The San Francisco call., 1896-04-02
The Victims Wife Under Arrest
for Completely in the
Killing.
MURDER FOLLOWS A QUARREL
Intimate Friend of the Woman Believed
TO Have Assisted in the
Homicide.

STOCKTON, CAL, April 1. Andrea
Vacaressa, boetblack who formerly kept
a stand in front of Eshbachs saloon, was
murdered last night. His wife is now in
Jail on suspicion of having been implicated
in the homicide. The officers are conf
dent that Vacaressa was killed by her or by
her param0ur and are now looking for the
latter.
Shortly after l o'clock this morning,
Mrs. Vacaressa rushed from her house,
which is located on Washington street
two blocks east of East street, and ran TO
the house of Manuel Silva. She awakened
Silva and told HIM that burglars had en-
tered their home and were trying to kill
her husband. Silva did not feel like ven
turing alone into the place, so he sought
the aid of a neighbor, Antonio Rovetta.
With this neighbor and Mrs. Vacaressa he
went 10 the latter's home, but all three
were afraid to enter without further as
sistance. They went to Constable Howes
place, not far away, and aroused him.
Howe hurriedly dressed, but. by this time
nearly half hour had elapsed.
When the Constable reached the place
he found the front door open and Vaca-
ressa'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
a few minutes.
There was every indication that there
had been desperate struggle, and the
house was in a state of disorder. The
drawers of the bureau had been laken out
and the contents strewn about. Several
trunks had been ransacked, as though the
work had been done by burglars. There
was no great amount of money in the
house, and Vacaressa possessed no valua-
bles that would tempt thieves.
Howe notified the Sheriff's Office, and
several deputies fastened to the scene of
the murder. Investigation led to the be-
lief that death had not resulted from stran-
gulation, but that the dead man had been
struck over the head with some blunt in
strument and killed that way. The rome
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. There was blood on the
foot of the bed and blotches of blood on
the floor in the TWO rooms, indicating that
and the body dragged to the front door,
The Sheriff's deputies soon learned that
the bootblack 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. So violent was the
quarrel that a pane of glass was broken.
1t was also learned from Italians who
knew the couple well that the wife was
enamored of another Italian, and that this
was the cause of much trouble between
her and her husband.
According to the story told the officers
by Mrs. VacareSsa, her husband came
home intoxicated and went to bed with
bis clothes on. This led to a quarrel be-
tween them, but she claimed that their
troubles had ended and that he was living
on the bed when the burglars entered.
She at once few out of the house and
sought assistance. The officers dou bted
her story and concluded to take her to
Jail. Investigation to-dayconfirms the be-
lief that the woman knows who killed her
husband.
District Attorney Nutter interviewed
Mrs. Vacaressa at the jail through an in
t6IpISlcI anu lldQ ubT duSWGrS taken QOWn
by stenograDher.
Il do not know what time it was" said
the woman, "but it must have been after
/ o'clock, when man came into the room
where was lying in bed. He was tall
and wore mask. He asked me for money,
placing his fingers on my throat. I told
him did not have any, except 50 or So
which l had In my dress lying near the
bed. This 1 gave him, and then he de-
manded more. Ithen told him that per-
haps my husband had more money, but
that had not. My husband woke up
while we were talking ana the man went
around the bed TO where he was He then
attacked my husband and 1 ran out of the
room, taking the children with me and
their clothes and mine. l put my dress
on outside of the house and went over to
Mr.. Silva's place. There l asked for
shelter and told what had happened"
Ibid the man speak to you in English
or Italian? was asked
He spoke in English" replied Mrs.
Vacaressa. "There was only one burglar.
He had on dark clothes, but l could not
tell anything else as to how he looked, for
/ was so frightened. | ran out of the house
as SOON as ue dUtdCheu my nuSDdUO.
Did the man have anything in his
hand?' asked the District Attorney.
Eyes; be had something that looked
like a round bali in one hand, but do
not know what it was. They were strug-
Cling when left the house."
Mrs. Vacaressa said that she did not
scream or make. any outcry to alarm the
neighbors after leaving the house. as she
was afraid the man would follow her ana
harm the children or herself.
The investigation made by the District
Attorney and the deputy sheriffs this morn
ing early showed that the rope that was
tied about the murdered mans neck had
been cut from a clothesline in the back
yard, the cut being a fresh one. The
watchdog that is usually tied in the yard
was missing. and his collar was hanging
from the chain, where it had been cut
from him. The woman claimed to know
nothing about the dogs disappearance,
but admitted he had been let loose by some
one earlier in the day and tied up again
toward night.
The froLt door, near which the MUIR