Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-10-04
THE LENTINI CASE.
LEaTIEPs COUNSEL SAY THAT TRoAI
COMMITTED THE MURDER.
william Rafety Gays Ee Saw Troai Com
NIT the Murder-ais Silence for
Fifteen Months Unexplained.

The Lentini murder case was resumed in Depart
ment Two Of the Superior Court at A. NJ. yester'
day. Samuel Troai vas recalled by Mr.. Edgerton'
who asked him il he remembered the circumstance
of Santa, John Lentini's little girl being lost on
New Years day, 1882 He said he remembered the
/ time that he went to Lentinis place in search OF
the child. Il was late in the afternoon he and his
wife were both searching for the little one. They
met Lentini on the lead leading the little child,
aud they returned to Troais place. They did not
meet Mrs Gaffney on the road. Witness said he
testified before the Grand Jury that indicted Len
tinl for murder He did not say to the Grand Jury
that he ran out OF the house after Margareta was
shot, looking for John Lentni, and did not him.
OPENING STATEMENT OF THE DEFENsE.
Mr.. Edgerton then made an opening statement
for the defense, in which he stated that the jury
was called upon to try two CAGES in one. Two men
were charged with the commission of the same
crime In a manner totally different. 1t was the
most extraordinary case that had ever come under
his observation He expected to prove by an eye
witness that Troai murdered his wife. He then out
lined the evidence Of RaffetY given at the Troa
animation He expected to prove that Troai had
for a series of years whipped and abused his wife
until she was black and blue. To prove that Mrs.
! Troai account OF the cruelty Of her husband,
sometimes left home and slept at her neghbors. That
on the day that Lantin had the trouble with Troai
he went home and, being quite drunk, had gone to
sleep in his wagon When ne the officers and 9TH
ers with guns his place he thought they were land
souatters and left Immediately for Stockton to see
! his lawyer While in Stockton he overheard con-
versaton among his countrymen in which it was
said Troais wife was killed by John Lentinl. In-
stead of his doing other men would have done
under similar circumstances, he bought loaf OF
bread and ran away. He expected TO prove by med
ca experts that from the nature Of the wound death
! would be instantaneous, and that 1t was utter
impOssbility for the woman to have been killed in
| the manner described by TrOai. lie expected to
prove by gun experts that the wound Inflicted could
not be done with shotgun at the distance stated by
TrOa and that the conduct OF Iroai on the night OF
| the murder was wholly unnatural He expected to
| prove that John Lentin taking into consideration
the miserably broken-down team that he was driv-
ing, could not have gone to his home and returned
to Troai5 house n the space OF tine testified to by
Troai. Lentini, he said, could not speak under
stand one word Of English, and il q remarkable
fact that during this entire trial there had not been
one word exchanged in the Courtroom between the
defendant and his COUNSEL. He expected TO prove
that on one occasion, when Lentini at the house
Of Troa the latter, at the dinner table, was reading
a letter that caused Mrs. Tro2i to become angry
and they quarreled about woman Troai used to live
with In Italy: that Tfo0i became very much en-
r3ged abused his WIFE called her vile names, got up
and seized gun in a threatening manner. Lentin1
spraug between them seized the gun by the barrel
and in his endeayors to wrest the weapon from Troa
il discharged. He also expected to prove that
at the time Mrs. TIoai was shot she leading the
little girl by the haud, and that the child was
wounded in the arm, and also that LeutiLi and Mrs
Trosi were the best Of friends. He also expected
to prove that Troai stated to q number of persons
on the night OF the murder that they would find
that bis wife shot with sugs for the that
John Lentini had 10 shot. 1t would also be proven
that shot found in Leutinls cabin The shot
taken from the body Of the deceased the evening
OF the murder and at the eXhumation, was Mixed
4 hal
gun was produced in Court in June unloaded, and
found to be loaded with slugs, stated by Troai
He expected to prove that on the evening Of the
murder TrOai's gun was examined, and the fact as
certsined that one barrel had been quite recently
discharged
A NJ. Blake said he was a resident of Stockton,
where he had been engaged in the undertaking
business for the past twenty-six years. kuOw Sal
yatora Troai by sight, and was The undertaken at
the burial Of MaTeareta Troai. Was not acquainted
with the deceased during her lifetime. She was in.
tered in the Catholic Cemetery on the oath or 25th
OF February, 1882. The funeral was largely attend
cd by Italians. post mortem examination was
held upon the body Of Margareta Iroai in June last
by DR.. Gardner, OF Sacramento.
J. Gaslbettl said he resided in Stockton. Was
gcquaintcd with Salvatore Troai, and during her
lifetime NarRareta Troai, his wife
Mr.. Edgerton tried to prove by this witness GER
tain real est tie transactions be had hal with the
deceased. Judge Hol objected to that kind of tes-
timOny on the ground Of rrelevaucy, iIcompetency
and remOteugss. Objection sustained.
A. G. VIM, civil engineer, said be went in July
last to Troas place, to make examination Of the
premises and its surroundings. He had made a
diagram of the house Of Troai, which he exhibited
in Court and described to the jury, giving sizes, dis
tances, directions, etc He also exhibited pot of
the lands in the township, with directions and dis
tancss.
RAFFETY's STATEMENT.
VIM Rafety said he had Lived in the neghbor.
hood % Gait for twenty years past, and engaged
in the sheep business. In February, 1882 resided
els e ff-IN
4 mile and G-hsf from Troais place, and less than
quarter Of q mile from John Lentinis. The former
place southwest Of his place. Was acquainted
with Mrs. Gaffney. Her house IS between quarter
and half mile northwest Of Troai's. R. T. Scott's
house IS southwest of Troais, mile and half dis
tant. Know a man by the name OF Overmeyer who
resided about mile vest Of Troai'5. Have known
Peter Carrella for some time; he he's worked for
me. Knew MsYgareta Troai for about four years
At the time Of the murder had some land rented
il that vicinity which he used FOX sheep Iange.
In the month Of February, 1882, he was giving his
personal attention TO sheep. Saw Lentiui and Pc
ter CBrrolla pass his place the NOR ing of the
22d Of February about o'clock il wagon, gong
toward Gait Saw LentiHi late in the evening near
my ca in. Saw Peter Carrolls at my cabin that
night. saw Leatiui and Peter in front OF Truai's
place in the afternoon, and observed what he sup
posed was q sCuffle or fight. Saw Lentni drive of
toward home leading q horse behind the wagon
The team was poor and Flow one. Peter fol owed
shortly after ON foot Troai had told witness that
hs had ordered Peter never to come to his house
again. After Peter left, heard Troai threaten to
shoot his wife'5 id brains ont. Witness vas
about quarter OF q nile distant. Saw the woman
take the child by the hand AID walk off in q south
Westeriy direction. When he them again from
another point OF observation, they were about $50
yards from the house. Afterwards gaw Troai ap
proach them with 4 shotgun. He walked I'D TO
her in an excited manner, and
RAISED HIS GUN AND SHOT HER,
Mrs Troai had the little girl by the hand, the
child standing slightly in front of her The shot
took effect in her right side Alter she was taken
Go the house witness saw the wound which extend.
cd tie middle OF the forearm to the top of the
shoulder Troai when he fired the 'shot was about
twenty steps distant. As soon as the shot was fired
Iroai went to the house with the child ard gun He
returned and carried the woman to the house, laid
her down OH the west side Of the house. went ia and
got pillow and placed it under the head of the de-
ceased. lie then went to Mrs. Gsffneys, returned,
and afterwards went towards Gaffneys HheTe he
met Mrs Gsfney and Miss Seaman He left his
place Of observation after Troai had returned with
the ladies, and went directly to Lentni5 cabin. He
went into the house and barn looking for Lentini
and finally found him lying drunk behind the barn
door. While he the hill his position
commanded q view Of the entire country Saw
no man going In the direction OF Lentini's place
sam Trosi had one single. barreled army musket
and one double barreed Moore shotgun No 10
bore; saw him with the latter gun before and after
the homicide. Over a month after the murder saw
Lentini's child in Stockton; it had 4 running sore
on its left forearm. When Troai discharged the gun
at his wife he standing ground little higher
than that occupied by the woman and child When
Troai leyeled the gun upon her size brought the
child she was leading around in front of her.
Gro s-eXaminAtion-Wss born in Green county
Illinois, and came to California in 1858 am SO years
OF age
Judge Hol asked the witness great many ones
tons as to what he had done and who he had
worked for from 1868 up to the present time.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
Cross-examination resumed-The evening of the
murder was riding horseback Went 10 my cabin
vice during the afternoon the lest time think it
was about half past g. Was on the ranch all day,
but could not say how ne.r he was to the cabins say
particular time Had several meu employed, but
could not give their names think he had i've men
EMPLOYED Tgo men besides myself took care Of
the same band on the day Of the murder. When he
saw Lentini approach TREATS hOuseit was o'clock,
and he was northeast OF Tr1ai's place half mile
distant Did not have full view Of Troai's place
from where he was Noticed few moments later that
there was some kind Of ordifhculty. Didnot see
Lentin leave Tr0ais place, but afterwards saw him
coming from that direction, near my house ne
was fifty or sixty yards distant from the road did
not speak to him. Saw him go TO his bsrn, but did
not notice what he did afterwards. he afterwards
saw Pete gong from TrOais place in the direction
of Lentini's place his sheep were not there, but
he had rode down TO satisfy his curiosity The nrst
that attracted his attention to the Troai difficulty
was when he exclaimed, d" Will
SHOOT YOUR DID BRAINS OUT"
Witness was then between half and three-quarters