The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1900-01-22
DESPERATE FIGHT
BETWEEN ITALIANS
Three Were Killed and Several
Badly Bruised.
BETWEEN TWO FAMILIES.
All the Living Participants Have Been
Arrested and Placed I'M ailOne
of the Men Was Found -
Under His Bed

New York, january 21.-Three Italians of
one homo were shot to death in an inter-
family row which began in an italian ten
ement house on East Eleventh street at
noon today, and ended in one of the worst
Sunday brawls the Eastside has seen for
some time.
Antonio Coletti, 81 years of age, married.
was shot through the lungs and died in his
tracks; Casper Coletti, 10 years of age, his
brother, was shot in the breast and died
shortly after being taken to Bellevue hos
pital; and David Salvatore, 40 years of age,
a cousin of the Collettis, was shot in the
stomach and died in the hospital tonight.
Vincenzo Spinalla and his son Frank, II
years old. have been arrested and charged
with the murder, and the police are still
searching for Frank Spinalla, brother of
Vineenzo, who also played a part in the
tragedy.
The trouble between the Collettis and the
Spinallas which ended in the tragedy to-
day, began late last night between Joseph
Coetti and Frank Spinalla the housekeep-
er of 4S2 East Eleventh street, where the
Collettis lived. Coletti came home in COM
pany with a FRIEND and found the door to
iilt leHeIneHI IuuSe lOckeu. 10 gam an
entrance the two men kicked In a panel of
the door, against the protests of the house.
keeper. A lot of words passed between the
housekeeper and colletti but there were
no particular demonstrations on either side.
The Colletti family was we'll known
among the Italian residents of that section
of the town. There were eight brothers and
six sisters. They all lived in the Eleventh
street tenement. OF the Spnallas there
were three brothers and one son.. Vincenzo
Spinalla, brother of the houskeeper, lived
with his son Frank on East One Hundred
and Thirty-eghth street, and the latter
youth, who is It years of age, precipitated
the murder.
Trouble Started Again
Shortly before noon Young Frank went
around to the Eleventh street tenement and
on the appearance of Antonio Colletti as
saulted him. Colletti resented the attack,
and was Immediately Joined by his brother,
Casper, the two of them starting to admin
lister punishment to the youth. AT the same
time the boys father, Vincenzo Spinalla,
appeared on the scene and a number of the
Colletti family's relatives Joined in the
struggle This was the signal for a gen.
eral riot and the street was filled with a
shouting, struggling mob. The shouts of
the participants accompanied by pistol
shots and the cries of residents of the
neighborhood, filled the air.
patrolman was attracted by the noise
and he summoned an ambulance from Belle
vue hospital, at the same time notifying
Captain Diamond of the Fifth street police
station The captain rushed to the scene
with staff of detectives, and on the ap-
pearance of the officers the riot stopped
suddenly.
Three men Were lying on the ground, one
dead and two mortally wounded Antonio
Colett had been shot through the left
lung and had dropped in his tracks Casper
Colletti was bleeding and helpless from
shot which had penetrated the left breast,
and David Salvatore had been shot in the
stomach. Casper was rushed to a drug,
store and thence to the hospital, where he
died a few minutes after being admitted.
Salvatore lived for several hours.
Vincenzo Spinaila and his son fled from
the scene on the arrival of the police.
Frank The boy was captured before he
had gone far Vincenzo ran to his home on
Thirteenth street, firing at his pursuers as
he ran. He was found under a bed in his
rooms and arrested, charged with homicide,
as was also his son. Joseph Colletd whose
forcble entrance into the tenement last
night started the trouble, was also arrested.
appeared.