A N T \V E R P.

J

E \V EL E R S

TRADITION THAT STANDS
THE TEST OF TIME.

doubt, by a short story by play-
wright Ben Hecht, that Fink
was anything but the quiet,
humble businessman he ap-
peared to be.
As "The Mystery of the Fabu-
lous Laundryman" begins, a re-
porter meets with a source
named Dick McCarey. McCarey
entices the journalist with his
tale of a most mysterious inci-
dent: A laundryman named
Meyer has been found dead, shot
twice, no murder weapon. As the
story ends, McCarey reveals
that he has learned the real
identity of "Meyer."

Tradition means more than simply the passage of time. It means quality, integrity,
and attention to the things that count the most. Lihe excellence that can only be measured by the
wisdom and the teaching of our forefathers. For four generations, Antwerp Jewelers has
practiced this excellence, while specializing in loose diamonds and custom design.
Without gimmicks. And without "sales."
At Antwerp, we believe our quality merchandise speaks for itself. It has for over 100 years.
Like a tradition that stands the test of time.

Diamonds and Fine Jewelry

6209 Orchard Lake Road • West Bloomfield, MI 48322 • (248) 855-8000
In the Sugartree Plaza

Tradition! Tradition!

always has
a holiday feeling
and
the largest selection
of
fine Judaica

Tradition! Tradition!

Call Alicia R. Nelson
for an appointment

(810) 557-0109

•
verfising

tod ay,

"This laundryman," said Mr.
McCarey in a soft voice, "was the
Czar of Russia."
I regarded Mr. McCarey calm-
ly.
"Nikolai the Second," he said
with dignity, in a sad croak.
Then he went on in a mumble,
"Escaped from his executioners
in Siberia in 1918. Shipped
across the world, his royal mind
fogged by the tragedy of his mur-
dered kin. But enough of his
brain left to know he was hunt-
ed and that murder waited for
him around every corner on the
globe. So he drifted into Harlem
as a little laundryman with a
Jewish name."

Before you offer your own cre-
ative solution to the case, here
are the facts:
Isidore Fink was born in Rus-
sia, the son of Harry and Rosie
Fink. He came in 1921 to the
United States where, in addition
to owning a laundry, he worked
as a plumber. He was single and
had a brother, Morris, who also
operated a laundry and who
lived on Powers Avenue in New
York. The two were estranged.
Fink, who was 37 when he
died, was living for six months
with a shoemaker named Max
Schwartz in a large apartment
building at 52 E. 133rd Street.
Fink's portion of the rent was $4
a month.
Fink owned a laundry, the
Fifth Avenue Laundry in a ten-
ement building at 4 E. 132nd in
Harlem, directly across the
street from a used furniture
store operated by his friend, Max
Sternberg.
Nothing appeared to be out of
the ordinary on March 9, 1929.
Fink's friend, Ralph Sacks of
Brooklyn, stopped by the laun-
dry at about 1 p.m. that day. He
saw nothing unusual.
That evening, Max Sternberg
came by to say hello to Fink. He
left at about 9:45 p.m. While
Sternberg was there, two others
entered the laundry. They were
later identified as Mary Perry
and James Port;-...at. Both ac-
knowledged being at the laun-
dry, where Porteat bought used
clothing from Fink. They left

soon afterward, and were not
considered suspects.
A little less than an hour lat-
er Locklin Smith, an elderly
woman, heard strange noises.
Miss Smith lived in an apart-
ment building directly behind
the laundry, with the two facil-
ities separated by a door that
was never used. Police described
it "nailed securely."
Smith told police she was
preparing for bed when she
heard a commotion. This was fol-
lowed by loud noises (Smith
thought the sound was like
someone being hit over the head,
nothing like gun shots, she said),
and then moaning. She believed
she heard the injured man mur-
mur, "Ike."
Smith ran outside and went
to the laundry. Finding the door
locked she tried to look inside,
where the lights had been left
on. She stopped a passerby, who
went to call the police. Along the
way, at 10:42 p.m., the passer-
by met up with Patrolman Al-
bert Kattenborn at 132nd Street
and 5th Avenue. The man asked
the policeman to come investi-
gate a robbery.
When Patrolman Kattenborn
arrived at the laundry he tried
to open the door, but found it
bolted from the inside. He also
tried to look in the window, but
the glass was frosted. He went
to Miss Smith's apartment, then
returned and saw that a crowd
was beginning to gather near
the front of the laundry.
Moments later, Kattenborn
was joined by officer Paul Lee.
A 17-year-old student named
Roseman Hull, whom police
records describe as "small," vol-
unteered to go through the tran-
som and open the front door. He
was able to enter only after
standing on Patrolman Katten-
born's shoulders. Hull later told
detectives he found it difficult to
force the transom open.
The policemen entered the
small, two-room laundry (about
10 feet wide and 30 feet deep)
where they saw Isidore Fink
at the back. He was on his
stomach, his arms outstretched,
his feet facing the front. He
had been shot twice in the left
side of his chest, with ensuing
damage to his heart, abdoman,
liver and gall bladder. Fink also
had been shot once in the left
hand, where the bullet passed
through his thumb. The killer
had used 32-caliber steel-jack-
eted bullets. Later, the coroner
would find a powder burn on
Fink's hand, indicating the shot
had been fired at close range.
There were no powder burns on
the chest.
Patrolman Kattenborn called
an ambulance. Isidore Fink was
taken to Harlem Hospital,