The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-05-11
TEE GALLOwS IN JERSEY.
Luigi Lusignani, the italian Wife Muir
derer. Endeavoring to Anticipate His
Execution by Starving Himself to
Death-Preparations for the Closing
Scene in the Tragedy.

Luigi Lusignani, the Italian wife murderer, who
Is 10 be executed next Thursday, at Morrstown,
N. j. has for the past few days been INDUCING In
series Of strange pranks His latest one is pecu-
liarly strange. He has announced his intention to
starve to death before the day Of execution comes
on; and, with this object in view, he on Friday
morning refused to eat. and has since maintained
the same insane resolution. When it was an
nounced to him on Tuesday evening that he would
not be likely to get a communication OF sentence ne
received the news quietly, though he was notice
ably chagrined at the unl0Okedl0r news. On
Wednesday morning he was visited In his
cell and told that all hope must be aban-
doned, as the Court OF Pardons had refused
to interfere and had directed that the sentence be
carried into effect. Lusgnani replied TO the rec
ommendation to prepare for death by q burst OF
furious swearing, in which he consigned to eternal
perdition the Judge, jury and the public prose-
cutor, whom he accuses of conspiring to take away
his life.
He states that when he visited Dover he had no
intention to take his wtfes life. He went with the
sole purpose OF retaining her and rescuing her
from the life she was leading. He says that when
he was living with mis- vile in New YORK he was
vilely treated by her; tnat she refused to COOK
his meals, visited low beer houses, went with
other men and made herself generally disagreeable
Notwithstanding this treatment, he SAYS that he
loved her so dearly that he was willing to overlook
her faults and take her back to his BOSOM even
when she deserted him for
BARIOTTI, THE ITALIAN SHOEMAKER.
When he went to Dover he says that his conduct
was peaceful as it was possible TO imagine, but
that he was received with curses and reproaches
by Johanna, his wife. While he was speaking to
her he was hit with hammer behind the ear and
ut the same time stabbed with knife in the abdo-
| men, and he then became 30 uncomfortable
| OF the woman and plunged 1t in her heart.
| furious struggle then ensued between Bariottl
ps e liz a
never mentions without cursing. periured himself
| on the trial, and by his evidence swore away his
| uusgnani's life. When speaking OF Bariotti he
! sometimes becomes 80 excited that he turns from
| his slender English to his native Italian and ex-
| the knife with which the murder was committed,
| he sOlemnly declared that up to the moment he
entered Barotts shop n Dover he naa In never seen
tleman with whom he conversed some time since.
He said to this gentleman that the knife
the. ship in which he came from Italy.
While coming out on the ship he says that he paid
G SGS ne 80
that he borrowed knife from sailor and threat
ened to stab Luslgnani but the trouble was ad-
He says that his trial was extremely unfair, and
that there was
NO JUSTICE IN JERSEY,
although most people believe that there is little
too much Of it IN the far.iamed State. He thinks
tnat the Judge and the jury were eagned
man, and he prays for him night and day. He ex.
that he was not afraid to 60 TO hell, and rather
| liked It, as he would have an opportunity to get
| revenge upon those who had injured him during
| lile He braved death for six months in Garibads
! army, and ne was not afraid OF it now, although
| he would prefer 1t In some other way than by
| hanging. He thinks that the manner Of his death
would injure his friends in Italy, they would be
| pointed out as tire relatives ofthe man who was
hanged in America
During the past few days Lusgnani has got I'M
usually nervous and excited and he clutches at
his throat with his fingers whenever he speaks
OF his approaching end As stated before,
he refused to eat the food set before him by the
Sheriff. but he constantly asks for tea and Rhine
permitted to have. He says that nothing plcases
HIM better than to have people come In and talk to
| him. great many persons are admitted into the
cell by the Sheriff, but an unaccOuntable antpathy
bers OF the press. Stories have been in circulation
| in Morristown that he has attempted to dig hole
through his cell, but this rumor Is without fOunda-
tion. II Is impossible for him to escape, although
no watch is set upon him, as in the cases OF Foster
and Nixon.
Preparations for the closing scene in the tragedy
are being rapidly made and everything Is nearly
ready. The scaffold viii be erected and the hole
| for the drOp-weights dug out on Tuesday. Every
precauti0n is to be used to make the execution as
private as possible 1t viii take place in
the Court House yard, which is surrounded
by high wooden wall in the rear ana
at the Sides In the front the Court House screens
1t from view towards the street. 1t would,
however, be possible to obtain sight Of the dread
proceedings from the adjoining nousetOps and, to
prevent this, large number OF special constables
and company Of soldiers will surround the Court
House at all points. The scanold will be in sight OF
mediately in front of his cell window. Notwith-
standing his assertions that he viii take no food, Ii
is PROBABLE that sufficient nourishment will be
forced upon him to keep him alive until the morn