The San Francisco call., 1906-09-29
Borden Threatened in
an Anonymous
Note.

Mrs. Rosa Bertucci of 140S Buchanan
street was found guilty of contempt
Of court yesterday by Judge Lawfor
and sentenced to three days in jail
for attempting TO influence juror IN
the Di Ryana-Carta forgery case The
woman took the stand and admitted
that she had called upon Edwin q. Bor-
den, one of the jurymen. at his home
to plead for Di Ryana and Carta. the
accused men, and added that she mad
been unceremoniously elected from the
house as soon as she made known the
purpose of her visit.
A new sensation was added to the
case when Borden requested Judge
Lawlor to impose a fine instead OF q
jail sentence upon the woman. at the
same time offering to pay the sum
which might be assessed against her.
In explanation of his offer. Borden
nous letter threatening him for in
forming against Mrs. Bertucci
Borden received the missive on
Thursday night at his home at 755 Capp
street. While IT does not. make any
open threat of violence, tt conveys
thinIy vefled threat of trouble to fol-
low. 1t attacks Borden violently as an
informer. There Is no clew by which
the identity of the writer can be es-
tablished. The direction on the en-
velope is to .Tnformer Borden" and
the postmark is San Francisco.
Postoffice Inspector James O'Connell
has undertaken an investigation. The
letter contains matter, aside from its
general threatening tone. sufficient to
send it's author to the State prison for
misuse of the mails.
WOMAN ON THE STAND.
Mrs. Bertucci was found guilty after
an examination of half 2 dozen wit
nesses, and after she gave her own
version Of her early morning call at
Borden's home. Borden was the first
witness placed on the stand, his testi-
mony being a repetition of his state
ments in the affidavit taken before the
close of the trial.
When placed on the stand herself,
Mrs Bertucci declared that her visit to
Borden was not Influenced by any one
excepting the defendants In the case.
but that she went because requested
to do SO by Carta when she visited him
In jail the Sunday previous In an
swer to questions put to her by Judge
Lawlor. she said:
'T used to sew for Mrs. Df Ryana
and later got acquainted with Carta
through a real estate deal. When this
trial came up Mrs. Df Ryana wrote
and asked me to attend the trial for
her sake and write to her about 1t.
She said that i was friend in need.
1 had two letters from her, but burned
them both up. Saturday Di Ryana and
Carta asked me to bring them some
thing to eat in the jail, and Sunday I
went there with my husband.
GIVEN ADDRESS BY cARrA.
"Carta said. 4 want you to do me
a favor He handed me piece of
the margin OF newspaper with Mr..
Borden's address on It and said. Go
to this man. Ask him what he thinks
of the case. He is a good man and I
believe he thinks we are innocent If
he does. others will think so, too.'
ct took the paper and went to the
house. My husband did not know I
was going nor that carta asked me
to go. 1 asked for Mr.. Borden and
asked him If he didn't think the men
were innocent and he got very mad
anything about 1t. but I didn't know
that I had done anything wrong"
Deputy Sheriff James J. Ryan and
Victor Di Martini, the court inter-
prefer, testified to having seen Mrs.
Bertucci every day In court and to
having been told by her of the letters
from Mrs. Di Ryana. Peter Bertucci,
Mrs Bertucci's husband. also testified
that he knew she had been attending
the trial.
In declaring Mrs Bertucci guilty,
Judge LawIor stated his belief that
the case was a fiagrant one and that
there must have been a sinister intent
behind the act. He called attention to
the fact that he had several times
charged the Jury regarding the main
tenance of secrecy and that Mrs. Ber-
tucci had been listener on all these
occasions.
Di Ryana and Carta were found
guilty a few days ago of having forged
documents upon which they collected
insurance money.
NEW LAW FAvoRs CHILDREN.--New