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.
Iucinatiou, a Voice Commanding
Her to XIII Him" Dreamed
She was In the Presence
Of God.

In Naw 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. e.most awful tales
of depravity and the part of her un-
Gle and aunt, whom she finally killed
for the great wrong they had done
her.
II didn't go to cHuroh or to school.
she said, FOR seven years after I
came to America. Ny aunt and un-
Gle would not let me. / wanted TO
go. did everything, washing, scrub.
Ding, everything and som ,.imes there
| were ten, eleven, sixteen bOard.rB In
the hou,e."
DO you remember ono winter
morning when you were about eleven
and half years old? she was asked.
The girl replied that she die; that
her aunt had taken her to the uncle's
room that day. That Is what am
on trial here about" she added. As
the girl tola Of her uncle's treat.
ment o woman spe ctatOr tainted. The
girl hesitated In giving her testimony
saying that she was ashamed to speak
It,.
Sac said that her aunt had forced
her to obey her uncle and had beat
her, breaking o 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 bOal ders In the house. She
said she wanted to go to her mother
out was not permitted to.
The,Witness said that her husband I
was led to suspect what her relations
With her uncle had been, because of q
remark which the latter made. She
declared thai her uncle's mistreat-
ment covered a period Of about six
years and that it continued up TO and
Including the night after her civil
marriage to Terranova. Sac told of
Ghe circumstances which led her TO
xii the sole, Gaetano, and her aunb,
Concetta, S le said that her husband
after listening to her confession told
her that she was no longer his wife
and thereupon isft her. She remain.
ed alone during ths following ten
days, sui ] ct, she said to the iE fiuence
Of Authorizations In which her uncle
appealed. Wheneve- he appeared q
voice said kill him." e lch 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 "ktll your un.
cle"
AT the end of ten days, the girl
said she went to her mothers house
and was turned away. Then the mys-
terious voices became more insistent
and their directions more pointed,
telling her n buy knife and revol.
yer and kill. When armed on her way
to their house for this purpose, she
said she had crossed herself threa
times and prayed to know whether
she was doing right. She confronted
ner uncle, calling him TRAITOR" and
he replied: You are an ouboast."
Sac remembered little of her at
tack, but asserted that she began to
stab when her aunt came between her
and Gaetano. She d d not remit M-
ber which one struck first. Under
CROSS examination the witness said
she had been unable to run away 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
the Girl alb ut the yOi3aa ana claim.
ed to have heard, and she told him
that they came like ringing In the
ears.