The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-06-04
AN ATTEMPT TO MURDER
That's the Charge Against Two
Meaderville Italians.
TRIAL Is NOT CONCLUDED
Vercella Says the Two Cuellos Gave
Him a Terrible Beating the First
Time He Saw Thsm-Had a
Taste for Live Hearts.

Peter Cuello and James Cuello, two
Meaderville Italians who are charged
with shooting and attempting to muir
der Dominick Vercella, young fellow
countryman, We're on trial before a
jury in Judge Clancy's department of
the district court yesterday on the
charge Of assault in the first degree.
The trial was not concluded and will
be resumed Monday morning. A num-
Der of witnesses for the state were ex-
amined, including Vercella, and the
testimony showed that the trouble be-
tween the Cuello brothers and Vercella
started at their first meeting, which
the 10th of last December. Vercella en-
tered the saloon and the Cuellos, who
were there, asked him what he was do
ing there He told them he was attend
ing to his own business The TWO
brothers left the saloon and waited for
Vercella on the outside, and when he
appeared they jumped on him, knocked
him down and were kicking him when
the bartender came out and made them
quit In the language of Vercella, they
chit him like HE'LL
The next time he saw them was in a
justice court, when he appeared as Il
witness against them in civil suit. On
the night of the 18th of last February,
| the night of the shooting, Vercella went
| to the Florence saloon to attend a
dance. The two defendants were there
and he heard them swear at some one
| as he entered, but he paid no attention
! to them. They left the saloon about
midnight and he left about three-quar-
| tiers of an hour later to go to Dominick
| Bertoglios saloon nearby and saw the
| two Cuellos ahead of him. He heard
| one of them say that he was going
| to eat the heart out of the = -"
and, remembering his previous expert
! ence with them, Vercella crossed the
| street and went to Bertoglio's saloon by
! a roundabout way He remained there
| Is or 20 minutes and then told Bertoglo
| he thought he would go home and walk
| ed out of the saloon. Just as he got
| outside the saloon he saw two men
| come across the street, and when they
| got within 20 feet of him he recognized
| them as the Cuellos. Bertoglio had
| come out of his saloon in the mean
while and when he saw the two men
| he called to Vercella and told him to
| come back and stay all night. Vercella
| turned and took a step back when q
| shot was fired from the direction of the
| two men. He started to turn around,
when another shot was fired, but he
did not see it, and when he looked in
| the direction of the Cuellos, who were
then only about eight feet away, a
third shot came and struck him in the
| left side and he fell. Quickly two more
shots were fired and he turned his head
just in time etas.see James Cuello point
/ gun at him, not five feet away, and
| take another shot at him. Vereella said
| was not certain who fired the third
shot, the one that hit him, but he be-
| lieved it was Peter Cuello. He was
sure, however, that the sixth was fired
| by James. The brothers then fled and
| day or two later We're captured out on
| the Northern Pacific in the direction OF
| Whitehall. Vercella had been shot
| through the lung and another bullet had
| passed through his hat. He was at the
| the hospital for over three months and
| for a long time was not expected to
| live.
The state has one more witness to
examine and the defense has nine or
ten. The prosecution is conducted by
County Attorney Connolly and the de-
| Tense by j. L. Wines.