The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-31
THOUGHT MURDER
4 VERY GOOD JOKE.
A WINDoW-CLEANER KILLS HIS
PARTNER AND LAUGHS
HEARTILY OVER IT.
JEALOUSY CAUSES THE ACT.
EUGENE DA LEvA SENDS A BULLET
INTO VICENzo PALMS
BRAIN.
JEALOUSY CAUSES THE ACT.

| n jealous WlnQOW-cleaner Waylald and
murdered his partner on Broadway yester-
day afternoon. Eugene da Leva, % years
old, was the victim and Vicenzo Palmi
aged %, was the murderer. The real cause
| OF the trouble was jealousy. AT first it was
| reported the men, who were partners in
the window cleaning business, had accused
each other of embezzling funds.
| A young woman has been receiving at
! tentions from Palmi for some time. Leva
| recently called on the woman and Palmi
became very jealous. When Leva returned
from work yesterday afternoon he went to
his room in the Trinagria Hotel, 41815
Broadway, near Montgomery. When he
game downstairs Palmi was waiting for
him and the murder followed
After the murder Palmi laughed heartily,
as if he had played good joke on the man
he had killed. He shouted out between
bursts of laughter, "He think he catcha
me sleep. He hava gun in his pocket He
TAXA his hand off to hita me. L graba his
pistol and shoota him. Ha, ha, ha.''
The circumstances OF the crime show it
was deliberately planned. After his ar
rest Palmi was as happy as he could be,
and when in jail freely told over again
how he had killed Leva
Last September Leva purchased a half
interest in a windowcleani business
conducted by Palmi at III O'Farrell street.
Leva paid $110 for the half interest. He
made charges recently that Palmi had
been robbing him out of some of his share
of the firms money. The men met about
4:30 P. NJ. yesterday in the Trinagria Hotel,
at 418H Broadway, where they board.
They engaged in quarrel and were or
dered out by the proprietor. When they
got outside the shooting took place.
Some of the witnesses state that Pa1noi
pulled revolver from his pocket as soon
as Leva placed his hand on PAINTS shout
der. Others say that Leva tried to stop
Palml, as he demanded money. and Palmi
tried to get away. Leva placed his hand
on Palmi's shoulder and Palmi immedi-
ately fired revolver at his head. Leva
dropped to the ground with bullet in his
brain.
The brutal Palmi then struck the dead
mans head with the pistol and fired
another shot into his body. He then
started into the saloon, but came out i'm
mediately and again fired bullet into the
body, as if to make sure he had killed his
man.
By this time Special Policeman Otis H
Burge came running up. Palmi started to
escape, but Burge caught him and held
him. Regular Officer George Riordan
then came up and put handouts on the
murderer.
w lltA dlIll WAS DldCSQ III 1dll he IOIQ
his story, which differs from that given
by the few witnesses examined by Ser
geant Conboy, Officer Riordan and Special
Burge.
Palmi said he knew Leva was waiting
for chance to kill him. He felt that Leva
intended to do something when they met
at the hotel bar. When they got outside
Paimi says he saw a pistol in Leva's
pocket. When the latter raised his hand
to put it on PAINTS shoulder, Palmi in
stantly thrust his hand into Levas pocket,
pulled out the revolver and fired it. He
admits firing the three shots, and in hit
ting the head of the dead body. Palmi
thinks it was a great joke to take the pistol
out of Leya's pocket and to kill him with
his own weapon. The witnesses say how
ever, that the revolver belongs to Palmi.
The men about the scene of the crime re-
fuse to give any version of the affair. They
acted as if in dread of death being melted
out to them by revengeful friends of the
murderer.
On Levas body was found large clasp
knife.
Nothing was found on Palmi, but Officer
Riordan searched his room at 1918 Mont
gomery street and there found two muir
derous weapons, which go far to prove the
bloodthirsty nature of the murderer. One
was a stout stiletto, with six-inch blade
In the center of the blade was a rectangu-
lar hole about an inch and half in length.
Fitted in this was brass tongue, which is
intended to carry poison into any wound
the knife makes. The other weapon is a
small-sized cannibal islanders war club,
with an iron swivel in the center. The
ball at the end is covered with sharp
prongs. 1t is a worse weapon than a sand
bag. When out at full length it measures
foot and half, but it can be closed up to
few inches.