The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-02-06
BASCH|N0 DID Shooting
So Antonio lmbrianO Stated to the
Jury Under Oath Yesterday.
EVENTS THAT LED UP TO 1T
Baschino Threw COnfOrti Down and the
Latter Threatened to Have His Assail-
ant Arrc sted-Work of Securing
Jury Completed Yesterday.

Jury Completed Yesterday.
When court adjourned last evening
in the main court room, where Judge
Gunster is presiding at the trial OF
Joseph Boschino for the murder OF
Francesca Conforti, otherwise known
as Frank Conforti, Antonio Imbriano
was on the witness stand detailing the
manner in which the killing was done
and the events that led up to 1t. He
was arrested with Boschino and Rocco
Salvatore Immediately after the mur-
der and was held as q party to the
crime until the meeting of the grand
jury, which eXonerated Salvatore and
Imbriano from actual participation in
the murder. They have since been de-
tanned in the county jail. however, as
witnesses. that they might be present
to give their testimony at the trial now
in progress.
The defense will make an effort to
show that BoSchino Is guiltleSs of the
murder and that ii was committed by
Salvatore and Imbriano, who are now,
ii is alleged, endeavoring to combine
to place the responsibility for the crime
ON the shoulders of Boschino. 1t re-
mains to be seen whether the defense
will be able to establish such state
of facts. 1t is yet too early to predict
whether they will or not. From the
ined thus far nothing of the kind has
been established.
Court Room Crowded.
All day the court room was crowded.
Many wer unable to obtain seats and
the corridor leading to the main court
room was packed with a morbid throng.
BoSChin1 sat at the defendants table
and uttered but few words during the
day. He was attired the same as on
the preceding day, except that his
orange and black tie had been re-
placed by one the predominating color
of which was blue.
Beside him sat his wife, a slight
built woman of the unmistakable Latin
type of beauty. who frequently spoke
to her husband, but seldom got re-
sponse.
After court convened yesterday
morning the work of securing jury
was again taken up and from among
those stood aside Monday, William f.
Sekol, surveyor, Scranton, and Philip
Smith, brakeman, Scranton, were OBJ
tanned That made the necessary
twelve, ten having been obtained on
Monday.
Attorney II. l.. Taylor made the open
ing address to the jury for the COM
moawealth and detailed the circum-
stances of the murder as he said they
would be testified to by witnesses that
the commonwealth will call. He be-
lieved it a deliberate and wilful mur-
der and the evidence to be adduced, he
thought, would sustain that view of
the case. Boschino seemed deeply in
terested in the remarks of Mr.. Taylor,
but evinced no emotion of any kind
when he was charged with being a
culd-blooded assassin who laid in wait
and killed his man from ambush.
The Widow on the Stand.
Mrs. Joanna Conforti widow of the
murdered man, was the first witness
called by the commonwealth. She can
not speak English and Constant Morri-
sno, who is proprietor of a peanut
stand at the Lackawanna Avenue
bridge, was called as Interpreter. Mr.
Horn, of counsel for the defense, OBJ
| jected to Mr.. Morrisino acting as in
terpreter for the reason that he does
not speak or understand the dialect OF
| the people of that part of Italy which
the parties to the murder come from
| Judge Gunster, after the interpreter
had been examined at length as to his
qualifications for the position, decided
| that he was a competent person, and
directed that he be sworn.
Mrs. Conforti testified that she was
the widow of the murdered man and
that she married him three years age
in New York city. Their union was
blessed by two children, one of whom
died. The other was born a few days
after her husbands death at her home
on Bunker Hill, Dunmore. On Sunday
Nov. II, 1894, she left her house about
1 D. m, along with her husband, tC
go to the house of Frank Bonnello, who
had a child dead. About o'clock hel
husband left Bonnellos, along with An
tonic Imbriano, Vinenzo Biazo, and
Frank Comberchilo. Boschno was
not there at the time.
| She did not see her husband agar
until the next day, when he lay deat
in an undertaking establishment il
| Dunmore.
Coroner kelley's Testimony.
That ended Mrs. Conforti's testimony
| and Coroner j. A. Kelley was called
| On Nov. r. the day after the shooting
he held an inquest on the body of Franz
| Conforti.
"Did you hold a post-mortem ol
autopsy on the body of Frank Con
| forti?" asked Mr.. Jones.
yes sir" replied Mr.. Kelley.
"What did you discover in your post
mortem?"
well between the second and thirt
ribs and on the right edge of the breas
| bone / saw q little wound of rount
shape, and / cut down and traced it
I found that the wound continued t
the left of the body after 1t entered ant
found the wound penetrating the heart
| 1t passed through both walls of tn,
heart and the left ventricle or cavity
After tracing the wound through botl
walls of the heart l found that neaI
the root of the left lung there was an