Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-11-22
A Romantic Crime.

THE Lacari-Brasso Tragedy-THril- |
ling Story bya San Francisco DetecttUe-
TIE Last Deed Of Professional assassin. |
Since the recent pardon of Nine.
Lacari, convicted of being accessory
to the murder of her husband in Wis
itacion Valley, Cal, some points in
the case not heretofore known have
been brought out. One OF Chief
Crowley's detectives tells the follow
ing story of the murder and arrest of
the criminals:
Nine. Lacari was a woman whom
you would suspect at a look. On
the day of the murder she inveigled
her husband into a ride to Visitacion
Valley. On arriving there a man
stepped from behind a large rock,
and, after a few moments parley,
shot poor Lacari dead, and literally
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 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 immedi-
ately set to work to ferret out the
case From several small circum-
stances, 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 investiga-
tiOn.
1t then tran8pired that she had
been on very intimate terms with one
Piano, and that a boon companion
of Pianos was a villainous looking
Italian named Bruzzo. Since the
murder neither of them had been seen
in their favorite haunts, and this
strengthened the suspicion of their
guilt, and a sharp lookout was kept
for them.
One night Capt. Lees and myself
took a walk down to the Italian por-
tion of San Francisco, and not find
ing any clue to our men, we were re-
turning to the Hall, when our atten-
tion was attracted to the Italian coffee
saloon still standing on the corner of
Merchant and Sansome streets. En-
tering, we cast a glance around the
room, and fixed on one man who an
swered the description of Bruzzo.
We watched him for a while, and
becoming fully satisfied that we had
our man, went to him as be stood at
the counter, and in a familiar tone
addressed him with, Halo, Bruzzoy r
He turned and stared at US with
wonderment that We then thought
feigned, and iabbered some words in
French that were uninteliigible to
u.s.
Suddenly he made a grimace, by
which we knew that he recognized
the name, and in an distracted man
ner he kept muttering, "Bruzzo, Bruz-
20 ?" and then drawing a letter from
his pocket. he answered in broken
English:
"Yes, zair, I understand. Bruzzo,
he send me dis letter from Sacramen-
to to-day
Possessed Of this clew we started
to Sacramento, and there learned
that Bruzzo had left that day by rail
road to Placcrvile. At Placcryille
we lost all trace of him, and were at
a halt. While roaming around the
place, we ran across Jack Davis. VINO
had robbed Senator Reddiugton of
lot of valuable jeweIry, and arrested
him.
While We were in Dayiss room
we heard a conversation about a man
who, from the general way in which
he was described, we knew must be
Bruzzo. Giving Davis into the Gus
tody of the Sheriff of Sacramento,
Lees and myself began the tour of
the groceries and groggeries of the
place. Toward evening we entered
one of the worst in the town, and
calling the landlord 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 equivocatiou,
but said that Bruzzo had stopped a:
his house and had left three days be-
fore, with mule train for Virginia
City. He also told US that our fugi-
tive had left trunk behind him, and
of this we took possession. In it we
found letters which led to the arrest
of PIzano, who was hid away in San
Francisco. His trail was taken up
again, and after several days we arriv-
ed 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 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 | was concerned, | hard
ly can tell how | felt. In less time
than l tell this, recovered and said !:
"How are you, Bruzzo ?"
He looked quickly and earnestly
at me, and replied, with the interrog-
atory 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 exception of the woman
they are now at San Quentin.
His confession revealed him to be
one of the blackest scoundrels on
earth. He said that before coming
to this country from Italy he had fol-
lowed the profession of an assassin,
and had put an end to the existence
gilmore than one person. and had
: been forced to leave by the discovery
of one of his crimes. Since he land
ed in San Francisco, he had kept out
| of scrapes until Piano broached the
murder Of Lacari. He was only offer
ed $50 at first, but by dint of hard