The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-10-11
CLOSING PERRETTo Case
Testimony Of Commonwealth and
y Defense Has Been Heard.
PERRETTO PUT ON THE STAND
lie Denied in Toto tho Charges Laid
Against Him by the Commonwealth.
Attorney Martin Closing for
the Defense to the Jury.

/
the stand at 800 yesterday afternoon,
and Attorney John r. Martin made
known to the court that his side had
finished. District Attorney Jones called
A. A. Ayers, of Peckville. in rebuttal.
| Mr.. Ayers, in answer to the question
| put to him, said he has known Perretto
| for the past four years. and his reputa-
tion for peace and quiet is bad. AS
| Ayers was passing the jury box he
bowed to one of the jurors. Attorney
Brown called Judge Archbald's atten-
ton to this fact Mr.. Ayers explained
that he noticed the juror wore Grand
Army button, and he always bows to
| an old veteran, he being one himself
Perretto was the last witness In his
| own defense. He walked to the stand
| with a quick, nervous step. and an
| swered sharply, knitting his browS and
gnashing his fierce-looking teeth. He
was shown the leather case of the
stiletto. He said that the case which
sheathed his stiletto was torn on the
| side: the leather case the common
wealth contends belonged to Perretto's
| stiletto Is not torn.
| Patrick Boyle, of Winton. was the
| first witness called to the stand yester-
day morning. He was sitting on the
front porch of his house the evening of
| the murder. His home Is across the
| street from Angelo Camerota's house.
where the tragedy happened. He heard
| the affray and saw Perretto, thes de-
fendant, run toward his (Boyle's) house.
Pcrretto Was bleeding.
Mr.. Boyle didn't want to let Per-
rettO in; he locked the door. hut Per-
retto ran upon the porch. Finding the
| door locked the defendant went away.
Mr.. Boyle came out few minutes af-
terward and found blood on the porch.
County Detective Leyshon was called
| by Attorney Martin. Mr.. Leyshon tes-
| titled that he procured the revolver
| from James Washburn. with whom
| Charley Wardo. who made his escape.
| boarded. The county detective said he
made careful and diligent search for
| Wardo.
| Thomas Mahady. OF Winton. was an
the streets of Jessup the evening of the
murder. He heard pistol shot; three
men ran out of Camerota's house. One
Of them was Perretto. The latter en-
| deavored to get into Patrick Boyle's
| house. The witness was informed that
Perretto had killed Michael Demarko,
and he assisted in bringing the defend
ant to the 'squires office. Perretto had
several gashes on his body. District
Attorney Jones asked the witness
whether or not he saw PerrettO collide
with a barbed wire fence. Mahady did
| not see that
Patrick Gilmartin of Winton, was at
Camerota's house fifteen minutes after
| the murder. Michael Demarko, the
murdered man. was lying outside the
house dead There was a knife and a
| clay pine in a pool of blood at the
| feet of Demarko. Mahady was recalled
| for the purpose of contradicting John
| COrello. who swore al the coroner's
hearing that the men who did the kill
| ing ran away. Corello swore in court
that he did not say this before the
coroner. number of character wit
resses We're noxt heard In behalf Of the
defendant. All they could say in his
| favor was that they never heard any
thing against him.
/ Perretto's General Denial.
| The defendant was put upon the
stand in the afternoon. He was. born
| in Naples. Italy, 2S years ago. came
| to this country when he was 90, and
since then has been in many places.
| He worked in several towns in New
York state, Ohio and Virginia. before
coming to Scranton. He worked all
this time as la.borer. On June 90 last
| he was at the house of Angelo Cam
| erota, in JessuD, where he boarded:
l
| John Corello, Michael Demarko. Mich
| olas Demarko. Charley Wardo. Michael
| Rich. and the boarding boss We're there.
The men named used to get shaved
by Camerota. This Sunday afternoon
there had been some Intoxicating LIQUOR
drunk by all of them and eventually a
fight started. Perretto described the
preliminary skirmish in the same way
that other witnesses have described It,
| IJa coi5 thay oil boJ LpiI,ac hut that
when the melee started the others
seemed inclined to pounce on him and
his cousin, Peter Perretto. The affray
became general. and he did his best to
ward off the blows and dagger thrusts
that We're aimed at him. He denied
absolutely and in toto that he gave the
lblow that sent Michael Demarko to his
grave. and insisted that the intention
OF the Others was to Kill him.
All His Scars Were shown.
Tn sunnort of this story ba uas
brought bv his attornevs in.o q nrivato
room Tho iudge inv and Distric,
Attnrna,, Ionas w. oD stor. an" +,n soors
of the wounds that perrat,o rsooiyed IN
tha f,oht Tbere was ono fva incbes
LONG on bis head ond onothar sa,,aro1
inches long on his leg His bodv was
~, ,ark ad with several knifa thrrs,s Dor.
retto was stripped while the iury was
| inspecting the scars. The examina-
| tion of the defendant was quite brief.
| The district attorney did not ask any
questions.
Attorney Martin began his argument
| for the defense at $50 and was allowed
two hours by Judge Archibald. Dis
| trict Attorney Jones will make the
closing argument for the common