The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-06-17
A TEXAN ON THE JURY
HOW HE WON THE OTHER JURORS
OVER TO HIS OPINION.

r. 4
Tho Verdict In an italian Homicide Case
yers In New York Convincing "Kiii or
BE KILLED. Logic.
1t 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. 80,
1896. The man who killed him was
Giuseppe Ladierre. put Ladierre on
trial Ill the criminal branch Of the SUI
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 Is
inches long.
After the jurymen had been sworn
l learned that one of them, a big, hand
some fellow, was q Texan. When +
found this out, became satisfied that I
would have hard job getting convic-
ton, for when you get full fledged,
raw Texan OH a jury in n murder trial
ho'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 on the
jury trying Ladierre.
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 wordy quar-
rel; that Ladierre slapped the face Of
Iallaz; that Iallaz drew big knife
from his belt, and then ensued scuffle,
the knife falling to the sidewalk; that
both men fought to get it, and that La
DEERE, being the quicker Of tho 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 ut 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
Teri, was greatly surprised at the YER
dict Justice Giegerich was unable to
understand such action Oh the jury's
nort R1t ho1i g
1T all, and to satisfy myself I began
quiet investigation, which has resulted
i'll my learning that I was right in my
first belief. The handsome man from
Texas just gave the other jrrymen to
understand that he was there. He was
not to be bullied. Hewas not to be out
voted either. If the jurymen wouldn't
listen to the way they settled trif1ing
cutting scrapes in Texas, he would see
about it; see to it that they would.
Plunging knife into mans heart
that was nothing. The question to be
decided was, did the deceased deserve
the plunge? According to the Texan,
he did, or the live man wouldn't be
alive. If Ladierre had not killed Iallaz,
probably Iallaz might have killed La
dierre. This was Il case, the Texan ar
gued, where quickness won the battle.
and quickness should be rewarded. not
censured Ladierre simply got in first
stab, argued the man from Texas, and
he ought to be complimented on his
stabbing speed.
There were two little men on that
jury and they believed the verdict
should be murder in the first degree.
The Texan just roared at them, and
they skunk away to corner of the
room. The other jurors backed away
toward tho wall The big Texan then
made a speech, telling the jurors how
they ran things down in my state
and the other II jurors stood open
mouthed. gazing in wonderment. He
recalled shooting bees, and stabDing
parties, and hanging picnics, and gave
graphic illustrations Of how Sim Gard
ner cut tn damned gizzard out'n Budd
Allen, when Budd jest said he'd make
Sim eat tn dust
Then he asked if there war enny
man i'll tn room who'd be man enough
to say this were lie. But there wasn't
man there who didn't believe it, and
the Texan said, Come, boys, TIL YER
diets not guilty Then they all got in
line, filed into the courtroom, and the
clerk recorded the verdict. Eight of the
Jurors were pale faced when they came
IN. The faces OF three were very red,
The twelfth man was the Texan. His
face appeared normal, and as he warm
Jy grasped the hand of the man who did
the deed he remarked:
Yer did right, pard. I'd or did it
meself if T war thar