INCENDIARIES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume L, Issue 16425, 8 May 1924, Page 7

INCENDIARIES.

LAUNDRYMAN'S WAY WITH

RIVALS

BURNING OUT PRICE CUTTERS. NEW YORK, March 3.—New York has long known of the existence in its midst of professional murderers, or gunmen, who charge regular fees for their services, embracing every form of crime). Bub yesterday it learned during the trial of Boris AJlmis, assistant manager of ,tlhe Web Wash Laundrymen's Protective Association, that- its population includes also a number of highly skilled "firebugs," or incendiaries. Almis had for years been waging watt' against the hand foundries of New York. His chief weapon .was arson, and the chief witness against him yesterday was Louis Walllinger, who gave evidence that Alllmis had employed him alb a safary of £ll a week to burn down the establishments of his price-cutting rivals.

"It 'was nob new work to me." he told the judge. "I had been doing it for years." The laundries he destroyed were all situated in tenement buildings containing malny sleeping peirsons, none of whom., as it happened, was killed. To a question isked by the Assistant Public Prosecutor, Wiaillinger replied, "Whaifc might happen to these people did not bother me."

Almis, he said', him and his partner, Frank MarShosi, particular instructions Ho 1 "mlako a good job" of burning down a laundry in Orchard street, .run H>y Isiadore Licht, against whom he had a grudge. The couple broke into the laundry in the eairly hours of the morning, poured petrol all around, threw ia -match'into it, mind l'a'u away. The nest day Ailmis, after inspecting the "job," gava them a dinner and a bonus of £8 in addition to their salaries. Several other professional' "firebugs" have been arrested by the police.