADIO car found Mr.. Lo-
gan wandering dazedly on East
River Drive. Lying nearby was the
piece of adhesive-tsped lead pipe.
Feared Life In Danger.
Mr.. Logan said he first feared his
life was in danger when Mr.. Geery
called him to his Office last Novem-
ber for a night conference concern
ing the art business which they took
over on q shoestring and which
crossed as high as $4,000, 900 year
at the time.
It was about this time that he and
Mr.. Geery were indicted for $65 900
fraud in connection with the sale of
clients art properties.
"On that night, after the confer
ence, we left to take a subway and
Mr.. Geery suddenly remembered he
had forgotten his watch" Mr.. Lo-
gan said.
HE went back to get 1t, and while
I was waiting a man I never saw
before pushed me down the subway
steps,"
Poggi was not asked If he knew
Mr.. Geery, whose 5-page suicide
note-apparently started last April
IL and concluded with q penciled
scrawl-added another wierd angle
to the strange case.
In that final paragraph, Mr..
Geery wrote his wife In part as fol-
lows:
This is the limit. have lived
in hell since May through some one
else's deception and Plaut knows all.
Let him take care of your affairs"
Plaut was identified as Herbert
Plaut,. Mr.. t0eery's attorney, who
told police Mr.. Geery had accused
Mr.. Logan of getting him into the
trouble that resulted In their In
dictment.