The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-08-28
CAUGHT HERE.
The Bayonne Italian Muir
derer Cleverly Arrested by
Policeman Harrigan.

William Fimanella, of No. 66 Front
street, Brooklyn, an Italian rag picker,
murdered John Watt, his brother-in-
law, an Italian junkman, at the latter's
home at No. 143 West Thirty-frst street,
Bayonne, last evening. The house where
the murder occurred is dilapidated old
structure known as the Peck House.
For some months past it has been occu-
pied by small colony Of Italian rag
pickers, junk dealers and bootblacks,
with Watt who was thirty-years old and
married, as head of the establishment.
During the past few weeks Fimanella
made his home with his victim. Yester-
day afternoon the brother-in-laws drove
to Jersey City to sell a load of junk.
Fimanella while there met some boon
companions and drank deeply. By the
time the pair returned home Fimanella
was fighting drunk. Between eight and
nine o'clock he became engaged in a dis
pute with another Italian, presumably
his younger brother, Antonio.
ViatJ left the room in which he was
seated with his family, and tried to stop
the scuffle. The next instant he sank to
the floor in a state of collapse, the elder
Fimanella having stabbed him in the left
groin with a stiletto, the blaae being
buried to the hilt. The wound was
mortal. Drawing his weapon from his
victims body Fimanella terrified his
brother and sister and the latter's three
children by fiourishing it in their faces.
While those in the house were attending
the wounded man. the assassin fled.
1T WAS MURDER.
Mrs. Watt sent her eldest boy for a
physician and DR.. Noah Sanborn re-
sponded. He arrived in time to find Watt
dying. The wound had bled profusely.
and everything in the apartment was
covered with blood. Realizing that MUIR
der had been done the physician imme-
diately notified the Bayonne police.
Roundsman Lynch and Patrolman Null
laney instituted search for the muir
phoned to the Jersey City police by Ser
geant Cavanagh. PaJrolmen Tore and
Jones also joined in the hunt.
The description given by Mullaney en-
abled Patrolman Harrigan, who had been
detailed to watch the Greenville cars, to
identify Fimanella among the passengers
on the first car he met. The prisoners s
trousers were despatched with blood.
and he had in his possession, when arrest
ed. the blood-stained ten-inch stiletto.
He was locked up at Jersey City Police
Headquarters.
The murderer is thirty-one years old,
about five feet five inches tall, and has q
when captured, in brown clothing, the
fact that he wore no waistcoat being re-
sponslble for his prompt Identification.
A big crowd gathered in front of
Cooper Hall to get a glimpse Of the muir
derer as he alighted in irons from the
van that took him to the First District
Police Court. Arraigned before Justice
Stilsing he refused to say anything In
connection with the affair. In front of
the Judge lay ten inch dagger, with a
six inch blade and an inch wide. 1t is a
brand new instrument, with q dark bone
handle The blade was covered with
dried blood.
CLEVER ARREST.
The murderer appeared nervous and
the naturally Swarthy face was blanched
almost white. He is quite a good look
ing young Italian, of small, compact and
athletic build, with closely cropped curly
black hair He gazed furtively about
him as he entered the court room, and
even in the pen, glanced around as if
seeking some avenue of escape.
The laurels of his capture belong
equally to Night Clerk Isaiah Hutton
and Patrolman Harrigan. The Bayonne
police asked for telephone connection
with the Fifth precincI OF this city;
Hutton placed mis- ear to the receiver and
caught the words ''look out for an es-
capped murderer" with bits of descrip-
tion. Hutton Immediately dispatched
Patrolman Harrigan, with the descrip-
tion he had caught over the wires be-
tween Bayonne and the Fifth precinct, to
give the tip to the police at the Pennsyl-
wanna ferry to look out for the man.
Harrigan boarded a Bayonne car at
Van Worst and Grand streets, espied his
man and placed him under arrest.
This arrest. coming as it does right
upon the heels Of his clever capture Of the
boy horse thieves, has added fresh laur-
els to Harrigan's reputation.
The murderer was handed over to the
Bayonne authorities, and at his examina-
ton there was remanded to await the
action of the Grand Jury.