The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-06-12
PETER CHIPRIANO
ESCAPES HANGING
FOUND GUILTY OF MURDER IN
THE SECOND DEGREE.
Plead Guilty and Left It to Court to
Fix the Degree of the Crime-only
a Vague Story of the Crime Gould
Be Elected on Account of the Re-
luctance of the Commonwealth 8
Witnesses to Tell What They
Knew Concerning the Killing.
Many Cases Continued.

many Cdseb OOnVluueu.
When arraigned yesterday, for the
killing of Augusta Esconia at Jessup,
January %, last, Peter Chipriano, on
the advice of his counsel, John NJ. Har-
ris and Joseph Jeffreys, plead guilty Of
murder, and after hearing the com
monwealth's testimony, Judge Archibald
fixed the crime as murder of the Sec
ond degree.
Assistant District Attorney Thomas
readily assented to having the case
thus disposed of, as his witnesses, he
had found, were not at all disposed to
testify against the defendant. All of
them are countrymen of the murderer,
and while they almost killed Chipriano
when he was seized Immediately after
the shooting, their testimony yesterday
indicated that their feelings towards
him have undergone n very marked
change.
Although the dozen witnesses, includ-
ing two of the men wounded in the
melee, were escorted in one at a time
from an outer room to give their tes-
| timony and subjected to a rigorous eX-
| animation, the most that could be ad-
| duced was that Chipriano drew his re-
| volver in a crowd and commenced
| firing.
Not the faintest semblance of a mo-
| tive for the crime could be brought
| out. There was a post-christening
| gathering at Giovanni Gillardis house,
| Chipriano came in and Joined the fes-
| tivities. Soon there was loud talking
| in the corner of the room where Chip
| riano and Esconia were and the next
| instant Esconia fell with a bullet in
his heart. Chlpriano was seized, but
by emptying the four remaining cham
| bers of his 44-calibre revolver into
| Amerigo Mariangello, Augusta Bomani
| and Charlie Gabrielle, he succeeded in
breaking away and getting outside. He
was overtaken, however, a short dis
| tance from the house and roughly
| handled by the crowd. When he was
received at the county Jail his face
| looked more like a piece of raw meat
than the physiognomy Of a human
being.
ATTORNEYS OBJECTED.
After the commemorative witnesses
had been heard, Judge Archibald
| evinced a desire to hear what the de-
| fendant and his witnesses had to say,
but Attorneys Harris and Jeffreys de-
clined to let him go on the stand or to
suffer any of his witnesses to testify.
They claimed the commonwealth had
not shown a case of first degree muir
der and as the defense was satisfied
to accept a second degree finding, they
chose to rest.
Judge Archibald protested that the
| hut
agreed with Mr.. Harris that the de-
fendant could not be compelled to take
the stand with view of bolstering up
the prosecution.
Mr.. Thomas admitted that there was
apparently something the witnesses
did not disclose and that there was
nothing in the evidence to account for
the shooting, yet there was evidence
amply sufficient to warrant a verdict
of second degree. Judge Archibald
thereupon announced that he would
fix the grade Of the crime at second
degree.
The defendant also plead guilty to
two charges of felonious wounding
brought against him for shooting
Mariangello and Gabrielle. He will be
sentenced on all three counts next Sat
urday. The maximum penalty for the
three offenses is twenty-six years.
The six slot machine cases against
e. A. knight and one against Harry
Oblinger We're called in the main court
room, but continued till next term a.
the request of Assistant District At
torney Thomas, who did not wish tC
try them because District Attorney
Jones had prepared them and was the
, only one familiar with them.
CASE CONTINUED.
Continued on account of the alb
sence of the district attorney" Judge
; Archibald announced, as he entered the
{ continuance on the criminal docket.
David S. Davis, of Oak hill, neal
Moosic, charged with feloniously
Wounding Martin Allen, was tried be
fore Judge Edwards, in No. 3. He wa,
defended by Attorneys NJ. ]. McAndrev
. and T. p. Duffy. Attorney C. Z. Dan
iels appeared for the prosecution
Allen bought from the Pennsylvania
l Coal company q lot adjoining that O.
= Davis. The fence was over on Allen!
1 property about thirty feet, and AlleI
2 proposed to move it.
T On the morning of March II, Allel
: drove from his home In Moosic to Oal
D hill and, alighting from his carriage
stood near the fence and surveying tn,
: premises when Davis came out on hi
! doorstep in his stocking feet and or
l dered him away Allen did not go, an,
L Davis, returning to the house, secured
a shotgun and fired at him. A doubl
charge of buckshot was lodged in tn
| back of Aliens legs above the knees
The shot was fired at a distance o
fiftv feet.
Davis admitted the shooting, bu