Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-05-14
DOHENrlEI PARDuHED.
HIS INNOCENCE Is ESTABLISHED BE
Y0ND A DOUBT.
His Alleged Victim Perjured Herself and
Left the State After Making
a Confession.

was convicted in this city of making a
felonious assault upon Mary Wiedeman,
and was sentenced by Judge Van Fleet to
twenty-seven years Imprisonment in the
penitentiary, the community believed that
justice had been done and the demands of
the law fulfilled.
The girl, Mary Wiedeman, told SEEM
ingly straight story, and it was her testi-
mony alone that caused the jury to find a
verdict of guilty.
gone to Jail on the false testimony of
others, and such proved the case with poor
Domentini.
The girl, it seems, had first gone to her
parents and made the first false statement.
The parents became indignant and caused
Domentini's arrest. Then the girl was
called upon to reiterate her statement, and,
fearing the wrath of her parents, she did
so, adding her oath to the perjured story.
Domentini had friends, and faithful
ones, who never forsook him in his hour
of trouble. They left no stone unturned to
save him, and long after Domentini had
tinued their efforts in his behalf Fore
most of these friends was A. Mazzini,
prominent member of the local Italian
colony, and o. Riccomi, San Francisco
merchant. Messrs. Mazzini and Riccomi
procured the assistance of G. Shumaker, a
well-known legal gentleman of San Fran
cisco, and all were tireless in their exer-
tons.
Right eventually asserted itself, and
Mary Wiedeman confessed that she had
sworn falsely. While con fined in the city
prison in August, 1889, with another girl of
her stripe named Cora Mains, she told the
latter that Domentini was innocent, and
that she was very sorry that she had been
the means of sending the poor fellow to
prison. She gave as her reason for periur-
ing herself that she feared the displeasure
of her parents. The Mains girl told Chief
of Police Lee of the Wiedeman girls con-
fession, and when the Chief questioned
Miss Wiedeman she readily agreed to make
a sworn statement to the effect that Domen-
TIM was innocent.
Accordingly the statement was drawn
up, and sworn to, and the document was
one of several which were submitted to the
Governor with the petition for Domentini's
pardon.
When this state of affairs became known,
DomentiEis friends experienced little
trouble in obtaining signatures to the petit
ton. Every one of the twelve jurors who
convicted him signed it, as did also Judge
Van Fleet, Judge Armstrong. District At
torney Bruner, City Attorney Hart, Police
Judge Buckley, the Mayor and Trustees,
Chief of Police, and host of prominent
citizens of Sacramento, making altogether
as strong document as was ever presented
to the Executive.
Judge Van Fleet, in addition to signing
the petition, sent a letter to the Governor,
in which he said:
Angelo Domentini, whose petition for pardon
accompanies this, was convicted before me of
the crime OF rape, and as the evidence at the
trial gave the offense an exaggerated character
sentenced him to the State Prison for term
of "a years Since then, from the affidavits of
ex-Chief of Police Lee and Cora Mains which
are herewith presented to YOU. Excellency,
self of the Character Of the hen main wit.
ness against him, have become con-
WINGED that the evidence of Mary Weide-
man. the said witness was largely untrue, and
that the defendant should not have been con-
vlcted. 1t has raised SO serious doubt in my
mind as to the business of the verdict and sen.
tence that feel satisfied the defendant should
be given the benefit of that doubt, and for that
for his pardon. Had l known of the facts
which have since come to my attention in
Time, should nave granted the defendant
new trial.
Yesterday the Governor granted a par
don to Dom entini and he is once more
free man. 1t is hardly necessary to add
that this action met with the approval of
the majority of the community.
Domentini has a wife and three children
in Italy, who will join him Immediately.
A position in large San Francisco whole
sale house has been offered him, and alto
gether his prospects for the future are quite
bright.
Mary Wiedeman disappeared shortly
after making her confession, and it was as
certained subsequently had left the State.
The Governor, in issuing the pardon,
says: From the affidavits and statements
made in this case it appears that the prose.
cutting witness Mary Wiedeman, periured
herself while on the witness stand; that she
was in reality depraved and immoral
character, instead of an innocent and
abused girl as she would have it appear,
and that she met and had intercourse with
Domentini of her own free will and accord;
that Domentini is innocent of any crimi-
nality, and is unjustly imprisoned; that all
OF these facts have come to light since the
trial and conviction