5 Feb 1926 - The Republican-Journal (Ogdensburg, New York)
Back to: Case File: David Dinberg
Page 5, Columns 3/4
MAY BE CHARGED WITH THE
Alleged to Have Criminal Record and Is Said to Have
Made Statements of Conflicting Nature - Parts of
Trousers Found in Shack May Be STained With Blood
- Stained Hatched Found in Murder House - Knife
and Letters of Russian Brought Here From Theresa, -
Chain of Evidence is Being Welded
Michel Lisowsky, alias Michel Lisaur, 34, picked up here early yesterday morning as the so-called "Russian suspect" in the David Dinberg murder case, was given another grilling last night by District Attorney William D. Ingram who is working day and night with his assistants in an effort to clear up the case.
When examined last night Lisowsky denied that he had been arrested in Heuvelton. He was confronted by Sergeant Welch of the state constabulary who declared that Lisowsky was arrested and sent to the Jamesville penitentiary as a suspect in connection with buglarizing the New York Central railroad station in Heuvelton early last summer.
Lisowsky admitted that he had been sent to Jamesville but denied that it was for burglary. Justic Roulston committed him to the penitentiary on a charge of vagrancy and he served 120 days. Under the law he could not be sent to Jamesville from this county on a charge of burglary.
Lisowsky while being questioned seems to exude simplicity but officials are convinced he has a keen mind and underneath his seemingly guileless exterior there is shrewdness and cunning.
The district attorney announced that he had evidence that Lisowsky had been arrested in four places downstate, including Syracuse.
Sergeant Welch brought over from Theresa last night the knife that Lisowsky abandoned in a barn where he slept there. The instrument is a medium sized mean knife with an aluminum handle. Lisowsky worked for a time in the aluminum plant in Massena. There are no stains on the knife. Another important discovery was made in the barn near Theresa by Sergeant Welch. He found two letter in the Russian language which were addressed to Lisowsky, letters in the Russian language the district attorney and will be translated.
Thomas Brannigan, fingerprint expert from Dannemora prison, who is said to be the best man at that kind of work in the state, made an inspection of the Dinberg house yesterday. He found a hatchet in some rubbish in the room where Dinberg was killed and what appear to be blood stains are on the hatchet. The handle of the hatchet is cracked and the crack appears to be fresh. New photographs of fingerprints were made by Mr. Brannigan, who is being assisted by Rene LeMaitre.
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Mr. Brannigan has had no opportunity thus far to make a thorough comparison of the fingerprints in the possession of the authorities. He remained here last night and this morning will visit the Manhattan Silk mill where he will examine fingerpirnts on the safe in the office which was entered by robbers yesterday morning.
Lisowsky was questioned at length during the day by District Attorney Ingram. While the man has not been directly connected with the crime, the district attorney announced that his statements were of a conflicting nature nad that he would be held. If Lisowsky is not formally charged with slaying Dinberg, he will be committed to the county jail as a vagrant in order that the authorities may have an opportunity to fully investigate his record and movements, the prosecutor announced. Lisowsky syas he knows nothing about the death of Dinberg and that he "never killed anybody". He declared he left Ogdensburg Jan 25th, three days before the murder was committed, and remained at Massena until last Wednesday night, when he returned to Ogdensburg, but the district attorney said he could prove that the prisoner was seen in Ogdensburg as late as Jan. 28, the day that Dinberg met his death. Lisowsky says he never hanlded junk but District Attorney Ingram claims he can disprove this as well as other statments made by Lisowsky. The prisoner says he was never in trouble before but Mr. Ingram declares he served a term in the St. Lawrence county jail at Canton for public intoxication and also has been in Jamesville penitentiary and was arrested in two other places downstate.
Lisowsky is a coal miner and lived at Scranton until the strike, when he came north. Before reaching Ogdensburg he was employed on a state road contract at Theresa.
The police found Lisowsky in a railroad shack near the Hall coal derrick in the lower harbor. The watchman had allowed him to sleep there, Lisowsky says. Police say they found pair of Khaki cloth trousers cut into four pieces int he shack. The cloth bore evidence of having been washed in an attempt to remove stains of some sort. Portions of the locht containing the marks have been sent to the St. Lawrence State hospital laboratory and Bender laboratory at Albany for chemical analysis to determine if the spots were made by blood.
Lisowsky denied that he was seen with a bag on his back and carrying a brass lamp in the vicinity of New York Central yards. When confronted with witnesses who declared they saw him, Lisowsky admitted he had such a lamp and threw it away near the Hackett foundry. Police went there yesterday and found the lamp in the snow. The Hackett foundry is near the railroad tracks and only a block from the murder house.
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THERESA, Feb. 4 - A man answering the description of Mike Lisowsky, a Russian, who was arrested this morning in Ogdensburg in connection with the murder of David Dinberg, Russian junk dealer, was employed on the state road near this village last fall. It was leanred today by men, who had been employed in road work that the man gave his name was Mike Lisowsky at that time.
He started work with the road gang about Aug. 6 and he continued his labors until Aug. 26. At that time he left for Hammond, where it was learned that he spent several weeks.
It was pointed out today that during the summer months the barn owned by Frank Turner, where Lisowsky is believed to have spent Sunday night, was used by the state road gang to keep tools.
The state troopers from Ogdensburg were in Theresa this morning and got the knife, which was found by Mr. Turner in his barn. They will take it back to Ogdensburg and tyr to have Lisowsky identify it as his.