The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-11-12
A TALE OF HORROR.
Confession of One of the Italians Impii-
Gated I'm the Denver Butchery-Cutting
Threats and Drinking Blood to the
sprightly Measures of "A Harp.

Gated I'm the Denver Butchery-Cutting
Threats and Drinking Blood to the
sprightly Measures of "A Harp.
Leonardo Lessandri, one OF the
Italians implicated in the recent horrible
murder of four of his fellow-countrymen
Mt Denver, Col, has made full confes-
sion of the part he bore III the tragedy.
His story is as follows
"The killing commenced Oh Friday,
Oct. 10, at half-past / o'clock p. IN. L
was playing ON a harp III the front room.
The old man, called Joe, in English,
who was my godfather, the biggest boy,
and two or three others, were playing
cards. The cards lay on box, or
bench, and the players were seated
around in circle, and the old man was
dealing ont the cards. Bellette, Cam
payne, and the miner " q don't know
his name), were playing, too. Filomeno
Gollot.i, the boss tinker, was standing
up, and wasn't playing. He reached I'M
der his coat and pulled out a bright
knife, and took the old man by the hair
with one hand, and with the other cut
his throat clear around. The blood flew
on the cards and into TIE faces of the
other players. The old man fell back,
and Filomeno jabbed the knife in here,
and there, and there pointing TO the
heart, side, and abdomen). AT the same
time the other fellows commenced cut
ting the big boy. He was sitting at my
side, playing the harp, too, and when
they pitched on to him, and he saw his
fathers throat cut, he commenced TO run
around the room, and trying to fight
I them off. He kept throwing his hand
up that way (making a motion), and cry
ing, that they couldn't kill him but
when Filomeno got through stabbing
the old man, he rushed in on the big boy
and cut his throat like that (stroking his
hand across his throat. That finished
him. In the scuffie, or struggle, they
all used knives, and the tall tinker, who
was working for Filomeno for 800 a
year and board, cut his fingers awfully,
and when the blood dried he couldn't
bend them. His hand was cut by one of
the crowd, while trying to kill the big
boy.
81 kept on playing the harp" con-
tinued the boy, for | did not dare
stop. ] was scared so / trembled all
over. Once / quit moment, and Flo
memo shook me and drew his knife
across my throat, and said he'd cut my
id head off if didn't play on. SO I
started mp again. They didnt move the
bodies just then, but Filomeno, or some
one, threw blanket over each of them.
In about half an hour the other two
came into the yard, carrying their harps.
They had been down town playing in
the saloons The little one, brother of
the big boy who was dead III the front
room, was named Giovanni ()-that was
his first name think-and the other
ones name was Domanco, or something
like that. They went around the house,
and part of the crowd inside run through
the house TO the back door, and part
went out the front way and slipped
around the house after them, so as to
head them off, / suppose, if they at
tempted TO get ont at the back door.
"When the two last ones came in the
back way, Filomeno stood behind the
door, and as the little one entered, car
rying his harp, he said to me, holding
up fancy article he had bought, Look
here, I've brought you something nice
to-day. And just then Filomeno seized
that poor boy, pulled him down to the
floor, put his knee on his head, and, re-
marking in Italian, All, my boy, I've
got you now ! thrust the knife up TO the
hilt back of the ear, and gashed the
throat wide open. This sickened me.
The other one came in, and Filomeno,
and the miner, and the tall tinker, cut
him all to pieces. He held on to his
harp, and ran around the room, with his
throat cut, and the blood flying from
the wound, and Filomeno stabbed him
with his knife. He fell down, with the
harp on top of him, and they finished
him with their knives
1.-The sight of the dead bodies, and
the blood running on the floor, made
me sick at the stomach. Filomeno told
me l must lick his knife blade, and then
he told me to drink some of the old
mans blood but / lied to him, and
told him l had tasted it, and he let me
off, telling me 1 was brave boy, after
all. He scooped up handful of blood.
which was running from the big boys
throat, and drank it, and then licked his
hand. They made me play on while
they threw the bodies into the cellar.
Filomeno threw the bodies down, but
he made the others help some they car
ried to the cellar door, and some they
dragged across the floor.
" The old man wore belt filed with
gold, and Filomeno took that, and di-
vided the gold all round 1 think there
was about 1,400. He gave us three
S2O5; 500 in gold 500 in paper, and
$50 i'll silver. [ know it was an awful
murder, but l wasn't to blame l had
to help or be killed by Filomeno."
]