Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-07-07
AN ITALIAN STILETTO.
1t Was Used, by One Familiar, in a
House in Splane's Court.
ONE COLONY OF THE FOREIGNERS.
A Genuine Case of Jumping Out Of the
Frying Pan Into the Fire.
FRIGHTFULLY CROWDED TENEMENTs

Last evening cutting screpe occurred in
No. Splane's court, which runs back at
the side at No. 212 Grant street. Frank
Rossi, or Rufo. went into the house of c. B.
Scornos, big man, who was engaged in
cutting meat. Rossi is little man.
The two got into quarrel
about something that no fellow can
find out, and it ended in Rossi drawing a
stiletto, made of an ordinary table knife,
and stabbing Scornos in the shoulder.
Policeman j. W. Jack heard the quarrel
ing and broke open the door, which was
locked. Just as he did SO Rossi threw
bottle, which hit Scornos on the side of the
head, cutting bad cash. There were three
other men in the room, and Officer Jack
got assistance and arrested the whole party,
all of them being placed in the Central sta
tion. Scornos was not seriously although
somewhat severely injured. Subsequently
Officer Jack arrested another Italian who
had been in the house and refused to give
any information concerning the names of
the people and how the quarrel commenced,
although he said he knew all about it.
OOI fhf1NG fAHs
Splane's court was formerly one of the
most notorious places in the city. There
are about 20 houses in it, and most of them
were occupied by colored females, who
would stand on the street in front and entice
men to enter their dens. On the upper
corner was the establishment of John
Gorlett, whose wife committed suicide
in one of the houses in the court after her
husband procured a divorce from her. The
police finally cleaned out all of the dis
reputable establishments in the court, and
the colored occupants had to seek other
quarters. The officers are beginning TO
think now, however, that it was case of
jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.
The deserted dwellings have been taken
possession Of by a colony of Italians and
Hungarians, and the nightly orgies are
worse, if such thing were possible, than
they were before.
''It is almost worth a mans life to 90 into
the court now" said a policeman last night.
II think there are ten times as many per-
sons living in the houses as there were be-
fore the colored occupants were made to
leave, and the Italians are dangerous peo-
pie, especially when they have a grudge
against anyone. 1 always keep my eyes and
ears open wide when 60 into the court"
HUDDLING TOGETHER IN ONE ROOM.
ST have seen good deal of the way that
Italians can live, said the officer, "but the
way they do now in Splane's court beats
anything that ever saw before. In one
room, hardly bigger than closet, 1 found
four beds and three persons slept in each
bed. A man would have to go in sideways
to get between the beds. In another place,
where there were only two small rooms. 20
persons slept. I believe there are over 300
persons living in the court now and
it isn't big enough for 100. I'd
rather have the negro houses back
there than that lot of Italians. They buy
beer by the keg, and bad whisky by the
gallon, and they get up more rows in week
than there used to be in six months. Some
of these days I'm going to make raid on
the entire court, and pull in the whole
gang"
The average italian is not a bit proud,
and it is sight to see them carrying kegs
of beer on their shoulders, up Diamond
alley on Saturday nights. There is an es-
tablishment on Diamond street where they
get eighths of beer for 81, and they seem to |
take a good deal of mental satisfaction in
carrying them home past the Central police |
station