The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-11-08
Man and Wife Slain by
Unknown Persons Is Find
ing Of Coroner.
SCOUT SUICIDE THEORY
Berger's Prosecutor Hunting in
New York's Italian Colony for
Perpetrators of Crime.-ROb-
berry Chief Theory, May
Be Revenge.
Especial to the Evening star.l


HACKENSACK, Nov. S.-That Mr..
and Mrs. Raffaelo Russano whose bod
les were found at their Garfield home
Saturday night, were murdered was the
verdict of the coroner's jury which met
at Garfield last night. Three witnesses,
Theodore vandersteens and Mr.. and
Mrs. Henry Burgmeyer were heard and
then the jury consisting of Miles G..
Whitehead. George H. Wright, Richard
Vreeland. Peter Doremus, Robert Hyde
and Frederick Rose decided that Rus
sano and his wife came to their death
at the hand of some person unknown.
Prosecutor Ernest Koester has given
up the hope of securing any evidence in
this county and has sought the aid of a
well-known italian detective agency in
New York in which city he believes
the slayers are hiding.
The Prosecutor is firmly convinced that
the double murder was committed for the
purpose of robbery and he believes the
work was that OF some one who entered
the Russano house under the guiSe Of
friendship. His belief that robbery was
the motive Is founded on the statement
of a cousin OF the dead woman that
Mrs. Russano always carried money In
her stocking, and on the fact that both
her stockings were torn and contained no
money wh.zh she was picked up. The fact
that there were no signs Of q fight in the
RuSsano apartments and that none Of the
d0ors or windows had been forced CON
sSgsfees Mr.. Rooster that the murderer got
In peaceably and as friend
Those who arrived on the Scenee OF
the shooting early Sunday morning Found
-.&ft1. <s1,enof,
FOR tNo--with two glasses OF wine. half
drunk. two dishes and two chairs drawn
up They found the bodies partly un-
dressed, as though the couple had begun
preparing to retire before sitting down 10
their repast. The early arrivals contend
that no friendly visitor did the shooting,
first because a third place would have
been set at the table had there been one,
and second. because the hour was too
late for anyone to come under the guise
Of friendship. Russano was found re-
Ginning on the edge of his chair.
The theory has been advanced that he
shot his wife in the store. walked into the
kitchen. shot himself and fell into the
chair. Those holding to this theory be-
ljeye his wife crawled outside after her
injury and that the shots and her ex-
posed form attracted the attention Of
Italians Of the neigh borhood, who are sup
posed to have committed the robbery and
10 have carried off Russano's gun for self
protection. This idea is backed by the
finding of several 3S-calibre bullets in the
Russano house. Those who adhere to the
murder-euicide theory ask what the .SS-
calibre bullets would be doing in the house
without gun with which to fire them.
The bullets that caused the deaths were
.3s-caiibre. and those in) the loaded re-
voiver on Mrs. Russano's body were but
.22-calibre. Russano was a great cigarette
smoker. and was OF highly nervous tenn
permanent. Cigarettes or quarrel with
Mrs Russano are the reasons the murder
suicide theorists give for the possible at
tack on the wife by the husband.
IN the opinion OF prominent Italians Of
Gerfield the double murder was committed
by some relative of either Mr. or Mrs
Russano. The general impression is that
the Hussanos came to this country from
Italy rather hurriedly. It has been learned
that the murdered man and woman had
both been married before in Italy, and
that they lett families and eloped to this
country. The woman Is said to have had
husband and two children, and the man
! wife and several little ones. The belief
OF leading Italians of Garfield is that
relatives of one OF the deserted families
came to Garfield to avenge their wrongs.
One man is known to have called at a
Passaic saloon Saturday night and to have
asked the direction to the Russano home.
Another report is that two persons were In
town Saturday asking to be directed to
the Rusano house. The proprietor OF the
saloon in which the man appeared ATTENDED
the examination of the five men appre-
hended Monday, but did not recognize
amoag them the man who stopped at his
place.