The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-03-19
MURDER WAS NEARLY DONE
4 STABBiNG IFFRAY AT VINEGIR
 HALL ON STATE STREET.

An Italian Sociable Broke Up in Free
 for-all Figbt-Alphonso Martino Was
 the Injured Mandolin Matteo Held for
 the Stabbing-Great Excitement at Cor
 ner of State and Chapel Streets.
 Murder! Police! They've got knives and revolvers" was the cry in g. Woman's voice which startled the few pedestrians on the streets near the corner of State and Chapel streets at 12:S0 this morning. These startling eX- clamations proved on investigation to come from very much excited and terrified female who stood on the fire escape on the fourth floor level of the building at S47 State street, near the corner of Chapel, The terror of the woman was caused and her screams elicited by terrible Italian fight which was taking place on the stairs and in the hall on the fourth floor of the building, known as Vinegar hall a fight which came near causing the death of Alphonso Martino, an Italian, living at 54 Hill street.
 The Italian society, La Gioia," was holding a sociable in Vinegar hall, which, as those festive occasions fre- quently do, broke up in a free-for-all, go-as-you- please knockout, with none of the FitZsimmons science, but with considerable skill in the handling of cutlery
 The dancers were just leaving when Joseph Martino, boy of about eighteen years of age, and John Landino, both Italians of 54 Hill street became in volved in quarrel with John Matted. The boy and Landino not feeling able to match Matted, who is a big fellow, young Martino went back into the hall and called out Alphonso Martino, his brother.
 Alphonso went out on the stairs and there the fight became general. The older Martino finally received a severe cut and was bleeding profusely when Officers Williams, Doughan Don nelly and Dunlap appeared upon the scene. Martino was getting very weak and was taken by the officers to the street, where a cab was summoned to take the wounded man to the hos pital All this while the blood was pouring from the cut in a stream and a little pool of blood was formed on the pavement
 In the meantime Landino. the other Martino, John Matted, Antonio Cap pello and Joseph Reccetello had been arrested and taken to police headquar- ters.
 Alphonso Martino, in fainting con. dition, was taken to the hospital and Dr. White was summoned It was found that the injured man had receiv. ed knife cut extending from the edge of the scalp over the left temple. dowr the side of the face to the upper left side of the chin, and extending slightly along the neck. It was found that the temporal artery had been severed, and for time it was thought that the man would die, but after the wound was dressed his condition began to appear more favorable, and at o'clock this morning the opinion of the physicians was that he would recover.
 At headquarters the five Italians mentioned above as having been ar, rested were locked up on breach of the peace warrants. Landino, young Mar. tino, Cappello and Reccitello said that Matted inflicted the cut on Alphonst Martino, and there is little doubt that he was the guilty party
 When the wounded man and those arrested were brought down to the street from Vinegar hall there was great excitement among the large crowd which had gathered, and rumors were flying about that three, five ant even six men had been badly cut or murdered, but Martino was the only one who was cut. Matteo was badly bruised on the head, evidently by z blow from a bottle, and had a slight cut on the ear. His injuries were dress ed by pr. Park.
 A dance was being held by a Russian Hebrew society in the hall underneath Vinegar hall last evening and those who attended were just beginning to go home when the fight occurred. The girls and women who were present be. gan to scream, and the door of the hal was locked For a short time the screaming of the women and the yells and cursing of the men made the place seem like a vertable pandemonium.
 Soon after the fight Officer Dunlar picked up jackknife on the stairs where the fight occurred. The knife was covered with blood and was evi- dently the weapon with which the cut ting was done. The blade is about three Inches long.
 The attention of Officer Williams Dunlap and Donnelly was first attract. ed to the disturbance by hearing the fall of broken glass. They went into the railroad cut to investigate, thinkine that some one was attempting to break into the rear of the stores on State street. While in the cut they heard tho tumult of the fight and went at once around to the State street side, where the melee was stopped and the arrests made.
 HIRVARD'S 'YIRSITY CREW.