The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-11-20
ess made Just before he fell uncon-
Bled from the Lungs.

less maze just DeIOre ne leii uiicoii-
scio1lS.,
Bled from the Lungs.
The largest pools of blood about
this spot retain such vivid nue. tnat
many who have visited the spot re-
fused to believe that it was anything
but red paint. T h e ourn a. mas
secured samples OF this red material,
however, and has had analyses made
by two prominent Minneapolis pnysi-
clans. After careful examination Dotn
agreed that it is arterial blood and
seemed to have come directly from
the lungs. There are large quantities
of blood of this character upon the
bridge, and the manner in which they
aresdiStributed Shove either that Bat
ITALIA struggled fiercely with his as
sailants while bleeding from the
lungs, or else that his assailants re-
ceived a similar wound. ~
Bridge Lights Were. Out.
Additional indications of the de-
1iberateness of the murder lie in the
fact that all the lights upon the
bridge and on the approaches on
either side We're extinguished. The
lighting of that part of the city has
never been any too good, anyway, but
j. w. Donahue, who found, the body,
has made frequent use Of the bridge
late at night and says that this fall
the lights upon the structure itself,
and upon either end. have been burn-
ing with good regularity. The night
of the murder, however, he~stumbled
across the body In the dark: and be-
fore making the gruesome find he
had noticed that the lights were out,
Two Men Killed Him. .s
From the cireumstantiaf evidence it
now appears that Battalia was as
saulted by at least two men. .;.One Of
them must have been: with him thru.
out the greater part Eof the evening.
The. other lay in wait at the bridge,
taking the precaution TO eXtinguish the
street, lamps. This is held to mean
that Battalia really did have a deadly.
enemy, and a, meeting with him in
such spot would have meant instant
battle to the death. Ttwas to prevent
any such. recognition In advance of tile
desperate. encounter that the. lights:
Were extinguished and the. second man
paced the middle span of the bridge
waiting until Battalia and his treach-
erous guide. should come within reach.
1T was. a battle. with knives from,
start to- finish. Battalia himself was
Sicilian; and his associates were also
from parts Of Italy where disputes are
settled by the steel. The fragment Of
broad bladef bowie knife. found un-
der the bridge to-day was undoubtedly
the weapon used by Battalia, and the
keen edge Of such a knife explains in
very large measure the cut mp condi-
ton Of his assailants as indicated by
the heavy blod trails leading back in
both directions from the spot where
the encounter took place. The knife
must have been broken by a wild
strike In the dark which came in con-
tact With one of the iron beams Of
theHbridge. - -.
% The Trails of Blood.
There has been much speculation
as the condition of the murdered
mans assailants as they left the sce1ie
OF the murder. The trails are very
that the man who made each was
staggering. from loss Of blood. This
may be true, but the detectives also
recognize the possibility that the muir
deFers were running away from the
scene OF their crime, and in such a
case the trail made BY a bleeding hand
would be far from straight. An at
tempt was made yesterday afternoon
to follow these trials by .bloodhounG1s
buts1t proved unsatisfactory iflasmuch
as 3he scent had been crossed ma1lI
times since itAhad been made and the
hounds employed were"young animals
WnIch had not been carefully trained
Third Trail Means Naught. =
A third trail was found YESTERDAY
y al MI ioOli %WHiCn Will - undoubtedly
caHsei a great deal of comment on the
pa&t OF those who did not know how
1T Was made. Two Journal men who
were at, the Franklin avenue bridge
ahout O'Clock yesterday AFTERNOON
say.a large dog step on a broken. bot
tle5 and run away with bleeding feet
B1%some remarkable coincidence, the
dog made almost bee line un Frank
linz avenue to, Fourteenth avenue S
thence across Fifth street and up to-
ward the county morgue. At thu
m@rgue. the dogs foot, ceased to bleet
AND the trail of blood left by the. ami
nal stopped. The, trail was imme
diately followed from the bridge t.
thss rnorgue and showed no break. n
many places the blood was so fresl
that 1T was still steaming. This Wi
explain any stories Of the third bl6ot
trail (which may appear. ST..
Friends Argued with :Battalia. -
at has also been suggested that Bat
Italia may have been killed because h,
had announced his intention Of re
nouncing his country and his clurcl
tna order to join the; Masons.: ALL eff
forts to dissuade hi mfrom carryin,
out his intentions proved ins vain an,
his last, recorded conversation witt
his friends was upon this subject jus
prior to leaving the house at 100
western avenue. 70