Gilpin observer., 1907-01-24
A REMARKABLE CRIME
How Luigi Avenged hIs Sweet.
hearts Death.

What is the most remarkable case
you ever dealt with in your expert:
ence as police official?"
This question was asked of John
Hayes, chief of police of Kansas City,
who has been many years in the police
business The chief sat for several.
minutes without replying. Finally hei
leaned back in his chair and told this
story:
The most remarkable case l ever
knew of, or ever heard Of was that
OF Luigi, the Italian barber. 1t hap-I
pened Is years ago, when l was a city,
detective. l became acquainted With
Luigi, young Italian, who was then
the proprietor of a fruit stand on,
Walnut street. His business was pros.
porous and he saved his money. He
was an intelligent fellow and pleasant
to talk with. He never seemed to
have care and life was full of sun
shine for him. One day he told me he
was thinking of getting married, but
he was rather dubious about his
chances with the girl. l learned from
him that she helped her widowed
mother manage fruit and vegetable
stall at the city market.
well, Luigi became engaged to the
girl-Mary was her name. The we'd
ding day was set. He told me all
about it and how happy he expected to
be and what good girl she was.
Il did not see Luigi again until the
day before the wedding. found him
sitting silent in the back of his fruit
store. He did not at first reply to my
greeting. l saw that his face was
drawn and pinched as though with suf-
fering.
What's the matter, Luigi?
asked. Why SO glum on the day be-
fore your wedding?'
"'No be da' wed,' he replied as he
arose and faced me.
Seemingly WITHOUT passion Luigi
,ae,: on told me that Mary had gone away
with Aha.hHs ln.i.a' 49,. snouId nave
thought Luigi did not much care only
that his black eyes seemed like needle
points in their intense concentration
and as he talked 1 imagined l heard
them snap. 1t appeared that Mary
man-an American. Luigi told me his
name.
"A year passed. Mary .urned to
her mother, broken in body and mind.
Her American friend had tired of her.
She died and Luigi went to the funeral.
About week after she was laid in
her grave the man for whom she de-
serted Luigi also returned to the city.
He became clerk in a clothing store.
Shortly after this Luigi surprised
me by selling his fruit stand. He
| shop. He did. 1t was about block
! away from the store where Mary's
faithless lover was employed. One
| day he went to get shaved at Lugi's
shop. Luigi waited on him. He did
| not know the polite and smiling bar
ber whose razors were so sharp and
whose touch was so delicate. The
man became a regular patron of the
shop and nearly always waited for
Luigi to attend him.
1T was about six months before the
next move in the drama. Then one
day the police ambulance was sum-
IuOilcu " Luigi . Shop ne udu ldhcu
in an epileptic fit. SO the surgeon pro.
nounced it. He soon recovered and
nothing was thought of the incident.
Two months later Luigi had another
epileptic attack while shaving GUS
| toner. He had the third. and, as far
as could learn. the last fit soon after
ward and this time the clothing clerk
was in the chair and as Luigi fell in a
At the razor was drawn across the
throat of the clerk and cut 1t from ear
to ear. The man died with scarcely a
| struggle.
Luigi was arrested. Of course. but it
was mere formality. Accidental
death was the verdict of the coroner's
jury. Luigi sold his barber shop and
left Kansas City. / have never seen
or heard of him since."-Frost.
g.