The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1870-11-24
A ROMANTIC CRIME.

/Since the recent pardon of Nine. La
carl, convicted of being accessory to the
murder OF her husband in Visitacion VAL
ley, Cal, some poiuts in the case not
heretofore known have been BROUGHT out.
One of Chief Crowley's detectives tells
the following story of the murder and
arrest of the criminals:
Nine. Laoari was a woman whom Won
would suspect at look. On the day of
the murder she inveigled her husband
into ride to Visitacion Valley. On ar
irving there a man stepped from behind
large rock, and, after few moments'
parlcy, shot poor Lacari dead, and liter
ally riddled his body with buckshot
The first intimation of the murder by
any one but the actors was the appear
ance of the wife at an Italian garden,
some distance oil, where she related the
circumstances of her husbands attack
and murder by some unknown assassin,
and, IN proof, led them to the body of the
murdered man. When the information
was brought to the city, the detective
force was immediately set to work to
ferret out the case. From several small
circumstances, we became convinced that
the wife had been instrumental in the
murder of her husband, and we held her
to await the result of an investigation.
1t then transpired that she had been
on very intimate terms with one Piano,
and that boon companion of Pianos
was villainous looking Italian named
Bruzzo. Since the murder neither of
them had been seen in their favorite
haunts and this strengthened the sus-
picion OF their guilt, and sharp lookout
was kept for them.
One night Capt. Lees and myself took
a walk down to the Italian portion of
San Francisco, and not finding any clue
to our men, we were returning to the
Hall, when our attention was attracted
to the italian coffee saloon still standing
on the corner of Merchant and Sansome
streets. Entering, we cast glance
around the room, and fixed on one man
who answered the description of Bruzzo.
We watched him for while, and becom-
ing fully satisfied that we had our man,
went to him as he stood at the counter,
and in familiar tone addressed him
with, Halo, Bruzzow
He turned and stared ut US with o
wonderment that we then thought
feigned, and jabbered some words in
French that were uninteligible to us.
Suddenly he made grimace, by which
we knew that he recognized the name,
and in an distracted manner he kept
muttering, "Bruzzo, Bruzzo?" and then
drawing a letter from his pocket, he
answered in broken English:
YES zair, l understand. Bruzzo, he
send me dis letter from Sacramento to-
day."
Possessed of this clew we started to
Sacramento, and there learned that
Bruzzo had left that day by railroad to
Placerville. At Placerville we lost all
trace of him. and were at halt. While
roaming around the place, we ran across
Jack Davis, who had robbed Senator
Reddington of lot of valuable iewelry,
and arrested him.
While we were in Davis's room we
heard conversation about man who,
from the general way in which he was
described, we knew must be Bruzzo.
Giving Davis into the custody Of the
Sheriff Of Sacramento, Lees and myself
began the tour of examining the gro
ceries and groggeries OF the place. To-
ward evening we entered one of the
worst in the town, and calling the
landlord aside, informed him of the pur-
pOoC VI Jul HISllJ anu tlSO lllllulUleli tiltJ
the best thing he could do would be to
come out square. He did not attempt
any equivocation, but said that Bruzzo
had stopped at his house and had left
three days before, with mule train for
Virginia City. He also told us that our
fugitive had left trunk behind him, and
OF this we took possession. In it we
found letters which led TO the arrest of
Piano, who was hid away in San Fran
cisco. His trail was taken up again, ana
after several days we arrived at Straw
berry Valley, and there learned that
Bruzzo had gone ahead, and was by that
time near Virginia City.
On the day of our arrival at the latter
place, as was strolling along one of the
streets, turned a corner rather abruptly
and went plump against Bruzzo. He
did not know me and did not express
any surprise, but, as far as l was con-
cerned, hardly can tell how felt In
less time than tell this, recovered and
said:
"How are you, Bruzzo:"
He looked quickly and earnestly at me,
and replied, with the interrogatory of,
"Who are you!"
| told him, and said he had best come
along with me. To conclude, we brought
him to San Francisco ; he was tried, and
with the others was sentenced to the
State Prison for life, and with the ex-
ception Of the woman they are now at
San Quentin.
His confession revealed him to be one
OF the blacklist scoundrels on earth. He
said that before coming to this country
from ITALY he had followed the profession
Of an assassin, and had put an end to the
existence of more than one person, and
had been forced to leave by the discovery
Of one OF his crimes. Since he landed in
San Francisco, he had kept out Of scrapes
until Piano broached the murder of La
carl. He was only offered $50 at first,
but by dint of hard bargaining had run
it up IS more, and for $3S he agreed to
murder man who had, as he said, been
a warm friend to him.
The plan of ambush was agreed upon,
US well US the locality, and on the APP
pointed day he repaired to the "Lone
Rock" When the guilty wife and her
husband appeared, and had reached a
convenient distance, he stepped from his
place of concealment, and as he did so