The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1942-02-24
Walter WinchelI
On Broadway /.
MAN ABOUT NEW YORK

MAN ABOUT NEW YORK
In January, 1899, two men tSal-
vatore Gait and Charles SbernD
were executed for the murder OF a
cop named Wilson during a hold
up ON Fulton Street There
was no doubt as to Gati's guilt
he was the only man Sam Liebo-
witz tnow judge) lost to the cleo
trio chair But Sberna always
claimed innocence, and on the day
Of the burning Gait named another
man as his accomplice ". On the
evening CT their execution Warden
Lawes remarked TO a reporter: For
the first time, I think, we may be
sending an innocent man to the
chair. I've done all I can to save
him-but nobody believes me-"
Sberna was never put right at
the scene of the crime by witnesses.
They claimed only that he looked
like q man" they saw running away
from the scene A few months
later-"the other man" was arrest
ed in Pennsylvania on a warrant
charging him with the murder of
another policeman "a SergeanD in
New York Now the plot SICK
ems BY the time, when wit
nesses of the first case took a look
at the last man-they realized he
was really Gati's accomplish ..
But the other kid was beyond saw
ing-and so The law had to free the
ccomplice-withou even trying
him for the Sergeant's murder s.. q.
To do so would air the whole blum
der And they couldn't try him
for the first murder-for which an
other man had already been put
to death.
The editors in this town can de-
pend on me that all the above Is
true I can't reveal the name
of the source-but he is one of the
most respected ex-officials in the
State of New York and wherever
he is known elsewhere -. Sberna's
family (and this I cannot prove) ,
according to their intimates-has
been staked by a sort of hush
fund" And the real killer, now
free, is working for union .
The above story will eventually be
confirmed as definitely as death In
the electric chair
The whole Disney Congress fight
is foolish because he was paid in
full by the Treasury Dept several
weeks ago From this colin OF
Oct. 9th, 1941: "Ex-Warden LaWes
will definitely run against Congress
man Fish in the AZ elections, and
the wagering is S to l that Lawes
will win" The item was called
ridiculous by the deniers :. From
the N. Y. Herald-Trib. Feb. 22nd !:
'I.awes May Run Against Fish in
Primary in Fall" =. What about
Congressman Oliver, Mr.. Federal
Prosecutor Maloney? Didn't Oliver
lend his frank to Charles Shipman
Payson's "Commentator" pieces and
Lindbergh's speeches? The Hays
Office has murdered "The G-Strlng
Murders" from Gypsy Rose Lees
book-and they won't permit anyone
to film 1t :. The COLIN will sue
The Washington Times Herald for
recision of contract for numbering
its text and dropping the colyum
for days at time. When sub
scribers query about its admission
they say: "He writes only 3 days
weekly" 1t will be Journalistic
history. First time a reporter fired
hi, x,,yhlishpr
Book publishers are cutting one
eighth Of an inch on tones already
to conserve paper The pest
book publishers 60 are standard
ardizing the jackets on non-fictlon
"A Los Angeles lawyer has COM
planned to authorities that JapS are
using "spot" announcements on
West Coast high-powered stations
to relay code messages to Tokyo
Earl Larrimore, the stage star,
is at Saranac improving, his pals
will be glad to learn :. The N. Y.
Times Is prepared for an air raid
In its annex lobby (Where the paper
is printed there's Disaster Wagon
equipped with helmets, first aid kits,
etc. Lieut.. Jimmy Stewart
was almost crushed by admirers on
his visit. Spencer Tracy, too
Our favorite story is the one about
the Ham Fish that didn't get away
John Roy Carlson's "Our Fascist
Enemies Within" in the March
American Mercury, is a cork
er TIL story of how John
Carridine got away from Fox in a
H'wood honey Teehee!
The ticket sale is terrific for the
Navy Relief March 10th affair Cat
the Garden) and the testimonial to
Quentin Reynolds at the Roosevelt
Hotel on the 7th. Quents is Tor
the British-American Ambulance
Corps Denison B. Hull, prom
inent Chicago civic leader, will run
against Stephen A. Day for Cong
at-Large. Day is the clunk named
in the Viereck Nazi propaganda
mess Betty Apple, the lovely
at the La Martinique show, has
reed three offers for screen tests
after one line about her beauty here
Although Disney got back