Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-07-06
THE ICE BOX HORROR.
INVESTIGATING THE TERRIBLE
CRIME.

Letter from the Wife of One of the
Murderers-EheIr Native Place-A
singular COincident-Is an Arrest
cd Murderer In New Orleans one of
the Men a-TestimOny Before the
COrOner-VerdIct of WIIIfuI MUIR
der.
The graphic account given In the MORN
ING News yesterday, of the discovery of the
remains Of a man, packed away in an ice
chest in an unoccupioi little shanty on
State street, near Drayton, the previous even
ing, fell with startling effect upon the COM
munity, and occasioned considerable sensa-
ton. 1t was the general topic OF converse
ton, and great surprise was expressed that
such a revolving crime could have remained
so long unknown in one of the most public
locations in the city.
During the day every effort was made to
obtain some information concerning the
Maltese fruit dealers who committed the
deed, and, from what can be ascertained, it
| seems they must have left this city on some
sailing vessel for some port within
a day or two after the time that the advance
rent had been paid Mr.. Hermann, and
it is not likely they will ever be
heard of again in this community, The
names of the men are ascertained to be
Camelo Farrugi and Andrew Pavio. 1t is
also learned that the poor old image ven
| der, who was their victim, had about s., 200
with him when he was lured to their den,
under the impression that an arrangement
| for his interest was to be entered into and
that he was to go to Brunswick. Among
the developments yesterday was the dis
covery of
LETTER FROM THE WIFE
| Of one of the fruit dealers came into the pos
session, yesterday morning, of Mr.. Joseph
Fernandez, who is on the jury. 1t seems
/ the account published in the MORNING
News yesterday brought to the recollection
of the bartender at McVeigh's saloon on
| Bay street the fact that the fruit dealers
named had been receiving their letters
through Mr.. McVeigh, in whose care
they were addressed, and that there
was a letter in the saloon then
which had not been delivered, 1t having
been received after the departure of the
| parties from the city. and was hence not
| called for. The bartender meeting Mr..
| Adolph Fernandez mentioned the fact, and
the latter remarked that his father was on
the jury. The letter was thereupon given
Mr.. Fernandez, with the request that he
give it to his father to be presented the
yesterday afternoon Mr.. Fernandez turled
the letter over to the Coroner. It is post
marked Tunis, Italy, March 14th. 1881, and
is stamped as being delivered by the letter
carrier in Savannah, at McVeigh's saloon,
on April 4th. 1t is addressed
"CAMELLo FARRUaIA,
"Care McVeigh,
Savannah, Ga, So. Ca, U. s. America"
The letteris in Italian. and is from the wife
of Farnigia. Appended is a note from Ben
iguo Farrugia, supposed TO be a brother or
other relative, who is a merchant in 1unis.
The composition is faulty, and hence Mr.
Rocca, who translated under oath, had some
difficulty in constituting it. The translation,
which we give below with the testimony of
Mr.. Rocca, is a little rough, but the mean
ing is not thereby clouded.
THE NATIVE PLACE OF THE MURDERERs.
Tunis, where the assassins hail from, is
not in Italy, but is one OF the Barbary
States OF North Africa, bounded north and
east by the Mediterranean, southeast by
Tripoli south by the Desert of Sahara, and
west by Algeria. The fact that the post
mark on the letter is Tunis, Italy, would
that argueit Is included in the postal reguls-
tions of Italy. The Government of
Tunis, however, though nOminally depen-
dent on Turkey and called regency is in
reality q perfect despotism, and the
sovereign is known as the Bev. The people
in the interior are principally Arabs and
Kabyles, while those of the coast comprise
Turks, Moors, Jews and Christians, with
various degrees of mixture. The language
is dialect of Arabic, but an Italian idiom
is used by the traders. All classes are very
ignorant and their religion is strict Moham-
mechanism 1t has long been under the in
fluence OF the French which has been re-
garded with jealous eyes by Italy.
A CoINCIDENT AND A sUPPosI1loN.
It may be mentioned as a singular coinci-
dent that our dispatches this morning con-
vey information of the arrest In New
Orleans Of an Italian fruit vender on the
charge of having murdered and robbed his
partner In San Francisco two years ago, and
for whose apprehension a reward of $500
had been offered. After his arrest he was
Identified as the murderer Of another Italian
in New Orleans six years ago, whom he
stabbed twenty-five times and robbed of
$4,000. AS the fiends who are guilty of the
recently discovered crime we are
now discussing arrived in Savannah
not quite q year ago, 1t is not
beyond the range of possibility that the
murderer arrested in New Orleans yester-
day is one of these parties After leaving
here they may have returned to New Or
leans, under the impression that an assum-
ed name and the lapse of time would be
protection. This is merely a supposition,
but there is some basis for it. The manner
In which the poor image vendor was murder
ed and robbed In Savannah, and the skillful
and well planned concealment of the crime,
| certainly indicate that the parties are adopts
in brutal crime, and that it was not their
first murderous operation.
CoRoNER's INVESTIGATION.
At FIVE o'clock In the afternoon the Cor
i - i1ru MI n had 1al
| preceding evening, met at the court house
and the Investigation was commenced. The
testimony elected fully sustained the
accuracy of the details as given IN the &C
| count IN the MORNING NEWS, but as certain
other facts were obtained, and the identity
of the murderers fully established under
oath, we give in full
THE TESTIMONY.
Phillip Hermann, being sworn testified:
| About in February q man came over to my
| place to rent room from me for a fruit
| stand; did not know his name at the
| time; he paid three dollars for one months
rent in advance; some two or three weeks
| afterwards another party came in with him
| aud he asked me If had place in the yard
| TO rent; l told him l had place which at
| that time was occupied, but that as soon as
the occupant moved out that ] would let
| him have it. the person who then occupied
the room In the yard moved out very soon
after, and this party paid me two dollars in
advance for the month of March; in March,
on or about the first day, he paid his rent
for the fruit store In advance for the month
Of March; the latter part of March, l do
not know the exact day, soon in the
morning, the man who occupied the fruit
store came to my place and paid to a per-
son In my employ three dollars for rent OF
the fruit store in advance for the month OF
April; he said that he was going to Bruins.
wick and start friend of his In the fruit
business thet could not speak English, and he
requested that keep the store and room,
in the yard, until he returned, that he would
bring his wife and child back with him; he
had told me week or two before that he
expected his wife and child aud that he
was going to meet them; kept the place
closed; report in April indicated that
there was a bad smell about the place; the
nnlineman ON the ward came To see me and