The record-union., 1896-04-02
A BRUTAL MURDER
COMMITTED AT STOCKTON.
Andrea YaccareSsa, a Bootblack, Killed
In His Own Home.
His Wife in Jail, Accused Of the Ter
rible Crime.
John Sweeney Burned to Death In His
Dwelling at Carson-Lively City
Evenly Divided Between Democrats
and Republicans.

STOCKTON, April 1.-Andrea Vac
caressa, bootblack, was murdered last
might, and his wife is now in Jail on
suspicion of having been implicated in
the homicide.
The officers are confident that Vaccar-
essa was killed by the woman and her
paramour, and are now looking for the
latter.
Shortly after l o'clock this morning
Mrs Vaccaressa rushed from her house,
which is located on Washington street,
two blocks east of East street, and ran
to the house of a neighbor.
She told him that burglars had en-
tered the home and were trying to kill
her husband The neighbor did not feel
like venturing alone into the place, and
so he sought the aid of another neigh
Dor.
The two men, with Mrs. VaccareSSa,
went to the latter's home, but all three
were afraid to enter without further as
sistance. They then went to Constable
Howe's place, not far away, and aroused
him.
He hurriedly dressed, but by this time
nearly half an hour had elapsed. When
the Constable reached the place he
found the front door open and Vaccar-
essa's body lying in the doorway.
About the mans neck was a small
clothesline drawn tightly and tied to the
knob of the door. Blood was gushing
from his nose, mouth and ears, and he
had been dead but few minutes. There
was every indication that there had
been desperate struggle and the house
was in state of disorder.
The drawers in a bureau had been
taken out and strewn about, and sew
eral trunks had been opened. There
was no great amount of money in the
house, and Vaccaressa possessed no val
uables that would tempt thieves.
There was blood on the foot of the
bed and blotches of blood on the floor
in two rooms, indicating that Vaccaressa
had been killed in the bedroom and his
body dragged to the front door.
Howe notified the Sheriff's office, and
several deputies haStened to the scene
of the murder. Investigation led to the
belief that death had not resulted from
strangulation, but that the dead man
had been struck over the head with
some blunt instrument, and killed that
way. The rope was not drawn tightly
enough about the neck to cause death,
and the opinion of the officers was that
it was merely put there to mislead them.
The officers soon learned that the boot
black had a violent quarrel with his
wife earlier in the night, and that they
were fighting when a young man named
Hall, who lives in the neighborhood,
passed by the house.
1t was also learned from some of the
Italians who know the couple well that
the wife was enamored of another OF her
race. and that this was the cause of
much of the trouble between her and
her husband.
According to the story told the officers
by Mrs. Vaccaressa, her husband came
home intoxicated and went to bed with
his clothes on. This led to a quarrel
between them, but she claimed that
their troubles had ended, and that he
was lying on the bed when the burglars
entered She at once flew out of the
house and sought assistance. The Of
ficers doubted her story and concluded
to take her to Jail. Investigation to-day
confirms the belief that the woman
knows who killed her husband.
The inquest tonight developed the
fact that the murder must have been
committed by Mrs. Vaccaressa herself,
but the Coroner's Jury rendered ver-
dict of death by strangulation, at the
hands of some person or persons un-
known. The District Attorney will
probably enter a formal charge of mur-
Ger against the woman tomorrow.