The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-10-10
THE Defense HAS Opened
Will EndeayOr to Prove That Pasquela
PerrettO Was Unarmed.
ATTORNEY BROWNS REMARKS
Are to the Effect That Pcrretto Could
Not Have Committed the Murder.
Closing Testimony on tho
Part OF the Defense.

AS the court house clock was tolling
the hour of four yesterday afternoon
District Attorney John r. Jones an
nounced to Judge Archibald that the
commemorative side of the case where
Pasquela Perretto is on trial for his
life was finished. A very strong case
against the defendant has been made
out.
Angelo Cameroto, the boarding boss
In whose house the murder happened
was the first witness called yesterday
morning. He did not see the stabbing
nor did he see Perretto go upstairs for
his revolver and stiletto. The witness
said he had his hands full. ejecting
from the house those who We're quarrel
Ing. But before the scufiie ended he
heard shots that had been fired by
Charley Wardo, and he saw the de-
fendant flourishing a big stiletto.
Cameroto showed Perretto out on the
street, and not more than a minute
after that Michael Demarko shouted
for mercy. Perretto ran down the
street. a crowd after him. The witness
was one of the crowd that chased Per-
retto. and was of the impression. as
were all of them. that Perretto was the
murderer of Michael Demarko.
VII AtlbTHcy
Brown asked Cameroto where he was
on Aug. 20. 1892. The witness replied
that he was serving a term of twenty
months in Dannemora penitentiary, N.
Y. He denied that he swore he would
kill Dominick Demaio If he would not
swear that Pasquella Perretto killed
Michael Demarko. Cameroto was SEN
fenced for attempt at criminal assault.
Dcmaio Told What lie Saw.
Dominick Demaio was the next wit
ness. He described the preliminary
scenes in the shanty the Sunday of the
murder. John Corello was drunk and
Haunted money Some one. the witness
was not sure who II was. advised Corel-
10 not to sport his money in that way
This bit of repartee provoked a quar-
rel Peter Perretto brandished knife
and Pasquella Perretto went upstairs
for tine revolver and stiletto. He did
not waver much from his story on
cross-examination.
On redirect examination the witness
was asked by District Attorney Jones
II his testimony before the coroners s
jury was not in direct contradiction to
the testimony being given now on the
trial. He admitted that there may
have been vast disparity between his
statements then and now, owing to the
fact that he was afraid OF his life, and
Thought that it would go hard with him
If he told to the coroner what he knew
about the murder.
District Attorney Jones asked De-
maio whether or not he told a different
story week ago at the Jail to him.
The object of this was to show that
Perretto's friends have been using in
timidation to prevent the witnesses Of
the commonwealth from teStifying to
the truth. Demaio swore before the
coroner's jury to facts that would es-
tablish the guilt clearly and forcibly of
Perretto ,and he told the district at
torney a week ago at the county Jail
that he saw the shooting. but on the
witness stand yesterday he knew moth
ing except about the preliminary
trouble. He did not see the fatal en-
counter between Perretto and Demarko
he said.
perretto Won the Knife.
Louis Cicero, a swarthy and dirty
looking middle-aged Italian. took the
stand at $50. He was shown the case
and handle of the missing stiletto with
which Perretto stabbed Demarko. The
murderous weapon belonged to Cicero
about three years ago. He bet it on a
game OF cards with Perret' and lost.
They boarded at the same .ouse and
played cards together, sometimes for
beer, sometimes for money, often
times for nothing, and but once for
knives. Cicero got the knife from a
man in Carbondale. who left 1t as .
token of remembrance as he was about
to go back to Italy.
Attorney Martin tried to show on
cross-eXamination that Cicero was mis-
taken about the knife; that the leather
case and wooden handle shown to him
by the district attorney were not the
ones that belonged to the knife Per-
retto won from him on the game of
cards.
District Attorney Jones here ex-
planned to the court that diligent search
had been made by the county detective
for Peter lPerretto and Charles Wardo,
the two Italians who were eye wit
nesses of the murder. These men have
taken themselves away to some distant
and unknown cline. and that Is the
reason they were not put on the wit
ness stand. The commonwealth rested
after offering the revolver, stiletso han
die and case in evidence.
Opened for the Defense.
At 4 o'clock Attorney Joseph Brown
opened for the defendant. He said that
1t Is deplorable fact that murders
have been amazingly frequent within
the last ten years, but what the jury
must decide is whether or not Perretto
did the killing. He hoped to be able,
he said, to prove that there was free
fight and that knives were freely used
to such extent that the murdered man
was slashed in several places on the
head, breast and lower limbs: therefore
that the killing did not take place as
the commemorative witnesses had
testified and that lPerretto did not strike
the blow.
Gsorge Bell and Michael Sweeney, OF
Wi1ton, were sworn for the defendant.
They were character witnesses ana
tostIfed that Perretto always was re-
parded as a peaceable citizen. At this