The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-01-28
CUlFFRITTA
TRIAL BEGINS
Trouble Experienced in Se-
curing Jurors.
The FIRST MURDER CASE
Heard in Marion County in
Several Years Past.
Giuseppe Guiffritta Faces Jury on
Trial for His Life Charged With
Murder of His Own Brother.

At rine O'Clock Monday morning,
the first murder trial in Marion
county in several years, began in
the court of common pleas with
Judge Boston G. Young on the
bench.
Giuseppe Guiffritta will face a
jury, on trial for his life on the
charge of numbering his own broth
er Luoca Guffritta on the morn
ing # Saturday, Nov. "a. 1906.
Attorney Charles Justice has been
appointed by the court to defend
Guiffritta and has associated with
aim George B. Scofeld, Of the firm
of Scofeld, Durfee and Sco6eld. BY
reason of the fact that of the %
witnesses thus far subpoenaed, the
majority are Italians, an Interpreter
is necessary. Tony Matraja of this
city, tolice sergeant Victor Churches
of Columbus and James Cannella, OF
Dayton, will act in this capacity
during the trial.
The panel Of 36 men was sworn
shortly after nine o'clock and the
work Of securing a jury was started
at once. This work progressed slow
ly AMI considerable difficulty was
experienced for the reason that a
great many men are opposed To cap
itol punishment, while a great ma
jority of the panel have either
formed or exupressed opinions and
are prejudiced against circum-
stantial evidence, on which ii is adj
mitted that this case largely hinges.
Lena Guiffritta. n daughter of the
accused, and niece OF the murdered
man, is the principal witness in the
case. ind upon the fact of her stick
ing 10 the story she told TO the po-
Zee at the time of the crime, the
state is basing considerable of It's
faith in a conviction. Should she
go back on the state. y possibility
not at all improbable. then Prose-
cutor Clark will have hard time to
make the Indictment, charging mur-
der in the first degree, stick.
The larger part of the day was
devoted to the matter of selecting
the jury and mt noon but little had
beeu accomplished Nearly all read
ers are familiar with the details of
the murder. Guiffritta had gone to
his barn to hitch up about o'clock
the morning of the murder, and
while there was shot from ambus
b. some person. Buckshot was used
and several empty 16-guage shells
were found at the point from which
1t vas believed the shot was fired.
Subsequently a 16-guage shotgun
was found hidden away and II fur
ther developed that the accused
man Lad bought the shotgun from
Ed. Weber at Amanns hardware
store. and Clarence Scribner, en-
ployed at Haberman's hardware
store identified the accused as the
man 10 whom he had sold buckshot
with which the fatal shells were
loaded.
Lena Guiffritta's testimony before
the Mayor was to the effect that she
KEW of the gun being hidden; had
overheard conversation between
Theodore Grasso, her lover, and her
father, in which Grasso was told to
say nothing If he heard anything
strange.
An effort will be made to prove
tnat enmity existed between the two
men and that they had trouble pre-
vious TO this time.
Shortly after IL O'Clock a. m.
the entire panel OF SO names had
been exhausted and there we're but
II men in the box, all of whom are,
Iof course, subject to- challenge and
dismissal. Under these conditions,
Judge Young adjourned court un-
til three o'clock In the afternoon
and ordered special panel of four
teen Df mes drawn Another effort
will be made at that time when the
following men will appear and be
examined: Henry Neidig, John w.
Charter, Clinton p. Wilson, George
b. Knapp, S. b. Lippincott. Frank
V. Stahl, Howard Stoll, VIM. G.
Beatty, Clifford IL. Cass, T.. C..
Hughes, Lewis Denning. BARLEY
Eckfe'd, II. j.. Mealy and o. w.
Markert.
or the fhirty-six men examined
MONDAY morning, the following were
nj II..s, Il IL.