The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-10-21
There IS ROOM FOR DOUBT
Barring & McSwccney's Man May
Not BE MerclO.
MORE EVIDENCE BEING SOUGHT
The Hearing on Saturday Adjourned
Until Today-Mcrclo Interviewed in
Ills Ccii-Thc Scar Is Nowhere
Apparcnt-What lie Says.

The man whom Barring & Nc
Sweeney arrested in Boston and
brought here Saturday may be Merelo.
the Old Forge murderer, but as Yet
they have failed to thoroughly satisfy
the county authorities that they have
the slayer of Emanuel Loro..
When the prisoner was arraigned Sat
urday afternoon there We're but two
| witnesses who claimed to know him and
at the request of District Attorney
Jones the hearing was continued until
O'Clock this afternoon. These two witt
nesses were Edward J. Fallon. a young
| hotel keeper of Old Forge, and John
| Oakley, who alleges that Merelo, alias
| Frank Miller, worked for him in the
mines fourteen months previous to June
| IL. 1894, the day of the murder. Fallon,
who saw the shooting. swore that the
prisoner looked for all the world' like
! the man who did the shooting. Oak
/ ley's testimony was of "a more positive
nature. At first he showed some hesi-
fancy, hut afterward swore that he was
sure the prisoner and Merolo wcre one
and the same.
Barring X McSweeney claim to have
found letters which fully establish his
| identity. one was sent from his former
! home In Italy and was received by him
/ In Boston. II contained the iuf0rma-
tion that officers had been In italy look
ing for him and warned him to look out
for himself
seen nv n Reporter
The alleged Merelo was seen at the
! county Jail yesterday afternoon by a
/ Tribune reporter lie occupies cell II,
in mudrercr's row, with Roschino,
/ Rosa, Beck. perretto and NishnisiSi, for
nelghhors. In appearance he is far
from being the typical murderer. He is
( about feet inches in height, weighs
/ pT,Bahly5 l6j pounds, and is % years of
age. His face is round and decidedly
/ handsome; his hair Is jet black and
/ curly as Is also his moustlchc and his
eyes arr a very dark blue. He can
neither read nor write, but can talk
and uEders ard English quite well.
/ To the interviewer he was very pleas
ant and answered all questions with
out any hcsItRncy or seeming distrust
! His name, hr said. was francesca La
. hrag and he laughed derisiVely when
any reference was made to his being
Mcreo He came to this country from
Naples six years ago and lived in New
York and jersey CITY. one year agO
/ last winter h returned nome and was
married. His wife and child are yet in
/ Italy. Nc came hack To- this country
March II last. and lived on Mulberry
street, New York until month or so
ago when he went to Boston. He was
working on the streets when arrested.
No Coal Marks or ihc Hands.
when asked If he was ever in Penn
( sylvana before being brought here a
+ prisoner he answered in the negative.
He also denied ever having worked in
;ie mines anywhere. At the request
of the reporter he pu, his hands through
the bars of his cell and a careful ex-
animation failed to reveal any of the
IL 4. I. .gH1,
are found on every mine Ia bOrer's
hands, and would bc expected To be
found on Mrrrlu If as was testified. he
worked fourteen months and more load
/ ing coal a ltitlc over year ago.
lBut what gives rise to the gravest
| doubt as to the prisoner being Merclo
/ Is the absence OF the scar Oh the head.
! upon which such particular stress was
| lad in all descriptions sent out at the
/ time Of the murder The examination
/ in the alderman's office failed to re-
veal the scar and the reporter yes
1 tcrday could find no evidence of such.
/ The prisoner asked the reporter why
the men in the court had examined the
back Of his head 50 closely, and being
/ told that they We're looking for a scar
/ which MerclO had he became quite
/ demOnstra live and insisted on the re-
/ porter making an cXamlHation of his
head. He evidently looked. upon the
| absence of the scar. as the first step
/ towards breaking down the identifica-
ton.
saws Witness Had to Re Coached.
| La brag. as he calls himself SAYS that
/ At the hearing on Saturday one OF the
| witnesses seemed tp hesitate about
/ swearing that he was Merelo. and that
| "a stout man that belongs to the court"
| talked with the reluctant witness FOR
| five minutes. Then the witness posi-
( tively swore that he was Mcrelo. This
incident Is borne out by those who were
present at tae hearing.
County Detective Leyshon. who was
/ at the county jail yesterday. while The
Tribune man was there said that he
was not Thoroughly satisfied that the
prisoner Is Nerelo, but he felt quite
confident thai Barring & MCSweeney
have evidence in reserve which will
/ strengthen their case.
Iabrag has no, as yet secured an
attorney. When asked n fheintcudcd TO
do - he uttered the only profanity
which cs-ancd his lips during the IN
/ tprview and slid:"Lawycr? | had law
/ yer in Boston. .siy" h'm so. lie
never come again. An ne do for me
: was give me this showing the reporter
n card of the firm of Edcar S Hnl and
/ Peter :. Mahcr. Ittorneys-at-law %
: School street. Boston. Rooms i3 and s.
/ when - lawyer appeared at tho
| ho1rlng he was greatly diSapp- intel
/ oni his faith In lawyers was rudcly
/ shaken.
Inks a5c per qt. 2oe. per p;nl writing
I for few days. Pratts Book store
/ THE DEVIL. AND THE DEEP SEA"