The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-01-30
CIOFFRlTTA
MURDER TRIAL
Packs Court Room With In.
terested Spectators.
STATE COMPLETES WORK
Of Examining Witnesses at
Noon and Rests Case.
Defense Calls but Two Witnesses
and Matters are Closed up With a
Rush.
STATE COMPLETES WORK

The chief result of the afternoon
examination of witnesses, Tuesday,
was the proving almost beyond u
doubt that Giuseppe Gioffritta was
the man who purchased the 1G-
guage shotgun and the buckshot
with which it was loaded; that this
was the same gun found nailed up
| in box i'll the banana room Of the
Goiffritta place and that the gun
was dirty and greasy as though it
had been reccd'y Used.
Edward. WcObcr who was en-
ploycd at Ammann's hardware
store remembered of having sold
the gun, but could not identify
Giuseppe Gioffritta ~ the man
who made the purchase. However
he did identity Tano Grasso as the
man who accompanied the man
to whom he sold the gun. This
was also the ease with Clarence
Scribner the clerk in lIaberman 5
hardware store. Srribncr sold the
1G-guagc shells, which were loaded
with ordinary shot and also sold
the buckshot, explaining to the
purchaser the manner of extracting
the original load and substituting
the buclishQt instead. He also
identified Grasso but didn't seem
to remember Guiffritta as the man
who was with MIN and who made
the purchase,
Grasso was then placed on the
stand and testified that he had
been with Gioffritia when the
gun was purchased and also when
the shot was purchased. Aside
from establishing this fact Grasso's
testimony threw no light on the
subject.
Chief of Police Cornwell then
told about the finding of the gun
in the cellar of the Gioffritta
store. He said IT was nailed up in
a box over which pile of rub
bish had been carelessly thrown.
He said the gun was dirty and
greasy; that it had seemingly been
used short time before found.
The testimony of Captain Wor-
thington anl Officer Chapman was
simply corroborativc of that of the
chief, excepting thrr Captain Wor-
| thiugton told about Giofritta ad-
mittng TO, bim thai he might pos,
sibly not Have understood the
Captains s questions, and therefore
might have shook his head affi1ma-
lively when ne didn't understand
that he Was discriminating him
self,
Edward Drake testified that he
was employed by the murdered
man aud wis one OF the first per-
sons OH the scene after the body
was found. He testified TO the posi-
ton in which the body lay and
told about seeing some empty
shells near the body.
Salvatore IicsSo, also proved n
rather strong Witness for the state,
50 far as proving the ownership of
the gun IS concerned. lie was cm-
ployed by Giuseppe Giofritta and
said that he had seen the gun in
Gioiiritta : room; that it was
there the morning of the murder,
so far rs he rccoleced, that him
! al la ,f l. h,.I
gotten up and gone to the banana
room few minutes after five
% clock and that the accused man
did not come down to The cellar
MS he had been in the habit of
doing. Resso claimed that he did
not see Giofiritta that morning
until after the shooting, which oc-
CURED about j'45 G clock.
He said thai Giofritta had told
him when he purchased the gun,
that he wanted 10 90 rabbit hunt
ing this winter, and that few
days previous to the murder they
had gone out, getting two rabbits
which they ate. This; lie claims
was all he knew about the matter.
One OF the strongest pieces of tes-
timony which the State succeeded
in getting TO the jury, although the
court later held that it was incom-
petent, was given by Evangeline
Gioffritta, a daughter of John Giof-
fritta, another brother of the ac-
cused and the murdered man, and
who is now held in jail as wit.
ness. Evangeline said that a short
time after the appointment oi
Charles s. Justice as counsel for the
defendant, she had accompanied him
to the county jail for the purpose OF
acting as Interpreter between the
attorney and the accused man. She
related that on one of these visits
her uncle had asked her II any o.
the SHELLS were still around The