Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1907-01-10
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 he
leaned back NJ his chair and told this
story:
The most remarkable case | ever
knew OF, or ever heard of, was that
OF Luigi, the Italian barber. 1t hap
pened Is years ago, when l was city
detective. | became acquainted with
Luigi, young Italian, who was then
the proprietor of 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. / learned from
him that she helped her widowed
mother manage a fruit and vegetable
stall at the city market
well, Luigi became engaged to the
Culinary was her name. The wed.
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 nay
greeting. l saw that his face was
drawn and pinched as though with suf.
fering
What's the matter, Lugi?'
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
then told me that Mary had gone away
with another man. l should have
thought Luigi did not much care only
that his black eyes seemed like needle
points in their intense concentration
and as he talked imagined l heard
them snap. 1t appeared that Mary
had gone away with young business
man-an American. Luigi told me his
name.
"a year passed. Mary returned 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 clothing store
Shortly after this Luigi surprised
me by selling his fruit stand. He
| told me he was going to open barber
shop. He did. 1t was about a 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 die
not know the polite and smiling bar
Der whose raZors were so sharp ant
whose touch was so delicate. The
man became a regular patron of the
shop and nearly always waited fol
Luigi to attend him.
ct was about six months before the
next move in the drama. Then one
day the police ambulance was sum
moned to Lugi's shop. He had falleI
in an epileptic fit, so the surgeon pro
nounced it. He soon recovered an6
nothing was thought of the incident
Two months later Luigi had another
epileptic attack while shaving a Gus
toner. He had the third, and, as fal
as could learn, the last fit soon after
ward and this time the clothing clerl
was in the chair and as Luigi fell in {
| fit the razor was drawn across the
| throat of the clerk and cut it from cal
| to ear The man died with scarcely {
struggle.
Luigi was arrested, of course, but i
was a mere formality. Academia
death was the verdict of the coroner's
| jury. Luigi sold his barber shop ant
left Kansas City. l have never seer
or heard of him since. Frost.