Rocky Ford enterprise., 1908-03-20
SENTENCED TO :.
THE GALL0wS
PLEA OF INSANITY DOES NOT
SAVE MURDERER OF CATH.
-zz'--s- oLic PRIEST.
JURY AGREES QUICKLY
NO APPARENT PROSPECT or AN
% APPEAL IN HIS
a. 7N BEHALF. Z. ,.s

Denycr.-GIusepp ALA. murderer OF
Father Francis Leo Heinrichs. must
eXpiate his crime upon the gallows. He
was found guilty Thursday by jury
In the West Side Court OF murder In
the first degree. and the verdict fixed
death as his punishment for the helm
GUS crime OF February e3rd.
The verdict was reached by the jury.
which TO- two days heard evidence In
the case. after deiiberating but little
more than an hour Only three y
lots were taken. IL is said. the first
being 10 to 2 for murder In the first
degree. with the death penalty. the sec
obd IL To !. and tho third unanimously
for the iniiiction OF tho death penalty.
yWhen the lclerk'r the finding OF
the Jury the prisoner exhibited little
concern. O. r45TH4-F Ion. 4hf
ALA merely shrugged his shoulders
when InIerprcter Gustav, Mattel told
him OF tho verdict and ,murmurcd in
Italian. .Is that so!" ,,,r---,..
Assistant District Attorney John
ChIles made the opening argument for
the people. The case. he said. was ona
which should be decided without heat
or prejudice. He would not discuss
Jnstinnb,. homicide or manslaushtcr.
he declared, but confnc himself To
murder. first and second degree.
To show malice Attorney Chil.s
quoted Ills troubles with tho Italian
priests. To prove premeditntion he re-
fcrrcd TO the sharpcncd bullets. and in
answer TO the defense Of larvel epilepsy
h. called the jnry's attention TO the
fact that The instructions did not rccos'
nIk. that defense. DIR. Joseph Cunco.
he declared. admitted that he was not
an insanity expert. and baron Tosio
had no rrbRiantin,ion of his theory
that Ala was insane other than that
man who kills another without provo
cation Is insane. He ciosed by asking
verdict of murder In tho firs: degree.
Attorney widdicomb made rs tho
main points of his address the fac, that
tho district attorney suspected inAan'
iiy by anticipating snch a defense In
his main case. and that ALA suffered
from masked epilepsy. The state al
ways prcsumcH n defendant sane until
proved that he IL not. The net was no
unnatural that insanity was the only
explanation. The state also required
Ala 10 CIV" information 20 be used for
hIs own conviction. Dir, George \.
Noi.cn he quoted as authority Il II.
Sta,c.icn. that IN nifrck OF masked
epilepsy may last only IN inhni,csimai
period Of time. s-ifa Hu1i
Only lwo explanations could be Of
fcrcd for the killing. said Attorney
wlddicomb. insanity or anarchy. Their.
was absolutely no Testimony to CONFIRM
,h" latter superstition. H.F
Attorney widdicomb said tha, only a
crazy man would sharpen bullets. as
the manufacturers made them 30 that
they would be most effective. and no
bullets were ever manufactured with
sharp end points. He closed without
asking for any particular verdict.
District Attorney Stidgcr answered
the arguments Of defendants counsel
In rcEari TO the sharpcned bullets by
saying that this testimony was intro
duccd solely for the purpose Of prov.
Ing prcm.ditRtion.
But he added. II do not think that
II need necessarily be the act Of dis
ordered mind. There IN something
deadly In suggestion even to any mind
In n sharpcncd bullet. The defendant
Is an ignorant man and wonld not
know that sharpencd bullet Is not
as deadls as dull one" tIir