The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-03-09
ALIAS TRIAL
WILL BEGIN IN
DENVER TODAY
Experts for the State Declare
Murderer of Priest
Is Sane.
DEFENSE HAS ENGAGED
AL!ENlSTS OF REN0WN
GREAT INTEREST IN THE CASE
AROUSED BY SHOCKING MA
TURE OF THE CRIME.

Denver. Colo, March S.-Giuseppe
ALA, the priest-killer, will be placed Oh
trial in the criminal branch of the dis
trict court at 10 o'clock tomorrow morn
ing. The shocking nature of his crime
the shooting down of Father Leo
Heinrichs, at the. altar in St. Eliza
beth's Catholic church on Sunday morn
ing, Feb. %, when he was giving the
sacrament, a crime unparalleled IN ms
1ory-arOused thinking people through
out the. country and caused them 10
speculate as to the origin and purpose
of the plot, if any existed, that maze
Father Leo a marked man. Alias con-
flicting statements regarding the shoot
ing have led many people to believe he
must be insane. However, four of the
expert brain specialists in this city have
given il as their opinion that Ala IS
perfectly sane, and this after observing
him since his return to this city from
Colorado Springs, whittier he was taken
TO avoid possible mob violence.
In Condition to Be Judged.
Ala had practically recovered from
the fear OF summary vengeance and was
in fair condition to be studied By men
skilled in detection of mental faults.
Notwithstanding public announcement
through the press of the results of the
observations of the specialists appoint
ed by the district attorney, the defense
has engaged three alienists to be pres
/ ent during the trial. They will sit in
!. The court room and observe the defend
eant for the purpose of detecting any
sign of insanity. Should they be sue
cessful. no doubt the defense will be
quick tc grasp that as means of saw
ing the life of Ala. On the other hand,
the prosecution has summoned eight
Rlienists to he present, whose expert
knowledge will be used to offset any
claim of insanity that might be raised
be. Alias attorney.
Conflicting Confessions.
With the question of insanity aside,
people wonder what excuse or reason
Ala could have had for wanting the
life of the priest. In this connection his
first confession, in which he admitted
that he was an anarchist, comes to
mind. Ala said he hated the priest
hood: that they kept the people poor
because of exactions they made while
they themselves lived in luxury. He
killed Rather Leo because he was a
priest, he declared. Another statement
made by the murderer was to the effect
that he sought vengeance upon an
Italian member Of the Catholic clergy
who had been instrumental in putting
down the anti-clerical riots in Alias old
jome and had incurred his hatred there
!, for He thought he recognized a sworn
enemy in Father Leo. Ala, when told
that he had murdered d German whom
he had never seen or heard of before,
profeSsed 10 be very remOrseful and
fell on his knees and wept.
Claimed Priest Fell Dead.
A few days later the much-wrought-
up murderer told another story. IN
which he declared that the death of
Father Leo was matter for which he
was in no wise responsible: that the
priest fell dead while carrying out a
ceremony of the church and that he had
fled in fear of the power that had sud
denly struck down the priest And this
in spite of the fact that two men bat
tied fiercely with ALA in the entrance
way of the church before he was finally
subdued and the pistol with which he
! had killed the priest in cold blood was
wrested from him.
: While conflicting stories make many
believe Ala must be insane, others see
in them the acting of a cunning crimi-
nal. The latter class point to the fact
that Ala has a wonderful memory for
dates and events connected with his
past life, especially where they are such
as might work to his interests in his
present trouble.
Anarchist Question.
Doubtless the feature of the case of
worldwide Importance is that involving
a plan for a general anarchistic upris-
ing or wholesale murder of priests of
the Catholic church. No definite proof
has been unearthed in Alias case that
he is an anarchist or that he belonged
10 any anti-clerical society. His first
declaration that he was an anarchist.
made in the spirit of the braggart, was
qTiiekly repudiated and he has ever
s&nee persistently asserted that he had
ny connection with this revolutionary
work.
On the face of it the trial promises
10 be one of simple proof of the crime.
a verdict and sentencing of the Grim
Continued on page 2.
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