The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-09-08
FATAL MELEE.
An Italian Stabbed in q
Row at a Christening
Yesterday.
GRUDGE SETTLED WITH A SGILETTo
Murderer Shot First By his Victim
Usual Reticence Among the
Italian Eye Witnesses.
GRUDGE SETTLED WITH 4 STILETT0


The holiday peace and quietness OF yes
terday were rudely marred by q genera
row In which several Italians were en-
gagged. and from a stietto wound reee'seo
in the melee one OF the participants, iies
dead in Speer's morgue.
The trouble wes really the settling OK
an old grudge which dates back 70 the
time when the two principals lived instne
same village In Italy. The prisoner oenaes
this. but from the OF witness
es. the police believe that such Is really
the case. The fatal fight of yesterday al
ternoon was the bloody termination OF q
s ch1d's christening.
Michael Janelh keeps a shoe shop and
lives in apartments over the store al No
500 Grand street. Janelh is the father-in-
law Of Vito Marie Defonzo. Of No.. Bed
ford street. Newark. Defonzo came INFO
the christening and with him came his
wife and child. an infant.
The christening took place and then the
festivities began The afternoon was spent
in singing. dancing and beer drinking.
All hands were having q good time.
At No. e02 Grand street there IS e bar
Der shop owred and conducted by Pas
ouales Acosedi, in there was also a
celebration going on. but in 1t were only
three persons. Pasquale. Vito Srarone
and Alphonso Gratenonso. The three men
were drinking and whiting away their
holiday in a style familiar TO their coun-
trymen, over a glass Of beer and a game
Of Italian casino. They soon tired Of this
and VITO and his friend Alphonso left
Pasouale TO go to their homes in New
York.
Meantime the festivities were at their
height in the Janelli household But as
she beer flowed freely Defonzo soon
evinced a desire to go out on the street
and get some fresh air. He got up and
saying he would be back shortly, left the
party and went out to walk up and down
Grand street.
The two men, Vito Grarone and Aiphon-
so Gratenonto left Pasquale's barber shop
at about the same time. Vito Defonzo
left the christening party. The men met
on the sidewalk in front of Janellfs.
What followed is known only TO the
three men. but from the story told the
police it seems that Grarone, recognizing
Defonzo. walked up to him and said in
Italian
What are you doing here; well, l am
going to kill you -s~
He followed up his words by drawing
a revolver and deliberately aiming it at
Defonzo, fired. His aim was unsteady
owing to the over indulgence In the beer
and the bullet went wide of its mark.
Defonzo then drew a knife with a blade
three inches in length and prepared to
defend himself. Grarone fired another
shot and Defonzo, turning, started to run
through the hallway of Janelli's house.
He was closely pursued by Grarone, who
was using the revolver all the time. The
shots aroused the party upstairs and in
a short time several more Italians were
in the fight.
The shots and shouts attracted the at
tention of Patrolman Gouser of the Com
munlpaW avenue station house, and he
nIurried to the scene of the trouble. When
the policeman entered the hail, Grarone
was lying on the floor in the hallway and
Defonzo was standing in the back yard.
Gouser placed him under arrest and teie-
pnoned to the station house.
captain Cox, of the Seventh precinct,
Was acting commander of the Fourth
precinct yesterday in Captain McKaig's
absence, and he Immediately ordered out
me reserves, he accompanying them to
the scene of the murder. Upon arriving
there Captain Cox made a minute inyes-
tigation and ordered Grarone's body re-
moved to the morgue. Defonzo, who was
after seeing that his wound was not dan-
gerous Captain Cox had him taken to the
Statlon house. Lying beside Grarone's
BODY was a revolver, every chamber of
which had been emptied. When picked
up the revolver was still warm.
When searched at the station house a
{nree-lnch bladea stilleto was found on
Defonzo. and there were blood stains on
the blade, still Defonzo denied that he
mad done the cutting.
Detective Hottie of the Fourth pree;net
niaoe an investigation OF the hallway in
when the tight took, place and found
a Iour-lnch biade0 stilleto on the floor.
beside the spot where Grarone had
fallen: When questioned regarding the
second knife Defonzo said he knew moth
blood IN the second knife.
The finding of the four-inch bladed
stlileto would seem to indicate shat a
third man had been engaged in the fght
ana had escaped. The police do not
know whether this is true or not; but
SSapaaih Cox IS OF the opinion that both
Grarone's body was removed to Speer's
morgue; where It was found that he had
q the heart Where Grarone lives, in
New York. is not known. Even Fasauale
me barber, upon whom Grarone was call
ing, was unable to give his address. De
fonzos. wife, his father-in-law Michael
Jannelli, and the barber, Pasauale Ac-
Janellf, and the barber, Pasquale Ac-
Defonzo was arraigned before Justice
Douglass in the ~Communipaw avenue
court me case was laid over and De
1onzo remanded. His wife was held as a
witness in default of $1,000 bail. JaneTli
and Acosedi are also held as witnesses.
Patroiman Frank Caprio, the italian po-
1iceman. was Detailed on the. case Nv
Chief Murphy, and he started a search
Tor Alphons Grafenonto, who ran awav
when Grarone fell. He suspected that
Alphonso was at work in a gang at ne
Central Railroad dock Ooprio Went to
/. the dock and there he found Gratenonto,
who he placed under arrest and brought
to Police Headqua rters.
The arrest was made at about noon. The
prisoner in Caprio's charge was taken ia
the Fourth precinct station house, where
ne was questioned by Captain McKaig.
from New York alone and went to The
shop of Pasquale. where he met Grarons
A game of cards was proposed. the loser
TO supply the party with an sliotfei
amount of beer. Grarone lost. and ra'
fused to buy the beer, saving he did not
care for beer. Putting hill hand In hfs
pocket ne drew OUT a large roll Of bills.
Alphonse replied tina he did NOT care
~S2FEM5~ EVkn Z To