Sacramento daily record-union., 1889-10-04
UNPRECEDENTED BRUTALITY.
THE INHUMAN TREATMENT OF A
MOTHER BY HER SON.
Kept in Clubhouse and Fed Upon
Scraps = Indignant Neighbors
Threaten Tar-and-Feathers.

scraps = indignant Ne1ghbOrs
Threaten Tar-and-Feathers.
A couple of days ago two gentlemen, ont
of them an Italian, called upon Distric
Attorney Bruner, and told him a story tha
fairly chilled the blood in his veins.
Both gentlemen stated that they lived ir
the vicinity of the Italian vegetable gardens
about quarter of mile beyond Thirty.
first street, on J.. One of their neighbors is
A. Pagni, an Italian who is employed as s
teamster in hauling gravel to the Capi.o
grounds. Pagni lives in a comfortable lit
tie cottage with his wife and three little
children.
His aged mother also lives with him
but not in the cottage.
The poor old woman, who is nearly &C
years of age. is forced to exist the best way
she can in an old tumble.down clubhouse
some 200 yards from the family cottage
The clubhouse is about seven feet wide
plastering or shelter from the wind and
cracks at will. She is permitted no com.
munication with the family whatever, and
when she is hungry she has to crawl to the
house and beg it from her unnatural son or
his household. Then what food is given
her is usually the scraps left at the family's
table, and that is thrown to her like dog.
Several times, the gentlemen said, Pagni
and his wife have been seen to beat the
poor old mother, and for days they have
deprived her of food.
The neighbors have for the past six
months fed her and clothed her The poor
creature could not speak the English Ian
guage but woald make her way to neigh
boris house, and hold out her hands and
point to her mouth piteously.
So greatly incensed became the neigh
bors, especially Pagni's own countrymen,
that they held a consultation and agreed to
lay the matter before the authorities, and il
the law could not reach the brutal son, they
would take the matter in their own hands
and tar-and-feather him.
The tale was so terrible as detailed by the
two neighbors that the District Attorney
was incredulous.
That's just why we want you to investi-
gate" said one OF the gentlemen, sgo and
see for yourself, and you will find that it
is even more horrible than we have stated
it."
Mr.. Bruner was so busily engaged in the
Woodson rape case in the Superior Court
that he could not spare day for an inves-
tigation. Being anxious, however, TO sift
the matter as soon as possible, he concluded
to devote last night to the matter.
THE PREMISES VISITED.
The RECORD UNION became possessed OF
information regarding the matter, too, and
reporter was detailed to accompany the
District Attorney. A hack was chartered
and the two started for the vegetable gar
dens.
On the way out Jonathan G. Churchman,
very genial young gentleman, who was
also familiar with Pagni's brutal treatment
of his poor old mother, was met, and after
some hesitation consented to join the
party. He confirmed the statements of the
Bruner, and assured the District Attorney
that they had been lenient in their de-
scription of Pagni's fiendish brutality.
The tirst stop was made at the cottage oi
6. Aleksa, gardener, who lives a short
distance from Pagni. Aleksa and his
family were about to retire, but when the
District Attorney stated his business he
readily consented to talk.
well, gentlemen" said he, after in
viting the party to be seated in his house,
II don't like to be mixed up in an affair of
this kind, but the truth is, it has gone SO
far that l can't watch it in silence any
longer. Why, l would not treat dog the
way he treats his poor old mother. l have
been living here now sixteen months, but
they have been here much longer During
the time / have been here he has been
most brutal to her. She came to me one
day shortly after l moved here, and told
me that she had been put out of the house.
and had 10 take whatever they wanted to
give her-and that was, as a rule, dry
bread, which the poor old woman could
not eat because she had no teeth She said
she was willing to sleep in the shed if they
would only bring her food, and give her a
stove to keep her warm in winter. But
this they refused to do, and would not feed
her either. told her to come over to my
house when she was hungry and l would
feed her. She said she was afraid he would
kill her, but afterwards when he would be
away she did come over to get something
to eat. have often seen her kicked out o.
the house, and she would
LIE IN THE YARD
Crying like a child, but nobody woulC
come out to console her. All the people
living around here can tell you the sam,
as l have told you, and many of them have
seen even worse. / am an Italian and, O
course, can converse with her, and being
near neighbor, and having been kind tC
her, she has told me great deal From
what | can make out of the whole matter
it appears that Pagni's wife hates the OLE
woman, too, and between them they are
either irving to starve her to death, O.
bring about her death by exposure The
wife says she is an old hag, and not fit t.
be allowed to live in the house with tn,
family"
Before the party left Aleksa entreatet
that they see some more of the neighbor
so that his assertions might be corrobor
ated.
oh, don't worry about that" replied
Mr.. Bruner, I'm going 10 sift this thin,
to the bottom. It's horrible, sir, horrible 2
and the official shuddered yisibly as b.
bade the man good night.
ANOTHER SHOCKING RECITAL.
Aieksa had mentioned a we'll known an
influential Italian gentleman-P. A. Gal
gani. who keeps grocery-store on the cor
ner OF Eighteenth and NJ streets-as bein.
familiar with the matter, and the hack
driver was directed 10 head for that place
ugh :" exclaimed Galgani, holding u,
his hands and closing his eyes as if TO shu
out the terrible picture which rose befor,
him, when the District Attorney men
toned Pagn;. What do know about it
Why, what does everybody out there know
about it? 1t is simply awful. / am al
Italian, and don't like to see our rae,
humiliated by such beast as this man is
and for that reason / have interested nv
self in the matter, and have investigated
it, so that people, instead of pointing at u
would appreciate our showing it up, other
wise they would think that all Italians ar,
alike. No, sir, we Italians want to show
him up and do not want to be disgraced b,
him. Well, to get down to the story hat
spoken with dozen or more people on
there and they all tell the same terribl
story. Pagni has put the poor old woman
out of the house, and has forced her to livt
in place
WORSE THAN A PIG-PES.
The neighbors have clothed and fed he
for the past six months. Gabrianni. gar
dener, living near Pagni, tells me that hi
wife has been making dresses for her righ
along. She took pity on her when she say
her naked condition. But, even then, tn