Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-14
Hearing in the Case Of Alleged Grim
inal Assault.
DORA Ak, VICTIM, TELLS her STORY
The Defendant Alleges innocence
and Charges Conspiracy.
THE EVIDENCE SUBMITTED

Bsrnand;no CT Nunz:o, the Italian music
teacher who is charged with .iaying crini-
nally assaulted Dora AK, 4 little ght-yea
old Italian child, the daughter of his land
lord, the 18th of last month, was placed OF
trial before Judge Bradley in Criminal
Court No. = this morning.
The prisore-, an intelligent and we,l-ap-
pearing man of about th:rty-five years of
age, was defended by Mr.. J. Med. Caring
ton. Assistant District Attorneys Baker and
! Laskey rrpres ting the government. MI
Baker, explaining that much of the teSti-
| mony will be in Italian, Angelo Urcinolo
a young Italian, educated in the District
public schools, was, at his suggestion
sworn as an interpreter the prisoner also
| being in need of an interpreter, as his
knowledge of the English language is i'm
perfect.
Jury Sworn.
Mr.. Darlington offering no objection to
the first twelve talesmen called into the
jury box, they were sworn as the jury
when Mr.. Laskey explained to them that
the government expected to prove that Di
Nunzio lived at the home of the chid's
parents, on Brightwood avenue: that On
the day in question he called the girl to
bring him water, and that VIXEN she car
ried 1t to his room he assaulted he, threat
or told any one of what occurred. Di Nun
Zio, sad Laskey, fe1 to Connecticut, where
he was arrested a few days later.
On behalf of the prisoner, Mr.. Carringt on
stated that he would show that the as
sault never occurred and that the accusa-
ton was but a part of scheme devised by
the chiids parents to revenge themselves
against the defendent for some fanci. d
wrong. The defendent, Mr.. Darlington
said, did not flee, merely going to Baiti-
more and then to Connecticut to visit his
wife. and that he voluntarily returned here
for trial.
The First Witness.
The little girl was the first witness, and
she told her story in a rather bold way
and good English, but. upon cross examina-
ton, said to Mr.. Darlington that the pris-
orer remained with her for an hour She
also stated 10 Mr.. Darlington that there
had previously been trouble between hel
parents and Di Nunz:o, and that they had
threatened to fix him.
To Judge Bradley the child stated that
Di Nurzio had hurt her.
NlnZenZa AK. the ctid's mother, testified,
through Interpreter Urcino!o, that she did
not discover the offense until a week later
when, noticing that her daughter was sick
she questioned her. and that the child ac-
cused the prisoner of having assaulted her
jest week before. She said that hi
Nunzio denied the accusation
DIR. ChaS L. Caldwell testified to exam
lining the girl, but found TO evidence of an
assault having been completed, although
there might have been partial commits
sion of a criminal assault.
Asked for Verdict.
Giuseppe Perrone, associated with The
defendant as a musician, testified that ID
Nunzio played in disreputable houses.
That closed the governments case, and
Mr.. Darlington asked Judge Bradley to d
rect verdict of not guilty, on the ground
that the girls story was not only too i'm.
probable to sustain a verdict of guilty, bu
that 1t had not been corroborated. TIL,
court denied the motion, however and ther
Mr.. Darlington called several Italians fol
the purpose Of showing that the defendant
enjoys good character. Among them wa:
Celso c. Moreno.
The prisoner also testified, denying the
charge and stating that he knows abso
lutely nothing of the affair save what hi
learned from the Indictment.