The San Francisco call., 1905-04-10
Police Discover That She
Bought Plaster of Paris
to Clean the od-Stained
Walls Of the Shambles
WOMAN SAYS HUSBAND
MUST BE MURDERER
Mrs. Rosa Torturici Admits
That He Is the Only
Person Who Could Have
Killed Ill-Fated Sicilian

Besides using her beauty to lure
BiagEio VilardO to his death, Mrs. Rosa
Torturici was even further involved in
the plot, according to evidence held by
the police She admits that her hus-
band may be the murderer, but will
rot betray the conspirators.
Il think that my husband must have
killed Vilardo'' admitted Mrs. Tor
turici yesterday, but / know nothing
about it, When | went out of the
house Wednesday night they were
quarreling."
Captain Burnett declares that the
woman lies deliberately when she says
that she did not know of the killing
Though Burnett will not admit it, the
store where the plaster of paris useu
to cover the bloodstained wall was
bought has been located. Mrs. Tor
turici was the one who purchased the
material for kalsomining the walls.
When the husband is caught and the
rest of the brigand band that plotted
the butchery is rounded up the woman
will be charged with the others with
murder. Meanwhile she will be held
at the City Prison.
The police have little hope of SWEET
ting any of the gangs secrets out of
her. She is still sullen and defiant.
The admission that her husband killed
Vilardo was dropped by her only when
she knew how complete the evidence
was.
But" she added quickly, nobody
else had anything to do with it. No
body else was there that night"
She is throughout true daughter of
the land of the Malta. Torture could
not force a confession from her. The
Malta has never yet been betrayed, and
the police have little hope of breaking
down any of the suspects now in their
hands.
Holding her infant in her arms and
still wearing a scowl, the woman re-
luctantly answered questions put to her
yesterday.
Were you in the house when the
murder was committed ?"
No, 1 don't know anything about it,"
she declared.
When did you see vilardo last?"
When / took his supper to him
in his room. He used to eat with my
husband and me, but that night he
said he was tired and did not care to
wash himself to come to dinner"
Il went out at half-past z and left
my husband and Vilardo there. They
had been quarreling.
What were they quarreling about?"
was Asked
Il don't know exactly. My husband
said Vilardo talked too much
When did you go back %
II went back about or after My
husband was not there then"
did you ever go into the room where
Vilardo was killed.
mo"
When asked how she could get into
her bedroom without entering the room
where the butchery took place, the
woman became confused, but recovered
quickly and said, Il went around the
back way"
dicted by the evidence now in the hands
of the police. Here is what that evil
dence shows:
The woman was in the house or near
it when Biaggio vilardo was laid low
by cowardly blow behind. She prob
ably heard the sickening crash as the
cleaver sank into his skull.
And when the fiend had hacked the
bleeding body to pieces the wife hur-
ried into the slaughter pen to help clear
up the evidence of crime.
Laying her baby on the bed, she
busily scrubbed at the stains of blood.
But the warm red fluid was every
where. The floor was soaked with it
and the walls were spattered with 1t.
She could not clean 1t up.
Furiously she must have worked, but
nnally gave IL up, ana d1ter cleaning
away as best she could the blood of the
man who was lured to his death by her
beauty. she waited for her husband.
He came to her to bid her good-by. A
hue and cry had been raised and the
murder was out. He told her where to
meet him the next night.
In the morning she went out and
purchased the plaster of paris She
succeeded partly in cleaning the spat-
tered wall. but the blood stains on the
floor could not be removed.
On Friday night she was at the hut
near Fisherman's Cove, and also at
1911 Powell street, another rendezvous
of the gang. She returned to Green
street and walked into the hands of
the police.