Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-05-23
TALKED WITH
God. she SAID.
SiClIian Girl Makes Remarkable
Plea for Her Life Divine Voice
Told Her to Kill.

Jcdi-oiu JOSepAlne on Irlul
for the murder Of her aunt, went on
the stand and gave the jury the history
of her life with Gaetano and CoRcetta
Riggio, her uncle and aunt, whom she
stabbed to death on the night of Wash
ington's birthday In their home at viii
liamsbrldge.
1t was the story Of ~unspeakable
wrongs heaped upon her and of the
swift and terrible r%etribution she
wreaked upon her unnatural relatives.
Strange voices, she declared, COM
handed her to kill. She is on trial be-
fore Justice Scott in the supreme court,
who almost as soon as the defendant
began her testimony overruled Prose-
cutOr Ely's objection, saying:
'tsShe may as well tell the whole sto-
y.h
The prisoner in telling of her brief
happiness made a pretty picture and
an appealing one, yet in the sun bright
smile with which she greeted every
question there was a suggestion of the
uncanny. Both judge and jury listened
to her dramatic story-a story perhaps
unparalleled In criminal annals-with
the most absorbed and kindly interest.
She sat erect in the witness chair,
holding her handkerchief in one hand.
In her gray skirt and white waist she
made rather an attractive picture.
81 I'm seventeen years old" she said.
II was born in Italy. My father, he
die when l am four years old. l re-
member about coming to America.
II work all the time. l get up at 4
or s o'clock. and all the time l work
until IL or II O'Clock. I wash and
scpub and cook and make bread and
do all the work for all the boarders,
sometimes eleven, twelve or thirteen
once sixteen bOarders."
Then the girl, %hesitating, blushing
and faltering, told how her ruin had
been accomplished by her uncle when
counsel and aid of the aunt. AS the
u~nspeakable, unprintable narrative fell
from the lips of the prisoner the wom-
ell I'M the court poked their heads for
ward the better to catch every word
of the hideous story. There were no
sounds in the chamber save the voices
Of the girl and her lawyer. Several
times. replying to some question, Jo-
sephine, with her cheeks burning, said:
II don't want to say-Id rather not
tell that"
1t was only after a great deal of
hesitation on the part Of the witness
that Judge Palmieri got her to tell Of
the nameless crimes of the uncle.
The court proceedings were interrupt
ed for a moment by a woman who
tainted. She quickly revived and was
taken out. Then the examination went
III.
Q. Did you suffer with your head
after he mistreated you? A.. Yes, my
head would ache and / could not see
good.
Q. Did your aunt eve strike you
when you said you had too much work
to do? A. Yes. l tell her. 'Oh, auntie,
l cannot do all this work" Then she
strike me and knock me down and
hurt my jaw so that / could not eat
for two, three days. Another time she
break a SUCK on my pack so that III
hurt me many days. put they never
get me a doctor.
" Did you know that Wnat your IN
Gle mad done was wrong! A. NO.
y. what were you gwen TO eat! A.
! nad what the others leIt. IL was N o
nj TOT uoes.
=. were you permitted 10 play with
other chlldrenf A. NO. never. They
never even let me talk TO the men IN
the bakeshop. Ihey would not let me
talk English.
me girl SAID that n listened 10 the
voice or God winch told her TO XIII
them.
4 talked with God. she SAID. Il
SAID 10 God; GOO, mere is a poor chlld.
not vet seventeen years OLD, TO gosout
into the streets. NO rather. no mother,
no one to go to. Her husband driven
away from her-there is NOBODY VINO
wants TO iook at ler.
F tIDi6 Won see tod ~ "M