The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-04-20

Judges to Dispose Of some OF the
Cases on the List.
According to the stories told in crimi-
nal court yesterday, there was consid-
cradle blood-letting within the confines
of the county during the last few
months In addition to a large num-
ber of assault and battery cases of a
sanguinary character there were sew
eral cases of aggravated assault and
battery and three separate stabbing
atfrays figuring n'the days proceed
ings.
one of these latter came near being
another Dunmore murder" Sunday
night, Sept. II, 1897, Guiseppi Longo,
Giovanni Gilbert and a number Of
other Little England Italians were
spending the evening at one of the
houses of the neighborhood, where
dWelt fair young daughter of sunny
Italy, Of whom the two mentioned were
enamored. Just what occurred leading
up to the collision between the rivals
is only to he guessed at as the various
| witnesses differ on almost every point,
| except that there was a good deal of
drinking going on.
At all events Longo and Gilbert met
on the bridge spanning Roaring Brook
and had fight, during which Gilbert
was stabbed in the breast and shot in
| the groin. He says that Longo pitched
upon him and, without word or warn
ing, lunged at him with a stiletto and
fired at him with a revolver.
LONGO'S VERSION
Longo says it was altogether differ
ent to that. Gilbert was his friend
and he was bent on taking him home.
because he had become drunk and
noisy and was liable to get into trouble.
When they reached the bridge Gilbert
resisted and LOngo cuffed his ears. En-
| ragged by this little well-meant act Of
friendship, Gilbert drew q razor and
made an assault on Longo. The latter
drew his revolver to frighten Gilbert
off and, while he had it pointed at his
assailant, it was accidentally dis
charged. The stab wound was inflicted,
Longo says, by Gilbert falling upon a
knife which had been knocked from his
grasp in the early part of the trouble.
Gilbert lowered between life and
death for ten days, but finally pulled
through all right, and today is little
the worse for his wounds. Longo ran
away Immediately after the crime and
eluded capture until last February,
when he was located in Boston by the
Scranton police and brought back here
by Detective Moir.
The two other eye-wtnesses of the
affray, Peter Bianco and John Tezi,
could not be found yesterday. The
sheriff was instructed to hunt them up,
mot INT Ift,gr
will likely be on hand today.
The case is being tried before Judge
Archibald in court room No. .. Assist
ant District Attorney w. G. Thomas
represents the commonwealth and l..
=. Wedeman the defense.
BEFORE JUDGE SWARTZ.
Before Judge SWartz, who is presid-
ing in the Superior court room. was
tried the aggravated assault and bat
terry case of George Kerl against julius
r. Hunter. Kerl is proprietor of the
Assembly hotel, on Linden street, and
| Hunter is a piano tuner, boarding i'm
the same neighborhood. On the night
of Aug. ,, 1897, Hunter and a couple of
| friends went into Kerl's place and
| ordered some drinks. The proprietor
| became engaged in conversation with
| them and during the course of their
| talk remarked that friend of his had
said that Hunter had spoiled a piano
which he hired him to tune. This in
censed Hunter and he made an insult
| ing remark to Kerl. The latter de-
| manded an apology and, when Hunter
| refused to apologize, attempted to eject
| him. At this Hunter drew a knife and
| stabbed Kerl in the hand, inflicting an
ugly wound.
Hunter admits the stabbing, but says
he did it in self-defense. O'Brien d
| Kelly are his attorneys. A. A. Vos-
| burg, who is acting as assistant dis
| trict attorney, looked after the prose-
| cution with the assistance Of Attorney
| Stark.
Mayfeld contributed the third cutting
affray While returning from a fire, a
o'clock on the morning of June 20,
1897, in the company of a number OF
| friends, Peter Cunningham accidentally
bumped against John Tirpot, who was
going in an opposite direction on his
way to work. Tirpot's dinner pail was
spilled by the collision and his temper
badly ruffied. An exchange of hot
words brought on a fight, during which
Cunningham was stabbed twice i'm the
dllEBtl
that it was Tirpot who was assaulted
| and, to defend himself against Cum
ningham and his friends used his knife
He has a counter charge of assault and
| battery against Cunningham. The jury
returned TripOt guilty Of simple assault
and battery. Attorneys Comegys and
| Stark represented the defense.
CHARGED WITH ARSON.
John Gross and his wife, Mary. were
| tried before Judge Edwards for at
! tempted arson. They are accused Of
| having tried to set fire to an Clubhouse
| on the property of their neighbor, John
| Kosask, of Summit avenue. The out
| house is at the rear of Kosloskis lot
| and only a short distance from the
| Gross dwelling. Gross had complained
of it frequently and demanded that it
be removed, making one complaint to
the health officer of the city.
On Sunday morning, Sept. 25, shortly
after midnight, two Of Koloski's board
ers, while removing their shoes in the
basement preparatory to going to bed
saw Gross throw a bundle of lighted
paper over the fence and into the out
house, They rushed out and extin-
gushed the blaze. Kerosene was found
sprinkled about the floor and on the
i