Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-08
Police Claim Sisters
Lover Pulled
Trigger
Is elimination of Several
Recent MurderOus
Assaults
Young Victim May Die from Her
lnjury-PoIice Order Whole-
sale Arrests in Effort to
Secure Assalant

Little Marie Sanmarco, the 6-year-
old daughter of Mrs. Antoinette San
marco, was shot and fatally wounded
in what is believed by the police to
have been an attempt to kill Josephine
Sanmarco, the 1S-year-old sister of the
wounded child, and her lover, Joseph
Desparit.
Three shots in all were fired through
a window of the Sanmarco home, 699
Moulton, from the outside of the house,
and the first took effect in the body OF
the child, inflicting a wound from
which the doctors say she cannot re-
cover.
The tragedy of last night is the cul-
mination of a series of attempts at
murder within the past three months
which the interested persons say were
prompted by hate and jealousy.
Josephine Sanmarco is an extremely
pretty italian girl and she has scores
of lovers among the men OF her own
race. The two who seem to nave peen
the most favored are Joseph Despartl,
who lives at 649 Glover street, and
Samuel Turko, who is boarder in the
Sanmarco home.
Last night, shortly before the hour
of the tragedy, Desparti called at the
Sanmarco home to see Josephine. Ine
young woman received him in the sit
ting room of the five-roomed house,
which had windows opening to the
south. Accompanying Desparti in his
visit to his sweetheart were his mother
and sister. The three were ushered
into the sitting room by Josephine, and
a short time afterward little Marie
came into the room. She was given a
seat at a table near a window and told
to amuse herself with the funny sec
tions of the Sunday newspapers which
Law on the table. Miss .Sanmarco seated
her guests near the center of the room,
hut Joseph Desparti, remarking that
the window was not covered, left his
nosition and retired to a corner re-
moved out of direct line of the WIN
dow. His mother and sister ana
Josephine renamed seated in the center
Of the room and directly before the
open window
Three Shots Fired
Sam Turko was present in the house
when young Desparti arrived with ms
mother and sister. His father, FRANK
Turko. was also present and a snort
time after Desparti arrived the Two
held a short conference in an ADJOINING
room and then Sam Turko left the
house.
Within ten minutes after he went out
of the house three shots were. fired
through the window of the sitting room.
The first shot took effect il, the body
of the girl seated at table near the
window. The second flew past the lamp
1Inon the table. extingulshing the light
and buried itself in the wall beyond
THE third buried itself in the ceiling
of the room and was evidently nred
from position on the ground.
Almost instantly after the sound of
the shots was heard George Sanmarco
the 1O-year-old brother of the wounded
girl ran to the house of Mrs. G. b.
Yancy of $50 Antonio street and cried
out that his baby sister had been shot.
through the window at Josephine and
wondered at them. "I want doctor
the lad cried "I E-ant doctor. sam
Turko has shot my sister"
Asked to explain himself he said:
"Sam Turko has fl. l three shots
through the windo wat Josephine and
Desparti and one of the shots struck
little Marie"
Mrs. Yancey ran to the Sanmarco
home. Everything there was in con-
fusion. The child who had been shot
was in the arms of her sister Josephine,
and both FRANK and Sam IurKo were
in the room. There was also another
man present whom the police do not
know.
Warns the Mother
AS Mrs. Yancey came in this man
stepped up to Mrs. Antoinette Sanmarco
and told her to stop Georges talking
and to say nothing herself to the police
or anyone else. He then disappeared,
accompanied by Sam Turko. The two
are supposed by the police to have
worked their way through the under
growth and brush of the yard to tho
street and across vacant lot in the
direction of the Los Angeles river.
A few minutes after the police arrived
and began an investigation of the case
The wagon in which they arrived was
pressed into service as an ambulance
and the wounded child taken to the re-
ceiving hospital accompanied by Jose
phine At the hospital Surgeons Car
rett and Bonynge did what they could
for the little one, and then sent her to
the county hospital.
From the investigation made by the
police at the scene 1t was learned that
DesparSi and young Turko were in love
with Josephine Sanmarco. 1t was stated
to the police that on three previous oc-
casions bullets had been fired at Des-
parti as he was leaving the Sanmarco
TContinued on Page Three.l