Los Angeles herald., 1905-11-25
FEARS SPIRITS,
MURDERS WOMAN
SAN FRANCISCO MAN SLAYS
SISTER-IN-LAW
Beats Her to Death With Chairs
Declares She Exercised Powers
Of Evil over Him and
His Family
BY Associated Press.

BY Associated Press.
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. A-Louis
Depaoli, a florist, residing at 42O Char
ter Oak avenue, beat out the brains
of his sister-ln-aw, Catherine Depaoli'
at an early hour this morning HIS
murderous work was done with two
chairs. both of which were broken dur
ing his fierce attack. The cause of the
crime is not positively known but IL
is attributed to homicidal mama.
The victim, who was the wire ol
Antoine Depaoli, brother of her slayer,
had accompanied the latter and his
family home from church and was in
vited to remain all night. Some trou-
BILE ensued and none of the family hau
retired at o'clock this morning Wnen
the murdered woman attempted 10
put one of her sister-in-law's children
to sleep. The father resented this ana
killed her. Several hours later Antoine
Depaoil came to the house inquirlng
for his wife. Louis told him that she
was dead and threatened to Kill him.
Antoine notified the police and his
brother was arrested on a charge of
murder.
Louis Depaoli surrendered to the Of
ficers without a struggle. He declares
that his sister-in-law whom he killed
held his children under a hypnotic
spell. His baby daughter Annie re-
Gently was affected with eye trouble
and this he attributed to the mystic
rious influence Of the woman he killed.
1t is asserted that while prayers were
being offered for the recovery Sf the
child's eyesight, Depaoli suddenly
seized a chair and began his frenzied
assault, from which he did not cease
until long after the death Of Catherine
Depaoli whose body was beaten out
of semblance to human form.
Tries to Defend Husband
Virginia Depaoli, the murderer's 8
wife, attempted a defense of the deed
to the arresting officers.
"Aint 1t BETTER" she said, for him
to kill one than for her to kill the
five of us?"
She asserted that the woman had
power, more than ten men," and that
the assault was committed because
she persisted In looking at the chill
dren.
The murderer's wife. in defending
the act OF her husband. said that both
of them had been taking a magic
powder to prevent the spirits botherine
them. 1t proved ineffectual and they
all went to church last night. The
spirits followed them home, she de-
clared, and told them they would die
If they slept. Then they began to
pray. Katie" she added, did not
like our way of praying and wanted
us to let the children sleep. We could
not, knowing that they would surely
die. Her insistence cost her her life.
OF course, l am sorry she is dead but
my poor husband could do nothing
else"
She was taken to hospital to await
an examination by the insanity COM
missioners.
After his arrest the murderer said:
"I killed Katie because she did not
like the way l was praying. 1t was
a case of me and my entire family
dying or me killing her, so 1 decided
that she must die. I beat her brains
out with a chair and although she
fought to the last, I did 1t all alone.
My wife did not help me, as she had
all she could do to keep the children
awake but she witnessed the entire
affair.""