Encyclopedia Titanica

FIERMONTE JAILED IN OLD SPEED CASE

New York Times

   Join Us and Hide Ads
Husband of Astor Widow Gets 5 Days on Charge That He Ignored in 1934
---
Enzo Fiermonte, the Italian-born automobile racer husband of Mrs. Madeline Force Astor Dick Fiermonte, was sentenced to five days in prison yesterday by Magistrate Gustav Wieboldt in Queens traffic court following his arrest on a three-year-old warrant charging him with speeding. He had ignored the summons and Magistrate Wieboldt did not give him the alternative of paying a fine.

At the same time the magistrate held him in $100 bail on a charge of driving without a license when the summons was served upon him on July 28, 1934, on the Grand Central Parkway, Queens, by Motorcycle Policeman Edward McLaughlin, who said that Mr. Fiermonte was doing sixty-two miles an hour.

The youthful-appearlng husband of the widow of John Jacob Astor was arrested at the Roosevelt Raceways at Westbury, L. I., Friday by a policeman who remembered that Mr. Fiermonte had failed to answer at summons three years before. Mr. Fiermonte was to have driven a car in the Vanderbilt Cup races but withdrew.

Arraigned before Magistrate Wieboldt yesterday morning, Mr. Fiermonte explained that he had not answered the original summons because "important business" in California had called him away.

"I saw you only a month ago at the Ambers-Canzoneri fight," Magistrate Wieboldt declared. "You could have answered the summons then. Why didn't you?"

Mr. Fiermonte did not reply.

"Nobody can come to this country and disregard its laws," the magistrate continued. "I am going to teach you to respect the law. A five-day prison term will give you time to consider the matter."

Mr. Fiermonte appeared in court accompanied by Detective James Lynch of the Jamaica precinct. A few minutes earlier the $100 bail that he had posted on Friday had been declared forfeit after his name had been called three times and he had failed to answer. He told Magistrate Wieboldt that he had thought that he was supposed to report to the police station, rather than at Town Hall, where traffic court is held. Magistrate Wieboldt reserved decision on the matter of returning the bail.

As the arrested man was accompanying court officers into the complaint room, John Drennan, a newspaper photographer, called to him:

"How about a picture, Enzo?"

"Mr. Fiermonte to you," the former boxer replied.

The photographer aimed his camera and took a shot. As he did so, Mr. Fiermonte lunged toward him and there was a scuffle. Mr. Drennan emerged with a slightly reddened eye.

Mr. Fiermonte was taken to the Queens city prison where he will serve his sentence.

He and Mrs. Dick were married in New York City Nov. 27, 1933. At that time Mrs. Dick was 40 and Mr. Fiermonte 26.

Related Biographies

Madeleine Talmage Astor

Contributors

Mark Baber, USA

Comment and discuss

Open Thread Leave a Reply

Contribute

  Get in touch

Citation

Encyclopedia Titanica (2004) FIERMONTE JAILED IN OLD SPEED CASE (New York Times, Wednesday 7th July 1937, ref: #3456, published 16 August 2004, generated 6th December 2024 03:31:11 AM); URL : https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/fiermonte-jailed-old-speed-case.html