Carrie Brown : Murder In The East River Hotel

I am certain it was mentioned once or twice, will have a look for it tomorrow

 The Joseph Franks question.....

1. I can find no mention of a man named Joseph Franks, in any capacity, in newspapers published in the city of New York during April or May, 1891.
There are articles from Manchester, England to Montana that contain virtually the same story about a Joseph Franks being taken before
D.A. Nicoll and is suspected of being the man who accompanied Carrie Brown to Room 31.

I don't think this fellow existed, and that it is simply another example of one news source goofing up, and as a result, all the newspapers dependent on
that news agency repeating the mistake in their papers. There are a couple of upstate New York papers that mention a Joseph Franks, but none in
the immediate area. None in Brooklyn, either.

At the moment, I have no idea who, or even if, a man was brought in for questioning on April 30th.

This excerpt has Judge Martine assigning counsel for Joseph Franks....which, of course, did not happen.
He assigned counsel for Amer Ben Ali.
The reference to the Inquest postponement to May 11 is correct, however.

Buffalo Post
May 1, 1891
**********

George Damon looks like his face would crack if he laughed, doesn't it?

Think again, folks.....check this video out.

Continuing the hunt for the elusive Bigfoot.....er, Frenchy # 2.



April 26th-  Police arrest a light-complexioned man, said to be Frenchy # 2,  at 100 Front Street- Insp. McLaughlin learns this man
was at work at a riding academy at the time of the murder. Man is eliminated as a suspect. This was reported at the Coroner's Inquest in May.
April 27th - New York Evening World -  It's claimed Frenchy # 2 visited Mary Harrington's house on Friday the 24th.
A banjo-playing man named Morris claimed he saw Frenchy # 2 at #2 Oliver Street on Saturday the 25th.
April 27th - New York Tribune - Henry Young arrested by City Hall police - Capt. O'Connor tells the press Young has no connection to murder. 
April 27th-  New York Evening World - Eli Commanis, who lived at 385 Water, arrested on Furman Street in Brooklyn. Cleared by police.
April 27th-  New York Evening World - Suggestion found in this edition that Inspector Byrnes invented a 'Frenchy # 2' to divert attention
 away from what the police were undertaking.
April 27th-  New York Sun - Former policeman Courtlander tells reporter that he knew Ali's so-called cousin.
He is tall, light complexioned, light or sandy mustache. Has a record of threatening local women, and he was once
 in the fruit business in Brooklyn- a stand on a side street off of Myrtle Avenue. Mary Harrington corroborates Courtlander's claims.
She said that Frenchy #2 went to her house at 11:00 am on Friday, the 24th, and asked for Ali.
 Mary Finnegan, of 80 James Street, tells reporter that she knew Ali was in the fruit business near Myrtle and Vanderbilt. His residence
somewhere near Front & Adams Street, in Brooklyn.
April 27th-  Inspector Byrnes, according to the NY Times, denied that he stated that Frenchy # 2 was Brown's murderer
or that he authorized such a statement to be made.
April 28th-  A man named Christian Frey or Ray, who was known as Frenchy, was arrested in Brooklyn at Atlantic and
Alabama Avenues. He operated a fruit stand. NY Times, April 28th.
April 29th- Arbie LaBruckman taken to Jersey City police station. Released shortly afterwards, as the NYPD dismissed him as a suspect.
Said to have been at 81 James Street around  the time of the murder.
April 30th- New York Tribune article in which LaBruckman allegedly claimed to be 'Frenchy #2'.  However, he did not
match the physical description ( light complexioned man: LaBruckman had a dark
complexion and was shorter than Frenchy # 2 was described. He, or anyone else for that matter, never stated that he even knew Ali....both requisites to be Frenchy #2.


Additional Links:

https://carriebrown.createaforum.com/general-discussion/frenchy-2-research/msg4404/#msg4404
https://carriebrown.createaforum.com/general-discussion/a-five-pipe-problem-myrtle-avenue-in-brooklyn/msg5316/#msg5316
https://carriebrown.createaforum.com/general-discussion/frenchy2-the-cousin/msg2730/#msg2730
https://carriebrown.createaforum.com/general-discussion/joseph-franks-the-arabian/msg77/#msg77

List of arrested men ( but not necessarily known as Frenchy or Frenchy # 2)


William Bekle, Eli Commanis, Arbie LaBruckman, Charles Rossmissell, John Smith, Adolph Kallenberg
Yungstreet Andersen, Isaac Derriger, Perriger or Derringer, John Foley, Joseph Franks, Frank McGovern,
Christian Frey or Ray, Nils Hansen, Charles Holland, John Hughes, Michael Blass, Frederick Strube. Henry Weissman, and
Henry Young.

The gents in front of the Hotel in the video below.