The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-02-16
THE LORETTA COUNTERFEIT CASE
FINISHED.
How the Prisoner Took His SEN
tence of
Two Years In Prison With Hard
Labor and s25 Fine.

The interest 10 the Loretta counterfeit case
continued undated yesterday The first
person called to the stand in the forenoon
was Loretta himself, who testified through an
interpreter that he was born In Palermo,
Sicily. II reside in Campbello, Mass, he
said, a part of Brockton, where have kept
fruit store. / have been in this country
five years, and formerly lived on North
street. in Boston. where / kept a grocery
store. found package of money tied up
with string on steamboat wharf in Bos-
ton, where went to buy fruit. came to
Portland to see about leasing place for
store.
Il did not know whether the money was
bad. had a sort of temptation to pass 1t.
When the officer arrested me the fact dawned
upon me that the money was bad and threw
the bills away"
Lyman c. Batchelder and Peter Davis of
the Brockton police force, testified that they
were on duty in Campbello, and for various
reasons they had occasion to watch Loreta's
store. 1t was very seldom, they said, that
Loretta was in the store, that the business
was conducted mostly by boy and the pris-
oner's wife.
James j. Seaman, for IL years a secret SER
vice detective, and Detective Coogan, were
the next witnesses. Seaman said he knew
where Loretta lived on North street, Boston,
and that he had watched the house for weeks
and seen we'll known Italian counterfeiters
go in and out. He knew of the house being
raided, on the pretext of selling liquor, but
the real object was to find out If he was en-.
gagged in counterfeiting. He had been aware
of Loreta's movements for some time.
Detective Coogan said that he knew Lo-
reta to be bold, shrewd counterfeiter and
apparently member of gang, of which be
Is the shower or the man who passes the
bogus money"
This ended the testimony, and then Col.
Bradbury delivered an eloquent plea for the
prisoner. District Attorney Bird began his
argument for the government in the fore
noon and finished early in the afternoon
session Of court.
Judge Webb in his charge to the jury said
that the government had shown four dis
tinct occasions of passing counterfeit money
to four different parties. The jury should
examine each of these separate cases and
pass upon them. The State for the purpose
OF protecting its currency against worthless
limitations Of genuine money has imposed
certain penalties. The first question, gentle
men of the jury, for you to pass upon Is. was
the money itself counterfeit. You are to
satisfy your own minds whether the bills
were counterfeit.
The second question is whether this party
mas used or passed either of these bills. Ii
all are counterfeit and If each or all were
passed by Loretta, it is for you to determine
as the third question whether he knew they
we're counterfeit. If he did not know the
bills were counterfeit then the law cannot
punish him. The conduct of man enables
US 10 form with more or less confidence
what was In his mind. 1t Is an old adage
that actions speak louder than words. Tie
government states that Loretta was disposing
% the money in out of the way places where
he was not known. He has been shown to
have paid Tor purchase ten within an hour,
no purchase amounting to dollar. with
these I'VE dollar bills when he had an album
dance OF small change. Moreover the govern
ment says he showed consciousness
o. guilt when he was arrested.
He failed utterly to explain in any satisfac-
tory manner how he came by the bills. Con-
corning the prisoners character and the pos
si6iiity that he knew the bills were counter
felt the judge finally spoke, after which tine
jury retired, 1t being then eight minutes of
o'clock. The jury returned at 430 o'clock,
having been out just 81 minutes, with a YER
dict Of guilty.
district Attorney Bird said that he had
another indictment against the prisoner for
passing counterfeit money aud that he was
willing to proceed with the hearing. Finally
however, being urged by the defence, he
concluded not to press the indictment, as it
had to do with bills passed the same day as
those mentioned in tho first Indictment.
When asked If he had anything to say to
the court before the sentence was passed,
he replied through the interpreter, 81 never
did anything of the kind before. have a
family
The clerk then read the sentence which
was fine OF $25, and two years confinement,
IN the State prison at Thomaston with hard
labor. When the sentence was translated t.
tile prisoner he manifested considerable
emotion, tears coming to his eyes.
Judge Webb said he made the fine small
because whatever fine he did impose would
Iail upon the prisoners family and they are
unable to bear it,