The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-12-04
MERoL0 IS Identified
Several Witnesses Testify That They
Saw Him Kill Loro.
Mr.. JONES' OPENING REMARKS
Describes tho Manner in Which the
Murder Wns Committed - Graphic
Story of tho Crime from an Eye.
Witncss-WitncssesE Examined.

District Attorney John r. Jones
opened the Merolo case to tHe jury yes
terday morning. On Sunday, June II.
1894, he said, the prisoner left his board
ing house i'm Old Forge, armed with a
revolver. He waited in an alley near
| Fallon's hotel for Loro to pass by.
Loro was q barber. As years of age, un-
! married and most quiet and inoffen-
sive citizen. He came from Philadel-
phia and opend shop opposite that of
Joseph Salvi on Main street, Old Forge.
| Merolo came three times and got
shaved; Loro charged but five cents a
shave. yet Merolo did not pay this pal
| try sum: SO that on the Sunday above
named when Loro met Merolo and re-
| Quested payment, the latter answered
! by taking out his revolver and empty
ing the five bullets in it into the bar
ber's body.
| Meroio escaped, was hotly pursued
| by the authorities, but he got away
| AID crossed the ocean to Italy, where
| he talked about his crime. The au-
| thorties were after him there and he
| got no rest. He eventually re-crossed
| the ocean, came to New York, and was
| afterward located in Boston by the Bar
| ring & McSweeney detective agency.
| The defendant denied that he is the
man, but the district attorney said that
his identity would be established be-
yond question by competent witnesses
and letters found on the defendants
person. The district attorneys prom
ise is being fulfilled. The common.
wealth iS nonIyiOu n,It
against the prisoner
Testimony for the Commonwealth.
Coroner J. A. Kelley was the first
witness. He described the wounds
found on the body Of the murdered
man. One bullet passed through the
left lung and severed large blood
vessel carrying life fluid back to the
heart. That was the fatal wound. Pull
monary hemorrhage was the result and
death was the natural consequence.
The coroner extracted the fatal bullet.
District Attorney Jones offered It in
evidence.
Emliio Piloso was an eve witness of
the murder. He knew the dead man
well and was similarly acquainted with
Merolo. He described the incidents
tnat led uD to the shooting. Merclo
was standing near Fallon's hotel. Loro
came along accosted him and asked
him for the Is cents owing to him.
Merolo said. with an oath, that he
would not give 1t to him and struck
him in the breast with his first. knock
ing him down. and when Loro arose.
the defendant whipped out his revolver
and shot him. Then Merolo ESCAPED.
He ran toward Salvi's house.
Ludovica Barberini an Italian wo-
man. saw the shooting. Merolo pur-
sued Loro and kept pointing the pistol
until he killed his victim. She recog-
nized the prisoner at the bar as the
one who did the shooting The hus-
band OF the witness was afterwcrd
called and testified substantially the
same as his wife.
Mrs. Moran Saw the Shooting.
Mrs. Mary Moran was sworn. She
said that Merolo boarded in a house
owned by her. next door to where she
lived. They called him Frank. She
saw the shooting. The barber ran
from his pursuer but Merolo followed
him until the man fell dead.
Pasqualle Passello, Mrs. Felice SAL
erno. Luigi Ceriana, Charles ]. Keogh,
Michael Capsicco knew Merolo, and
they were sworn in the order named
They identified the prisoner at the bar
as the right man.
John Oakley, the man with whom
Merolo worked in the mines previous
to the murder. was put on the stand
He was told by Mr.. Jones to look at the
man at the defendants table. That's
the man." said he. Mr.. Oakleys Hiber-
was threatened by the Judge with ex-
pulsion for laughing.
The pleasantries that passed between
the district attorney and the defend
ants counsel tickled the other members
of the bar who were within hearing
range. Once when Mr.. Jones was in
terrupted by Mr. Martin he told the
court that the latter did not know the
rules.
II forgot more law than you ever
learned" was the rejoinder.
Mr.. Oakley said that he went to Bos-
ton, and saw Merolo. the prisoner did
not recognize him. Merolo worked with
him eight months and three days in
the Dunn shaft at Old Forge. He went
by the name of Frank Miller. The
last day the prisoner worked was the
Saturday before the murder, which was
committed on Sunday. The witness did
not see his laborer after that until he
saw him in Boston.
McrOlO Had Scar.
Oakley noticed that there was a slight
scar on Merolo's head when he worked
as his laborer. Mr.. Martin was ques-
tioning the witness closely about the
scars and took occasion to admit that
he had scars on his own head. District
Attorney Jones turned mischievously
around and said in an undertone some
things about wheels. Thanks, very
much" said Mr.. Martin. Mr. Oakley
fixed the period that Meroio ,TorNed as
his laborer from Oct. 13, 1893. to June
16. 1894.
Oakley was at home the afternoon of
the murder: his home Is only short
distance from where Loro was killed
The five shots were fired In quick sue
cession. When Oakley got out on the
street the man was dead and the mur-
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