Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-09-29
LKNT1N1 Oh TRIAL.
The Case Fairly Begun-Testimony o.
Seven witnesses.

ment Two of the Superior Court yesterday
morning. The jury that was sworn to try
the case ia composed of the following we'll
known citizens J. Nottingham, r. Laupe,
John Watt, Adam Nessel, Jacob T. Klump,
NJ. J. Smith, NJ. Rigney, ]. NJ. Morrison,
n. W. Robbins Henry Fisher, W. Bartells,
Z. p. Figg. AT er the indictment was read,
all of the witnesses present were called.
sworn and put under the rule. About fifty
answered to their names. There being large
number Of the witnesses absent, counsel for
| the people asked that the Sheriff be instructed
to secure their attendance, and it was SO or
dered.
Judge HoIl, on behalf of the people, placsd
upon the wall diagram of the premises
! where the murder had been committed, and,
addressing the jury, briefly outlined what the
| prosecution expected to prove.
! the frat witness called was Mrs. A. NJ
! White, who was also the first witness ex-
smined at the Trosi examination in June,
and her testimony wash every particular the
same as given on that occasion. She said
| she lived in Sacramento county, about eight
! miles east of the town Of Calf She resided
thsrs on the 221 of February, 1882, the date
! of the murder and was acquainted with the
dec 3ased during her life tine. She was called
TO the scene OF the homicide about O'Clock
| on the evening of the same day. She aaw
! the remains frat as they lay in the yard,
surrounded by Mira. GsffneY, Miss Seaman,
! Miss Gaffney, Salvador Troai and Mr.. White.
| She was informed If the murder by Sam
| Trosi. Deceased lay on her right side. Her
| head was toward the north facing the west,
or rather her face was turned up slightly; it
! looked as though abe had fallen towards the
| hau
eyes we're closed. The body was lifted from
t1e ground aud deposited on the floor Of the
| house by Mr.. White, Joseph White, Mrs
| Gsffney and witness. Witness examined the
diagram Of the premises, pointed out the
different rooms, gave their size and the posi-
ton the body lay, both il the yard and
house. she also pointed out on the diagram
| places where she had observed drops of blood
Mr.. White and MIR. Trosi lifted the deceased
| from the floor to the bed. She did notremsmber
whether any one assisted them or not. The
body was not undressed until the Coroner
arrived the next evening. Her clothing was
| not torn much by the shot. Her dress was of
dark color, the waist darker than the skirt.
While at Troais witness picked up the things
scattered around the house, swept out the
room7, the yard, and gave this place a general
cleaning up. The body of deceased was IN
dressed by witness, assisted by Mrs. Gaffney,
Mrs. Daniels and Mrs Scott, which disclosed
a horrible gunshot wound in the right shout
der, side and breast. None of the shot ex.
tended below the elbow, and the wound in the
breast was not more than six inches in diam
eter.
The cross-exsmination by Mr. Edgerton
was able and searching, but elected no points
worth recording.
TESTIMONY OF LENTINI's COMPANION.
Peter Querolo said In February, 1882,
ne was stopping in the neighborhood of Sam
Troai's place he remembered about the muir
der Of Mrs. Troai. On the day that she was
killed John Lentini and witness went to Gait
| in wagon, and came back by Trosi's house
| late in the afternoon. Witness did not wish
to stop, but Lantini insisted saying that he
wished to see Trosi When the wagon az
rived at Troai's, Lentini jumped out, ap-
preached Troai, and they commenced cursing
each other. la moment they clinched and
commenced fighting. Witness jumped out
of the wagon and separated them. He ad
vised John to behave himself, get
into his wagon, and go home.
Lsntini took his advice, got into
| his wagon and drove away. Witness
stopped a short time-perhsps fifteen min
utes- conversing with Trosi: advised him to
have no more trouble with LsntiDi. When
witness started home Lsntini had got so
| y
possible to overtake him, go proceeded along
| the road slowly. When he arrived at Len
| tini's cabin the latter was nowhere TO be seen.
He called him three times, but failed TO get
an answer. Itwss pretty dark by this time.
| Opensd the door of the barn and saw that
| Lehtini had cared fer the horses-put them
away. Not finding Johnnie Lsntini he went
! to Raffety's cabin, which is some 1000
yards distant. About half-past 9 he re-
|
! looked around but could not find John.
About 10 o'clock Lentini came in. When
! asked where he had been, he replied that he
| had been sleeping in the wagon. Witness
went to bed and did not get up until about
three quarters Of an hour after suarise.
About o'clock in the morning John got up
and left snd witness did not see him again
until he saw him in the County Jail. In
the cross-examinstion witness admitted that
while at Gait he and Lentiui both drank
whisky, but claimed that neither was intox'
icsted.
Charles F. Qqiggla, of Gait. stated that he
went. on the evening of the 2Sd of February,
! from Gait to Iroai's place, in company with
| 0. C. jackson, A. Hebron and a. J. Yer
milya. His description of the premises and
the search for Lentini is substantially that of
officer jackson, who was called as the next
witness.
| JACKSON'S TESTIMONY.
In February, 1882, he was a deputy under
| Sheriff Heilbron. On the % of that month
he went, with the Sheriff, Coroner, and Mr..
Quiggle of Gait, to Troai's place as soon as
the news of the murder OF the latter's wife
reached the city. They arrived at Troai's
| late in the afternoon, and after consulting
with parties there assembled, started imme
diately for Lentini's place to arrest him
for the commission Of the crime. 1t was
dusk when they arrived at the cabin. The
house and barn were thoroughly searched.
The hay was tossed about with a pitchfork,
and they satisfied themselves that Lentini
was not there. While holding hurried
conversation between the barn and the house
a man on foot was seen to approach in the
distance, and almost at the same instant
another was heard approaching in the oppo
site direction on horseback. As soon as the
footman caught sight OF the officers he turned
and fed, pursued by jackson and Quiggle.
The ground was very uneven. and by this
time it had grown quite dark. Qdiggle, who
was in advance of jackson, called to the fl e.
ing individual to stop or he would shoot
When the man saw he was likely to be over
taken he turned and fred a
shot at Quiggle, the latter returning
the FIRE. The fleeing individual was
so closely pushed that he threw away his hat
and coat. which articles were found next
morning and given to the Coroner For ten
days witness searched the country in that
neighborhoo1 all along the Costumes, in
formed all the people in that section of the
crime that had been committed, and gave
them description of Lentini. jackson also
explained mihutely the color and number of
the blood spots on the floor.
In the cross-examinstion Mr.. Edgerton
asked great many questions about the pur-
anti of the man in the dark jackson co1ld
not swear that the man pursued was Lentini
He found out by asking several questions
that there was but q slight difference in the
distance between Sacramento and Gait and
Gait and Sacramento.
THE sHERIFFs TESTIMONY.
A. Hebron, the next witness, said he
was Sheriff of Sacramento county in
February, 1882 He received news Of
the murder of Mrs. Trosi soon after the
homicide, and proceeded to Trosi's place in
a buggy with officer Jackson and the Cor