The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1905-10-13
Gspyr,eA,, ,sss. sy Ro...r Bouu..'s sssA
CHAPTER XIV.

Ouoys1gAs, iooS, By RoS.1r BozHua's oe1A
CHAPTER XIV.
"Good heaven!" murmured the Ital.
Ian, sinking again into his chair.
"And you are further charged with
the attempted murder of the child,
Alice Graviscourt, whose body you
threw into the East river on a certain
night, and on the same day you filed
certificate of death of Alice Gravis-
court of smallpox"
Good heaven!" gasped the CULVER
Ing wretch. His face was pallid, his
eyes staring. his manner that of a
man beside himself with fear.
The superintendent paused, giving
the Italian q few minutes in which to
recover.
After the pause the superintendent
turned, and, looking the scoundrel full
in the face, he said:
Nov, Sigmotta, you see we know
all about you. How would you like to
spend the remainder of your days in
dark cell in Sing Sing prison?"
excitement, and exclaimed:
1T is all a lie! 1t is all lie!"
rs it?" replied the superintendent.
Sigmotta cried out in his fear and
Nov listen to me while l read you
two little documents have here. Did
you ever see the original of this?"
He held the portrait of Charles
Graviscourt's wife before Sigmotta.
"Yes, yes, l knew her, he whis-
pered.
Now listen."
The superintendent then proceeded
to read the statement OF Antonio Sig
motta, and the wretched brother Of
the trapeze actor sat shivering and
quailing as the damning sentences
were hurled at him in the superintend-
ent's stern voice.
BY the time Byrnes had finished
that statement the wretch in the chair
seemed ready to die of fright.
Nov listen to this said the super
intendent, and he continued to read as
follows:
THE sworn statement of Luigi Dambo
before me, - -, the PrefettO
of Cagliari, on the 8th day of - in
the year 18-.
II, Luigi Dambo, being sworn, and
compelled by the obligation thus pat
upon me by my fear of future punish
ment to tell the truth, do declare that
this is the true statement of my con-
nection with the murder Of Pacho
Maligni, and the affairs in which he
was an actor.
II became attached to Maligni's cir
Gus in New York, and knew no person
connected with 1t save my employer,
and him only in the sense named.
after a few days of the exhibition
at Madison Square Garden, in New
York city, l was met by an Italian,
who gave his name as Tortoni, who
offered me a large sum Of money if
succeeded in killing the girl Nita Bar
lotti, In some way that would not
drag him into the matter. made one
attempt by cutting the rope OF the
trapeze on which Nita Barlotti acted
in the hope that her weight might
cause the other strands to break, and
thus she would be killed by the fall
The severed rope was discovered, for
the girl did not appear that night, and
q new rope was substituted for the
one had cut.
ION the following night tried fire
and saturated the ropes Of the trapeze
with oil, and when Barlotti was aloft
set fire to them, but she was saved
by Maubikeck, the Lion-Tamer, and 8
man from the audience whom I now
recognize as Signor Wilberton.
ION this same night some person
fred at Maligni and shot him in thu
cheek.
"The next day Maligni and the gir
were missing, and SO was Tortoni.
Il kept myself secreted. knowing
that the affair would stir up the police
and saw neither Maligni, Barlott
nor Tortoni for several days.
Then It became known to me tina
Maligni had taken passage for Europe
with Barlotti. and that he had plenty
OF money. and would, perhaps, return
| to Sardinia and settle.
II sought TortOni and found him
/; He told me that he had fired the sho
at Maligni, and that he wanted me t
follow the Snowman to Sardinia, ant
there complete the work that he ant
l had begun in New York. Torton
informed me that Maligni was in pos
session Of certain things contained IL
!. ! red tin box which were most essen
tial to him, and was to get the DO,
at Ill hazards. The murder Of Malign
would avail nothing unless the bo,
and its contents were obtained.
II came to Sardinia and awaited a
opportunity. At last 1t came. hat
Obtained an entrance into the viii,
al Maligni By bribing some Of tn,
sefyants, and one night killed Ma
1ieni and seized the box, which foun.
lying on the table in his room. but 1
E,Ees empty.
~ would have killed the girl, too
hut the American had taken her away
ana could not find her in her room
where 4 went Immediately after kill
FfnAr Ma1iani.