The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-04-19
ROSA Tells HIS STORY
Denies That He Admitted to Agli
That He Murdered LauissO.
DECLARES HE IS INNOCENT
lie Hid His Revolver After tho Shooting
for Fear 1t Might be the Means
OF Getting Him Into Trouble.
Told Agli Where II Was.


The commonwealth rested after hear
Ing the testimony of few unimportant
witnesses. The defendants side called
a few of the commemorative witnesses
for further DISCRIMINATION. Attor-
ney Hamilton made the opening ad-
dress to the jury for the defense. He
outlined. In an eloquent speech of ten
minutes duration. the facts that they
to prove. In substance he
said they would show that the night
on which the murder was done was
dark, and therefore 1t would be i'm
possible for Mrs. Nicotera TO see the
struggle that she swore she saw occur
between Rosa and the dead man. The
electric light Is too far away to throw
light enough to distinguish any object
or person accurately at the distance
Mrs. Nicotera was from the roadway.
In regard to the confession sworn to by
Agli, Mr.. Hamilton characterized 1t as
a bogus one.
Character testimony was the first evil
dence taken and consumed the time up
till noon. All the witnesses said that
Rosa, the defendant was a law abiding
citizen and had not been concerned in
any violations since his coming to Dun
more to their knowledge.
Vito Gerardo's story.
Vito Girardo, who was implicated In
the alleged confession as having choked
Lauisso and advised Rosa to kill him,
was sworn and he denied that he knew
at all about the murder, much
less take Il part in 1t. He did not leave
his house after II o'clock that night. He
went to bed and did not hear any shots
and did not know of the murder till the
next morning.
Cross-eXamined by District Attorney
Jones. Girardo said the first time he
saw Lauisso the day before the murder
was at 6 o'clock in the evening. Lauis-
so had been making arrangements to
send for his family to the old country
and the witness was the one who wrote
the letters for him. Girardo was also
going to purchase the steamship tick
cts. Mr.. Jones said he reserved the
right to call the witness again in refer
ence to the choking of Lauisso.
Joseph Fabiano was called and
asked If the moon was out the night
that Lauisso was murdered. Fabiano
said the night was a little dark. An
almanac was offered in evidence to
prove that the moon hid its face behind
the clouds at s o'clock on Feb. 26, the
night of the murder.
All eyes were turned toward the de-
fendant when his name was called out
and he walked forward with an un-
calmly step to the witness stand. Rosa
said he is 26 years of age and was born
in Avellino, Italy. Interpreter Morisi-
nj had to be brought into requisition to
give Rosa's testimony. Judge Ward
carried on the direct examination. The
witness said he has been in this coun-
try four years and lived all Of that
time in Dunmore. He boarded part of
the time with his brother. Joseph, but
the date of the murder he was boarding
with Bartholomew Corbo. Joseph Fa-
biano, Pasquale Bevelaqua, and Sal
vatore Cerminore also boarded at
Corbo's.
Night of the Murder.
Tuesday, March 26, being the day be-
fore Ash Wednesday, the beginning of
Lent, the boarders made ready to have
carnival before the season of fasting
dawned. Beer was purchased and con-
sumed. Rosa was not able to guage
the amount he drank on that day, but
drunk
They went out that night, first to the
house of a man named Rafaello, and
from that to Leopoldo Nicotera's house.
There they We're welcomed and Nico-
terra sent out for beer. They danced,
Lauisso played the guitar, and after
ward went out and called at the saloon
drinks. They adjourned from Girardo' s
to Corbo's boarding house.
After spending some time talking to-
gether they then proceeded to go to bed.
Fabiano was the first one to retire.
Lauisso started for home and Rosa
went as far as the door with him.
Rosa said he went back then and went
to bed and slept until o'clock the fol-
lowing morning. His boarding boss
aroused the boarders and said to them
that Lausso's dead body was lying a
few yards from the house on the street
Rosa went out and saw the dead
body. and the first thought that struck
his mind was to return to the house
and hide his revolver, for the reason
that he might be suspected of the mur-
der, as he was in Lauisso's company
the night before. He hid the revolver in
the cellar. where it was afterward
found by the man who spent four days
in the cell with him at the county jail
What lie Told to Agii.
Rosa did not remember the day that
Agli was confined in the cell with him
but he was sure that Agl had said the
reason he was put in Jail was on ac-
count Of drunkenness. Rosa said that
Agli began to question him without de-
lay about the murder of Vito Lauisso
Rosa said that he did not tell the detec.
tive a word about his connection with
the killing; all he told Agli was that he
had been imprisoned, suspected of the
murder. He did not confess that he
had killed Lauisso.
Agli brought into the cell with him
some whisky, not more than q hall
pint, and both Of them drank 1t, share
and share alike. Re- recognized the
revolver and Identified 1t as his own
He admitted that he told Agli where
he concealed the weapon, but when he
told Agli about it. he said he did not
tell him he had killed Lauisso with the
revolver. Agli was told to stand up by
Judge Ward and Rosa identified him as
the cell mate detective.
On cross-examination Rosa denied
that the book he had in his possession
was the one that contained the account
Of the $40 indebtedness that remained
unsettled between them. Rosa was
still being cross-examined when court
adjourned for the day.
While Judge Ward was examining
Rosa and questioning him with regard
to the cell mate detective, he could not
refrain from scoring Agli in bitter