The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1906-06-01
Her Cruel Uncle in a Dream Says
Woman
ON WITNESS STAND.
She Said That She Was Subject to Hal.
I~ucination, a Voice Commanding
Her 10 XIII Him" Dreamed
She was In the Presence
OF God.

In New York last week Josephine
Terranova took the witness stand In
her own behalf at her trial on the
charge OF having murdered her aunt.
The defendant said that she came to
this country when eight years old,
going to live With her uncle and aunt
the Reggious. She is an Italian girl
who told one Of the. most awful tales
Of depravlty and the part OF her uu-
Gle and aunt, whom she finally killed
for the great wrong they had dJne
her.
II didn't go to church or to school.
she said, FOR seven years after I
came to America. Ny aunt and I'M
Gle would not let me. / wanted to
go. l did everything, washing, scrub.
bling, everything and scm,yimes there
we're ten, eleven, sixteen board.rs In
the house"
do you remember one winter
morning when you were about eleven
and u half years Old? she was asked,
The girl replied that she die; that
her aunt had taken her to the uncle's
room that Gay. That Is what I am
on trial here about she aided. AS
the girl told Of her uncle's treat.
ment q woman spectator tainted. The
girl hesitated In giving her testimony
saying that she was ashamed to speak
1t.
Sac said that her aunt had forced
her to obey her uncle and had beat
her, breaking q stick during ona of
the whipplngs, and making the wit
ness SO sick that she went to bed,
The girl said she was never permitted
70 play with other children and was
forbidden to talk English or associate
with the boalders In the house. She
said she wanted to 60 to her mother
out was not permitted to.
The witness said that her husband
was led to suspect what her relations
With her uncle had been, because ola
remark which the latter made. She
declared that her uncle's mistreat-
ment covered a period Of about six
years and that 1t continued up to and
Including the night after her civil
marriage to Terranova. Sac told Of
the circumstances which led her to
kill the uncle, GAetano, and her aunt,
Concetta S he said that her husband
after listening to her confession told
her that she was no longer his wife
and thereupon left her. She remain.
ed alone during the following ten
days, sui CT, she said to the liz huence
Of Authorizations In which her uncle
appealed. Wheneve' he appeared q
voice said skill him." Eloh night,
the witness continued, she would
dream or imagine that she was In the
presence OF God and there again she
would hear the words kill your IN.
cle."
AT the end Of ten days, the girl
said she went to her mother's house
and vas turned away. Then the myS-
ferrous voices became more insiStent
and their directions more pointed,
telling her to buy a knife and q revOl.
yer and kill. When armed on her way
to their house for this purpose, she
said she had crossed herself three
times and prayed to know whether
she was doing right. She confronted
her uncle, calling him TRAITOR" and
he replied: You are an outoast."
"Sle remembered little Of her at
tack, but asserted that she began to
stab when her aunt came between her
and GaetaDo. Sic id not remtm-
Der which n struck first. Under
CROSS examination the Witness said
she had been unable to run q way from
her uncle's treatment, as she desired
to. Her aunt, she said, had told her
that there was no harm In her rela.
tions with her uncle. Justice Scott,
who is hearing the case, questioned
5 the girl alb ut the voices she claim.
! ed to have heard, and she told him
: that they came like q ringing In the
ears.