The morning call., 1891-03-09
A CHASTITY HAUL.
Giovanni Sabella's Mysterious
Death on the Bay.
His Mutilated Corpse Brought Up in Fish
erman's Net-Arrest Of His Supposed
Murderer-The autopsy.

The mud-fats at the mouth of Petaluma
| Creek was the scene of terrible crime
committed there early on Saturday morn
| ing.
| Giobatti Zabezzi and Giovanni ISABELLA.
both Italians, started from Fisherm ans
| Wharf last Thursday and proceeded to the
locality named to fish. There had been no
trouble of serious nature between the two
men previous to that time as far as can be
learned, although ISABELLA told some of his
| friends that this would be the last trip he
won Id make with Zabezzi, who, from all
accounts, is of very Quarrelsome DISPOSE
| ton.
DISCOVERY OF THE CRIME.
What really happened after the boat
sailed from this city can now only be sur
missed. On Saturday evening, about 6
| o'clock, ZabeZzi returned to the city alone,
tied up the boat in the usual manner, and
went to his home, on Green street, be-
tween Battery and Sansome.
There we're number of fishermen out
on the fats when ZabeZzi left Among
these were TomasO Toretino and his broth
er, who about the same time that he
reached the city began to haul in their
net, and had got part of it into the boat
when they we re Mortified to find human
body coming to the surface.
A CHASTITY HAUL.
The face was upturned, and the eyes pro-
truded from the head i'll q horrible man
ner. The right arm was extended, and the
fingers grasped the meshes OF the net III
grip tn at no shaking could loosen.
The two men were so frightened that they
at once threw the net overheard and pulling
over to where another boat was at anchor
told the terrible story.
AT first the other men were disposed to re-
4 1,
gard the story as Joke but were soon con-
WINGED that the pair of terrified fishermen
were in earnest.
ToWED TO THE CITY.
They at once lifted their anchors, sailed
over to the spot and once more the task of
hauling In the heavy net was begun. The
body was brought 10 the surface and when
disengaged from the meshes was at once
recognized by the entire party as that of
Giovanni ISABELLA, who had evidently been
murdered
A cursory glance revealed the fact that the
back OF the head was gashed in fearful
manner, as if with Ratchet. The body
was taken in tow ana brought TO this city.
On arriving here yesterday morning Tere-
tinO immed ately notified the police and OIL
Ger Mahoney was sent to take charge of the
body, pending the arrival of the Coroner.
while Officer Gwinn was detailed to inveSti-
gate the matter.
ZABEZZIs ARREST.
OWlnU SOOn ulSCOF6lcu VIII WAS captain
of the boat, and, going to ZabeZzRs house at
o'clock yesterday morning, placed him un-
der arrest. The man was in bed when the
officer, followed by mob of enraged ltaL
ians, arrived, and ii seemed for some mo-
ments as if swift vengeance would overtake
the suspected murderer for his bloody deed.
The prison er had not single friend in
the crowd OF excited men and women that
barred the way TO the street. After the otfi-
Ger had handcutfed him his wife and chill
dren chung to him and piteously begged the
officer not 20 take him away.
Just as the officer was leaving the house
with his prisoner, the two brothers OF the
murdered man arrived, and 1t took the com-
bined efforts of eight or ten men to prevent
them rushing on the prisoner, who covered
behind the arresting officer. They were
finally forced aside, and Gwinn took his man
as quickly as possible TO the North Harbor
Station.
THE SCENE OF THE TRAGEDY.
The news of the terrible crime rapidly
| spread, and Davis street in the vicinity OF
the police station, was soon packed with a
crowd of excited people, eager to get u
+ glimpse of the murderer.
In the meantime an examination was made
| of the boat in which the tragedy was sup
| posed to have happened, and in it was found
| towel saturated with blood and Ratchet,
| the weapon WITH which, no doubt, the muir
| derer had killed his victim. This was blood
| stained and showed evidence OF having re-
| Gently been washed in an attempt to etface
| the bloody marks.
The boat itself had also been washed out,
and there was little to show that a terrible
| crime had been committed in her. An in
| vestigatiOn, however. revealed large clots of
| blood on the sail and yard, and the further
| fact that two Of the matches were missing.
| These, 1t Is thought, may have been marked
| by blows from the Ratchet, and on that &C
| count thrown overheard by Zaoezzi, in order
| to destroy the evidence of his guilt
| The sail ana yard were taken by the off,
Ger and carried to the police station, to be
used as evidence, as were the towel and
! Ratchet. The body was taken in charge by
the Coroner and conveyed to the MOrgue.
THE PRISONERS STATEMENT.
In the afternoon, about / o'clock, after
| being duly cautioned by Captain Dunlevy,
| the prisoner made the following statement;
We left the wharf on Thursday morning
| to go to Pctaluma to fish. own tile boat
and the deceased was working for me. The
| dead man was to get One-third of what we
made. He was working on shares We got
| to the flats and cast our nets about o'clock
| Thursday night. and then had our supper
and went to bed. The nets were hauled
| early in the morning, and we then moved
little farther out and again put the nets
| out. We hauled them again in the after
noen and then made sail. l was going 10
| gibe the boat on to the other tack and
| warned ISABELLA to look out for the boom,
/
! struck him and he was thrown overheard.
| As soon as | could / threw over two of the
| hatches but could not see ISABELLA. 1 then
| sailed the boat over to boat owned by my
| cousin, and asked him to help me look for
| the man. lie came with me, and, although
| we looked for some time, could see nothing
| of him. l then started for the city, and got
| Eere about g O'Clock Saturday night. was
| tired, so went home and went to bed.
| That Is all l know about it.
SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCE.
When asked why he did not report the
| matter as soon as he 90 to San Francisco,
| the prisoner made no reply.
All the evidence goes TO show that the
| crime was 3 most deliberate and cold
| blooded one. The cuts in the head could not
| possibly have been inflicted by the boom,
and the blood on the head of the sail shows
| plainly that at the time of the murder the
| sail was not In use. but was rolled up.
Zabezzi, in all probability. killed his victim
while they were engaged in hauling in the
net, and this theory is borne out by the posi-
ton of the wounds. The body of the
victim was then thrown overheard by the
murderer. who no doubt expected it would
be carried out to sea by the strong tide.
VISIT FROM HIS WIFE.
About 8 o'clock Mrs. Zabezzi arrived at
the North Harb0r Station with her four
children, carrying some dinner for her huS-
band. AS soon as the cell door was opened
she threw herself on his neck and sobbed
and moaned as if heartbroken. Zabezzi
spoke a few words to her in their native
tongue and then fell to eating as if he was
the most innocent man in the world. He is
a stout-built fellow, about 81 years old, is
regarded among his countrymen as a dan
gerous man, and has several times made
threats to kill those with whom he has quar-
relied.
GIoBATTI AND GIOVANNI.
A CALL reporter paid a visit to Fisher
~ Wharf and tho rno thura mr. onft ll,y
admitted that most Of them were afraid Of
the murderer.
George Glegs stated that he and Zabezzi
had auarreled over net about four years
ago. and then ZabeZzi attacked him with a
Ratchet, and was only prevented from kill
ing him by the Intervention Of other fisher
men.
Giovanni ISABELLA, the murdered man, was
"a years old, and had been working for
Zabezzi for about two months. He was
we'll liked among his countrymen and was
regarded as a very quiet man. He was a
nativa of italy and had haan In California