Smyrna times., 1897-10-27
ATEXANONTHE.JJJRY
HOW HE WON THE OTHER JURORS
OVER TO HIS OPINION.

The Verdict In anYItalian Homicide Case
Which -AstOnished. the Court and Law
yers In New YOrk-COnvincing ''KfI' or
Be Killed" Logic.
"It was known as the murder of the
feast of the turkey" said Assistant Dis
trict Attorney Hal Bell, who handles
all the italian homicide cases in the
criminal courts "The murdered man
was Nunzio Iallaz, and he was stabbed
to death ON the afternoon of Nov. 90,
| 1896. The man who killed him was
Giuseppe Ladierre. put Ladierre on
trial in the criminal branch Of the su-
preme court. The Indictment charged
him with murder in the first degree.
His counsel, Lawyer Palmieri, offered
to enter plea of guilty to manslaugh-
ter in the first degree, but the plea was
not accepted, as it seemed an easy mat
ter to convict the defendant. There was
no denial Of the fact that Ladierre
stabbed Iallaz to death with knife 10
inches long.
''After the jurymen had been sworn
learned that one Of them, a big, hand
some fellow, was a Texan. When
found this out, became satisfied that 1
would have hard job getting a convio-
tiOn, for when you get full dedged,
raw Texan on a jury in a murder trial
he'll simply decide the case according
to his own Judgment, regardless of law.
He has only to be convinced as to
whether the murdered man ought to
have been killed. The actual crime has
nothing to do with the case. The Texan
has his own ideas about such matters,
and, knowing this, was sorry to think
had full fiedged, raw Texan GU the
jury trying Ladierre.
1.-THE story that the jury got from the
witnesses was that Ladierre met Iallaz
on One Hundred and Fifty-second
street; that the men had a wOrdy quar-
rel; that Ladierre slapped the face Of
Iallaz; that Iallaz drew a big knife
from his belt, and then ensued q scuffle,
the knife falling to the sidewalk; that
both men fought to get it, and that La
dierre, being the quicker of the two,
got hold of the knife and plunged it in
to Iallaz, who died from the effects of
the stabbing. These were the undis-
puted facts that were given to the jury,
and we all believed that Ladierre would
be convicted of at least manslaughter
But the jury promptly acquitted the
man after Ladierre showed them on the
witness stand the way in which he did
the killing.
Defendants counsel, Lawyer Palm
ieri, was greatly surprised at the YER
dict. Justice Giegerich was unable to
understand such action ON the jury s
part. But 1 believed knew the secret Of
it all, and to satisfy myself 1 began q
quiet investigation, which has resulted
in my learning that was right in my
, first belief. The handsome man from
Texas just gave the other jurymen tC
understand that he was there. He was
! not to be bullied. He was not to be out
2 voted either. If the jurymen wouldn't
listen to the way they settled trifinl
cutting scrapes in Texas, he would see
about it; see to it that they would
Plunging knife into a mans heart
that was nothing The question to b(
! decided was, did the deceased deserve
. the plunge? According to the Texan
l he did, or the live man wouldn't bt
a alive. If Ladierre had not killed Iallaz
+ probably Iallaz might have killed La
dierre. This was a case, the Texan ar
, gued, where quickness won the battle
and quickness should be rewarded, no
censured. Ladierre simply got i'll frs
stab, argued the man from Texas, anC
he ought to be Complimented on hi
stabbing speed.
There were two little men on tha
jury and they believed the verdic
should be murder in the first degree
The Texan just roared at them, ant
they skunk away to "a corner Of tn
J room. The other jurors backed ava,
toward the wall. The big Texan thel
made a speech, telling the jurors hov
they ran things down in my state,
and the other IL jurors stood opel
mouthed, gazing i'll wOnderment. H
recalled shooting bees, and stabbin
parties, and hanging picnics, and CAV
graphic illustrations of how Sim Gard
) ner cut tn damned gizzard out'n Bud
. Allen, when Budd jest said he'd max
Sim eat tn dust.
i ''Then he asked if there war enn
i man in tn room who'd be man enoug
: to say this were lie. But there WASH
+ man there who didn't believe it, an
= the Texan said, Come, boys, tn vel
= diets not guilty. Then they all got i
L line, filed into the courtroom, and tn
Q clerk recorded the verdict Eight of th
q jurors were pale faced when they cam
q in. The faces of three were very rec
The twelfth man was the Texan. HI
8 face appeared normal, and as he warn
J. ly grasped the hand of tho man who di
/ the deed he remarked:
) Yer did right, pard. I'd er did
mesef if war thar.
o "Now, said Mr.. Bell, "you wouldn
II believe such thing could happen j
's great New York, but it did, and Il
, dierre is back home i'll Morrisania now.
l. New York Gun