The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-11-04
NO MURDER CLUES
BLACK HAND SUSPECTED OF
GARFIELD CRIME.
MI. and Mrs. Russano Killed in Home.
Latter Crawls to Sidewalk and
Dies-Threatened Before.

PASSAIC, Nov. 4.-No clue has yet
been found to the murderer or
murderers of Mr.. and Mrs. Raffaele
Russano, the former 80 years old, of 81
Harrison avenue, Garfield, who were
slain early late Saturday night, sup
posedly by members of the Black
Hand. The bodies were found at mid
night, that of Mrs. Russano lying on
the sidewalk IN front of the grocery
store kept by her husband. and that
of Russano half lying, half sitting on a
baby's chair against the kitchen wall.
The Russanos we're fairly well to do
and had lived in Garfield scarcely a
month. Prior thereto they kept a
small store at $40 East One Hundred
and Fifth street, New York, and lived
at 344 in the same street. Little was
known of the family in Garfield. but
persons living in the vicinity of their
home say that they had come from
Italy owing to the fact that they had
been prosecuted there by enemies.
The house is two stories high, the
first floor being occupied by the Rus
sanos inc the second by the family Of
Henry Burgemeyer. Between 1920 and
IL o'clock Saturday night, when the
wind was blowing and the rain pour
ing, two shots rang out. They were
heard by the Burgemeyers, but as pis-
toll shots are frequent in the neighbor-
hood they paid little heed. They re-
tired about IL o'clock.
AT 11:55 Theodore Van der Teens
alighted from a car and saw the body
of Mrs. Russano on the sidewalk with
a bullet wound in the side of her head.
He went upstairs and aroused Burge-
meyer with whom he went for Borough
Marshal Abraham Bonnema, at SO Pas
Sale street, who returned with them,
and after hurrledly examining the body
tried the store door, The door yielded
and when he entered he was met by an
Is months old boy, who walled bitterly.
With the aid of a lamp the trio
looked about the apartments. On the
store floor, near the entrance to the
kitchen, was a large pool of blood. In
the kitchen they found Russano's body,
surrounded by blood. Between his
knees was a $40 bill. Everything in
the place was in order and there was
no sign OF a scuff1e.
The fact that all the doors and win
dows' in the place were in perfect order
when Marshal Bonnema entered leads
Prosecutor Koester's men to believe
that the murders were committed by
visitors of the Russanos, who let hem
selves out the front door.
A loaded revolver was found in a
pocket of Mrs. R~ussano's apron when
she was picked up. On the sidewalk
lea her lay the broken head of a ham
mer, covered with blood. The other
part of the head was behind a scale
in the store, and the handle was stuck
in a showcase. The fact that a gold
watch and chain worth SIS and $1.10 In
change were in Russano's vest in the
bedroom. and that a pair of earrings
was In a kitchen dresser, c%onvinces the
authorities that the shooting was not
done for robbery, but for revenge.
Marshal Bonnema yesterday inn
panelled a ~coroner's jury, which ex-
amined the bodies and found that each
of the victims had been shot in the left
cheek, and that the. bullets were i'm
bedded. An inquest will be held at
Mura's Hotel, Passaic street, Garfield,
next Thursday night.
Prosecutor Rooster has learned that
an insurance agent, who called at the
Russano store Saturday had said Rus
sano had a roll of bills containing $500
or $500. One of the borough marshals
ii said today that he had heard that Rus
sano was driven out of New York by
fear of-the Black Hand after his store
had been dynamite