The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-05-25
STORY OF BRUTAL TREATMENT
J0seplne Terran0va a Witness in
Her Own Behalf
IS NOW ON TRIAL FOR MURDER
Foul Treatment by Her Uncle Forced
on Her by an Aunt-A Voice Came
to Her and Said "kiIfr-TGrned
AWE From Her Mothers House and
DeIEed by Her Husband.

New York, May 22.-Josephine Ter
ranova To-day 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 s years old, 60
ing to live with her uncle and aunt,
the Reggios.
Il didn't go to church or school,"
she said, for seven years after 1
came to America. My uncle and aunt
would not let me. l wanted to go. l
did everything, washing, scrubbing,
everything, and sometimes there were
ten, eleven, sixteen boarders in the
house"
D you remember one winter morn
ing when you were about II and q half
years Old she was asked.
The girl replied hat she did, that
her aunt had taken her to the uncles
room that day.
That is what I am on trial here
about she, added.
As the girl told Ct her uncles treat
ment a woman spectator tainted. The
girl hestitated in giving her testimony
saying that she was ashamed to
speak IT..
C!lS Sdlu lIldl 1SI aunt ndQ 1OTCcU
her to obey her uncle and had beaten
her breaking a stick during one of
the Whippings and making the witness
50 sick that she went to bed.
The girl said she was never permit
ted to play with other children and
was forbidden to talk English or as
sOciate with the boarders in the house.
she said she wanted to go to her
mother but was not permitted to.
The witness said that her husband
was led to suspect What her relations
with her uncle had been, because of a
remark which the latter made.
She declared that her uncle's mis-
treatment covered a period of about
six years n that it continued up to
and including the night after her civil
marriage to TrannCVa. She old of the
circumstances which led her to kill
the uncle, Gaetano and her aunt, on
Cetta. She, said that her husband, af-
ter listening to her confession told her
hat she was no longer his wife and
thereupOn left her. She remained
alone during the following ten days,
subject she said, to the influence of
authorizations in which her uncle ap-
peared. Wherever he appeared a voice
said: Kill him. Zach night, the wit
ness continued, she would dream or
imagine that she was in the presence
of God and there again she would hear
the words kill your uncle"
At the end of ten days, ne girl said,
she went to her mothers house n
was turned away. Then the mysteri-
Gus voices became more insistent n
their directions more pointed, telling
her to buy a knife and a revolver and
kill. When armed and 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 ~outcaSt.'
She remembered little OF her attack
but asserted that She began to stab
when her aunt came between her n
Gaetna. She did not remember which
one she struck first.
Under cross examination the witness
said she had been unable to run away
from her uncle's treatment, as h de-
sired to. Her aunt, she said, had told
her that there was no harm in rela-
latiOns with her uncle.
Justice Scott who is hearing the
case, questioned the girl about the
voices she claimed to nave heard n
she old him that they came like a
ring in the ears. The trial was ad-
iOurned until tomorrow.