The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-11-17
MURDERER WAS
GIVEN A HEARING
After Which Alderman Howe Com.
mitted Him 10 Trial in Court.
WAS A MATTER OF FORMALlTY
Attorney John J. Murphy Is Retained
to Defend Dam brOsiO.. Al the Hear.
ing County Detective LeyshOn
SWOre and Was C0rrObOratGd by
Constable Timothy Jones That the
Defendant Admitted He Killed
Rocco Salvatore.

Frank Dambrosio, Rocco Salvatore's
murderer, was given Il preliminary
hearing in Alderman Howe's office
yesterday afternoon at 4.30 and after
the evidence of Coroner Longstreet,
County Detective Leyshon and Con-
stable Timothy Jones had been heard,
Dambrosio was formally committed to
the county Jail to await trial in court.
District Attorney John r. Jones was
present on the part of the common
wealth and Attorney John j. Murphy
appeared in the interest Of the accused.
Some friends had been to the Jail at
noon and Dambrosio asked them to
recommend lawyer to defend him.
They selected Mr. Murphy.
Mr.. Leyshon brought the prisoner
down from the county Jail. The trip
was made on the street car. They got
off at the corner of Washington avenue
and Spruce street and walked along
side by side to Alderman Howe's Of
flee. Dambrosio. of course. was Sc
curely handcuffed. but he did his best
to conceal the bracelets with the sleeves
of his coat. They walked back and
forth from the car to the alderman's S
office without attracting much atten-
ton. and Dambrosio was pleased that
he was the center of a gaping and Curl
Gus multitude.
When the hearing began the warrant
was read by Alderman Howe to the
prisoner. 1t was sworn out by Mr..
Leyshon yesterday and 1t charges him
with the deliberate, premeditated. and
willful killing of Rocco Salvatore at
Bunker Hill. Dunmore. on Friday,
Nov. 49, AS Dambrosio can speak
English only very imperfectly, Con-
stant Morrisni was sworn to interpret
the meaning of the warrant to him.
Then. through his counsel, he entered
plea of not guilty.
THE CORONER TESTIFIED.
Coroner Longstreet was the first witt
ness sworn. He was questioned by
District Attorney Jones and the state
ment he made was in substance that
he had held an autopsy on the body of
Rocco Salvatore on the morning OF
Nov. IA. When he arrived at Bunker
Hill, Dunmore. he first saw the dead
body lying in the field. At the au-
tOpsy the coroner removed the breast
bone and parts Of the ribs on both
sides.
He found stab wound on the right
side close to the breast bone. The knife
had cut the sixth rib in two and had
gone into the body the length of Il
PERSONS finger, severing the main ar
terry. Another wound was found on
the left side under the collar bone.
This was made with kniIe, too, but
the weapon glanced off one of the ribs
and took downward course beneath
the skin.
Death was caused by the wound on
the right Side, but it might result from
such a wound as was on the left side.
from shock.
Mr.. Leyshon was nut on the stand.
The district attorney asked him If he
ever saw the prisoner before. and MIR.
LeyshOn replied that he did: that he
arrested him Sunday night at Carbon
dale. The witness then went on and
detailed how he gained the information
which led to Dambrosio's arrest. A
man came from Carbondale Sunday to
see some friends of the murderer and
he wanted money from them to help
Dambrosio to get away from the coun-
try.
The Intermediary was young man
named Rafael Catherine. who keeps a
shoemaklng establishment in Carbon
dale. He was placed under arrest and
on the way to the county Jail he turned
states evidence and told Mr.. Leyshon
he would show him where Dambrosio
was hiding. He was taken at his word
and he was brought to CarbOndale.
Constable Frank Williams and Special
Officer Zerlng. two Italians. and Con
stable Timothy Jones accompanied Mr..
Leyshon to Carbondale.
THEY GOT THE CHIEF.
They first went to the police station
there and got Chief McAndrew and
Patrolman McAndrew to go with them
to GATHERINGS house. There they ar
rested Dambrosio. Mr.. Jones asked
MV 7 avchnn AZ tho nriennpr made
statement after being placed under ar
rest. He said he warned Dambrosio
that he need not say anything that
would incrininate him.
Mr.. Murphy objected to any state
ment made by the prisoner while un-
der arrest He held that any conver-
sation carried on with a defendant
while in duress should not be used as
evidence against him if the statement
was not made in court of record.
The alderman Overruled the objection
and Mr.. Leyshon was permitted to state
that DambrOsio admitted of his own
free will that he killed Rocco Saliva
tore with knife.
Mr. Leyshon said he made no prom
ises of any kind, on the contrary that
1t was not necessary to say anything.
or that any statement made by him
would be used against him. Notwith-
standing this warning he openly ad-
mitted that he did the killing. Mr..
Murphy cross examined Mr.. Leyshon
| and asked him If the defendant had
made any qualifying statement to the
effect that the killing was in self de-
fense. Mr.. LeyshOn said Dambrosio
said nothing at all about self defense.
Timothy Jones. constable of the Fifth
ward. was sworn to COrrobOrate Mr.
LeyshOn. He was standing beside
DambrOsiO when he made the state
ment to Mr.. Leyshon and heard Dam
brOsio say that he killed Salvatore.
DAMBROsIO COMMITTED.
That was all the testimony taken
and District Attorney Jones asked the
alderman to issue commitment for
Dambrosio, holding him without bail
for trial in court, as ii was a case of
first degree murder. Mr.. Murphy. for
the defendant, waived all right 10 any
his man in charge and brought him
back to the county Jail.
DambrOso had on the same coat he
wore the night of the murder. There
are two rips in the middle of the baci,
Of it which were made with a knife.
He has a cut under his left ear which
looks as If ii might have been a slash
of knife or a cash from razor while
shaving. a Tribune reported asked
Dambrosio how he got the cut on his
face, and he answered that Rocco Sal
vatore did it with his finger nail.
At 8 o'clock Attorney Murphy went
to the Office of DR.. w. NJ. Reody and
got him to go to the Jail to make an
examination of Dambrosio. but when
they arrived at the Jail Night Warden
T J. Price would not permit DR. Repdy