The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-04-17
HAS WITNESS DEPARTED
Detective Who Obtained Rosa Con-
fessiOn Said to Have Left City.
DISTRICT ATTORNEY SAYS NO
Told Tribune Reporter That lie Would
Probably Call Him Today - A Good
Deal of Testimony of II Circumstan.
tial Character Heard Yesterday.

There was no specially sensational
feature in the trial of Leonardo Rosa.
for the murder of Vito Lauisso. which
was continued yesterday before Judge
Edwards. The evidence adduced was
Of circumstantial character.
Tribune reporter was Informed by
Italians who are taking strong in
terest In the case that the Italian de-
tective. who obtained a confession from
Rosa in his cell in the county Jail, had
left the city, and that the common
wealth would be unable to reach him.
District Attorney Jones. when APP
preached regarding the matter, denied
that the detective had left the city.
and said he would probably be called to
the stand today Among the witnesses
examined yesterday was Mrs. Amelia
Nolli, wife of Augustine Nolli, who is
spending fifteen years in the Eastern
for the murder of Joseph
Prignano at Dunmore two years ago.
The testimony of Fabiano, the first
witness sworn, was continued yester-
day morning. Coroner John A. Kelley
was put upon the stand and gave evil
dence in relation to the wounds on the
body. James Coolican, John Taylor
and Francis O'Hara testified in regard
to finding the body in the morning.
ing. about o'clock.
Mary Corbo. an old Italian woman,
mother of the wife of the man with
whom Rosa and the others who We're
out with Lauisso that night boarded,
was next sworn. On account of the in
ability of Interpreter Morlsini to under
stand her dialect she was withdrawn.
she swore that she heard
Rosa one day say that Lauisso owed
him $40. and If he did not pay him he
would get justice. A few other wit
nesses We're sworn whose testimony for
or against the defendant did not
to anything.
Judge Wards Leading Question.
Dominick Pace, an Italian, who could
not speak English. was put upon the
witness stand at o'clock. His evil
dence was interpreted by Mr. Morisini
Pace said he met Rosa very early the
that the body of Lauisso was
found, at the spot where the body was
lying. Rosa then declared that he had
been with the murdered man the night
before. On cross-examination Judge
Ward asked the witness how long he
had been in these parts. and received
the reply that it was only seven
months, having come here from New
York. Judge Ward said:
rs it not true that you spent a long
term in the New York state peniten-
tiary for having committed rape?"
And then Judge Ward turned toward
the jury and remarked, This Is a nice
fellow to swear a mans life away"
Court instructed the witness to pro-
ceed and explain If he had been con-
fined for this offense that Judge Ward
insinuated Pace, with his face flushed
with shame, told that he had been ar
rested for fight with a drunken loafer
at Mount Vernon. n. Y, and he spent
four days in the lookup, but he did not
state whether or not he ever had been
in the serious crime that
Judge Ward spoke about. Court told
the attorneys for the defendant that
they were asking very improper ques-
tions in their endeavor to attack the
credibility of the witness, and Judge
Edwards remarked that he would not
have allowed the witness to answer, but
for his own protection.
Callers at Nicotera's House.
Leopold Nicotera, with whom Vito
Lauisso had boarded, at 2l1 Willow
street for about one and one-half
months prior TO his murder, was called
to the witness stand next. Toward 10
o'clock on the night Of Feb. 26, he said,
his wife and himself retired. Some
time later a loud rapping at the door
awoke Mrs. Nicotera. The witness got
up to see who was applying for ad
mittance and found the crowd that has
already been referred to and admitted
them. Nicotera sent out for beer once
and was willing to send after more.
but they told him not to mind, as they
We're pretty well provided with intoxi
cants already, having spent the even
ing in drinking. All of them had on
carnival costumes and their faces were
concealed except Rosa. The witness
recognized them by their voices.
He aroused Lauisso and told him to
get up, that he was missing the fun.
Lauisso got up and Joined them and
took his guitar and played a tune.
The men who had come in asked the
murdered man to go out with them,
which he did, taking the musical in
strument with him. The next morning
the witness on his way to work looked
into the coal shed and found Lauisso's
guitar on the coal heap. He walked up
the street to where the body was lying
and after looking at the remains he
returned and told his wife about it.
Judge Ward tried the same tactics with
Nicotera to break down his credibility
as a witness. He asked him If the
woman reputed to be his wife Is his
wife. Judge Edwards did not agree
with the method employed by Judge
Ward and told him so.
Rosa Made Denial.
Frank Williams was next called by
the commonwealth. He Is a swarthy
son of Italy and cannot speak the
vernacular well enough to give his
testimony without an interpreter. He
was sworn to give testimony in refer
ence ITO a conversation he had with
INOSd III tut ioIhuP' Ioou, ut
said, denied that he ever had a re-
volver, although the witness was posi-
tive that he had seen the defendant
with deadly weapon in his possession
six months before the murder!
Mrs. Amelia Nolli lives on Willow
street, next to the Nicotera household,
where Lauisso boarded. and on the
morning of Feb. 27, about 15O o'clock,
she heard three shots fired in rapid
succession. She heard two voices and
recognized but one of them. that Of
vito Lauisso, whom she had known for
three years before his death The shots
appeared to be fired from location on
Willow street not far from where the
dead body was found in the morning
She did not get out Of bed when she