New-York tribune., 1896-12-11
SHOT IN A CROWDED CAR.
AN ENRAGED ITALIAN CAUSES A'PAN1C
AMONG PASSENGERS.
DANGEROUSLY WOUNDS HIS WIFE WHO HAD DE-
SERTED HIM - AN ANGRY CROWD


SERTED HIM - AN ANGRY CROWD
TALKS OF VIOLENCE
Francesca Cappiello shot three times and
probably fatally wounded in a crowded street.
car by her husband. Luigi Cappiello. at Forty
eighth-st. and Second ave. early last evening.
The shooting. which was caused by the jealousy
OF n deserted husband. created a panic ana
stampede from the car, and serious trouble was
only prevented by the arrival Of the police.
Mrs. Cappello boarded Second-ave. car No.
39l in the lower part Of the city. shortly before
6 o'clock last evening. Luigi CappiellO. her hus-
band. got on the same car at Fifteenth-st Their
meeting on the car was undoubtedly accidental
At Fifteenth st the:e were several vacant seats
Mrs. Cappiello was sitting near the stove. close
to the middle OF the car Her husband took
seat between her aud the stove. Whether they
spoke or not is not known. but the woman was
soon seen to rise and change her seat for one
next to a man who was sitting in the forward
corner opposite. Nothing unusual was noticed
by any OF the passengers or the conductor, ana
the car gradually filed with passengers as IL pro-
ceeded on its way uptown Eefore iohs 'he cal
became crowded. Passengers were ridihg Oh
both platforms AMI several were standing In the
aisle inside.
When Forty-elghth-st. was reached Cappieiio
suddenly jumped up from his seat sprahs i"
from, Of his wife and drawing a large revolver
pointed 1t directly at her head and began hrihs
He did this without the slightest warning anu
when he began shooting the muzzle OF the re-
volver was only short distance from MS wires
head He fired three shots In quick successioh
and pulled the trigger the fourth time' put '"e
weapon failed to so off at the last attempt MIS-
Cappello screamed and instinctively raised her
right hand to her head as soon as the hrs' sno'
was fired The other two shots followed so
ouicklv that no one could have interfered had
he tried. but there was no attempt to stop the
man Tho neople In the car became panic
stricken at the shooting and there was stam-
redo n get out and to a safe distance from the
man with the smoking revolver The wome"
screamed and there was a general rush for the
doors
Jobn Rebsaman. OF No. 324 East Ninety
four,h-st who was sitting in the forward cor
ner OF the car and next TO Mrs Cappielo' was
looking out OF the window at the driver wnen
the first shot was fired. He sprang 70 MS
feet lust in time to see Cappieo hre the other
two shots and pull the trigger OF the re'o''er
for the fourth time, when the weapon o''S
snapped Rebsaman said. after the snoot'hs'
that while he did not have time 70 prevent any
OF the shots that followed the first one' ne
ouickly concluded that 1t would De dangerous
10 Interfere with the man.
The car was soon deserted by most OF the
Messengers and many passers-by ran up only
IN see a man coolly put a smoking reVoi'er ih'o
his pocket lcisurely jump off the car ana star,
TO walk away. Some OF the men theh sur
rounded him and made him a prisoner. The
woman who had been shot at was helped from
the car. II was then that she was wounded
I'm the left eye. in the head over the eye ana IN
the fourth finger OF the right hand
The men began to talk excitedly OF the AFFAIR
ard tho crowd grew until there were fully I'VE
hundred people gathered about Cappiello. AS the
news Of the shooting spread through the crowd
thev became threatening and began jostlng the
prlsoner The crowd was just getting worked
ND TO the point OF violence TO the man when
Policemen Kern and Whalen pushed tneir way
through and took charge OF Cappiello one OF
the men who was In the car at the tlme OF the
shooting and was also In the crowd about cap
piello exclaimed the police came up: 1T IS
too bad the police came so SOON The threats
~ the crowd continued. and the policemen. hastily
getting some men to help them with the wounded
woman who had to be supported, started Tor
the East Eighty -flrst-st. station Most or the
crowd followed all the way. The two policemen
were soon met by others. as they were changing
posts AZ the time and the additional officers kept
the indignant men back.
At the station 1t was found that the woman
was very badly hurt. and an ambulance ana
Coroner Hoeber were sent for. The man said
he was Luigi Cappiello. an Italian. twenty-nine
years old and that he kept fruit stand at
Tenth-ave. and Ffty-frst-st. He admitted
the shooting to Captain Staincamp and said
that he had done it because his wife had de-
serted him fourteen months ago and since then
had been living with Frank Bacifico an Italian.
who keeps a fruit stand at Eighty y-ffth-st. and
Avenue A.
The woman made a statement to Coroner
IIoeber She was taken to Flower Hospital
where the surgeons said she was dangerously
hurt.