The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-02-07
The COIL IS TIGHTENING
Rocco SalyatOri's Evidene Is Very
Damaging to the Murderer.
SHOWS THE CRIME WAS NILFUL
Boschino Had Razor and Tried TO Slash
Salvatore When lie Acted as Peace.
makcr-A Number of Witnesses
Heard During the Day.

IuDllC curiosity mas attained SucH IL
pitch that the main room of the court
house Is not half large enough to ac-
commodate the throngs that haunt the
trial of Joseph Boschino for the murder
of francesca Conforti. 1t requires all
the attention and patience of the tip
staffs on duty at the doors to prevent
the crowds from stampeding into court
from the main corridors. .
Boschino sat at the defendants table
and drank in every word that fell from
the lips of witnesses, and whenever
Judge Gunster spoke the prisoner
leaned forward as if to better hear
what the court had to say, His wife
sat at his side and appeared more i'll
at ease. All who have seen Boschino
admit that he Is one of the coolest and
nerviest men who ever sat charged
with murder in the courts of this
county
After court convened yesterday morn
ing Antonio lmbriano was recalled by
Mr.. Horn, of counsel for the defense,
for further crosS-eXaminatiOn The
witness declared emphatically that
Boschino had knocked Conforti down
and he denied that he had told a news
paper reporter in the Dunmore lookup
the night he was arrested that the iirst
he knew about the murder of Conforti
was when his wife told him. In a few
minor particulars the witness contra
dicted the testimony he gave in chief.
He said that he was a native of South
ern Italy and came to this country nine
years ago. Since then he has been q
resident of a place called Cooney, New
York and Dunmore.
rs it not a fact" asked Mr.. Horn.
that at the time Joe Gennello was
killed i'm Dunmore in 1898, you were
there and Immediately skipped out OF
the county and We're gone for eight
months: that YOU Were in New York
during that time"
The question was objected to by the
commonwealth, but Judge Gunster de-
cided that the defense had the right to
call lmbriano's attention to the event,
and find out whether subsequent to
that event he did not go away. The
witness said that he did go away about
that time and remained in New York
for four or five months.
soon AItST bCNuSllO wa hllISN'
How long was it after the killing of
Joe Gennello that you went away from
Scranton" six or seven days"
And you did not come back until
after that case was tried. did you?
The trial was over when l came back.
His wife and children We're not with
him while he was away. Before leaV-
ing for New York he was employed as a
section hand on the Erie and Wyoming
Valley railroad, and during the time he
was in the metropolis he only worked
one month. Boschino denied that he
was the owner of a revolver at the time
of the murder. He said he sold II the
May previous.
George +. Storner a photographer OF
the West Side, testified that views he
took of the scene of the murder were
correct.
Rocco Salvatore, who was with Con-
forti at the time of the murder, was
the next witness, and his evidence was
of a convincing nature. 1t would tend
to show that the murder was cold
blooded and premeditated. He said
that his home is near Dunmore and
that he remembered distinctly the
night of Nov. II. 1894, when Frank
Conforti was killed. About o'clock on
the night of the murder he met Joseph
Boschino, Frank Conforti and Antonio
Imbriano near the bridge that crosses
the Roaring Brook. Conforti told him
that Boschino wanted to kill him Con
forth for no cause whatever and wit
ness asked Boschino why he made
such threats.
Then while / was asking him that,
continued Salvatore, II laid my hand
on his coat sleeve and he tried to cut
my neck. / made dive for his razor
and he cut my finger. Then we re-
mained together me and Conforti and
Imbriano, and Boschiho went ahead
and hid himself in the bushes"
Was your hand cut with the razor?"
yes, sir
eco ahead from that point" "Then
we began to walk and when we walked
about twenty steps John Myran, Louis
Valvano and Frank Chiprianno came
up to us. / walked a little way with
Conforti, who was wondering about his
hat, which had been knocked in the
stream by Boschino. Then / went a
little farther with him and bid him
good night. After going two or three
steps from him / stopped to take q
chew of tobacco and / saw somebody
fire shots from the bush"
Boschino Fired the shots.
"Who was it?" "Boschino. just
then | saw Frank Conforti drop on the
ground and he cried Virgin Mary
| am killed"
'How was Frank Conforti standing
when he was shot?" "He was walking
and when he heard the noise of the
leaves he turned to see what was in the
bush and just then he was shot"
"Do you identify Boschino now as the
man that fired the shots?' yes, sir
| saw him with my eyes. He did not
say q word, but. after he shot, he
stepped from there. He fired two shots
ut Conforti, and after he got out of thc
bush he made two or three steps ant
| fired three shots ut me and Joht
Myran. Then ran to Confortis house
to tell his wife, but she was not in"
The witness was then turned over t.
Mr.. Horn for cross-examinatlon.
"Did you ever tell Frank Rosa tina
It was Boschino and Imbrano tina
killed Conforti?" asked Mr.. Horn. mo
sir: | was shiverfng and / didn't know
what / was saying to them"
"Did you, while you were In the coun
ty jail, say you didn't know who it wa.
that shot Frank Conforti?" mo, sir.
j. G. Westcott was the next witness
called by the commonwealth. He Is {
special police officer of Forest City. III
arrested Boschino on Nov a. 1894, a
Richmondale, and took him to the coun
ty Jail in this city. Raphael Tredescal
told him the day before the arrest tina
Boschino wanted to give himself up
but would like to be protected by al
officer. At this point court adjourne,
| for the noon recess.