The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1870-12-06
California Criminals.
BY A DETEcKIvB.


acion Valley, Cal, some points in the
case heretofore unknown have been
brought out. One of Chief Crowley's de-
tectives tells the following story of the
murder and arrest of the criminals:
Nine. Lacari was woman you would
suspecta look On the day of the
murder she inveigled her husband into
ride to Visitacion Valley. On arriving
there, a man stepped from behind large
rock, and after few moments parley,
shot poor Lacari dead, and literally rid
died his body with buckshot. The first
intimation Of the murder by any one, but
the actors was the appearance of the wife
at an italian garden, some distance off,
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 instru-
mental 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, strengthened the suspicion of
their guilt, and a sharp lookout was kept
for them.
One night Capt. Lees and myself took
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 descriptions of Bruzzo
We watched him for awhile, and be-
coming fully satisfied that we had our
man, went to him as he stood at the
counter, aud in a familiar tone addressed
him with, Halo Bruzzo"
He turned and stared at us with
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 abstracted manner he kept
muttering " Bruzzo, Bruzzo?' and then
drawing a letter from his pocket, he an
swered in broken English:
Yes, zair, [ 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 vround the place, we ran across
Jack Davis, who had robbed Senator
Reddington of lot of valuable jewelry,
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 land
lord aside, informed him of the purpose
of our visit, and also intimated that 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 Vir-
ginia City. He also told us that our fu-
gitive 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 Francisco.
His trail was taken up again, and after
several days we arrived at Strawberry
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
vlaoa no II uvoo akrolI;rc. o1oxr. 49, - A.