The evening world., 1908-03-24
FORMER MONK
SLA|'' BY FRIEND
OF DEAD PATIENT
Bonnano After Leaving the
Franciscan Order Took
Role of Faith Healer.
FAILED IN ONE CASE.
Detectives Believe He Was
Then Killed in Sicilian
Way for Revenge.
FAILED IN ONE CASE.

To-day's developments in tho mystery
e6 tho murder Of vincenzo Bonnano, the
aged faith healer. who was found muir
dsred and mutilated yesterday after
noon In = room in tho tenement At No.
aS5 Dast Twenty ninth street. prove
that the crime was committed between
9.D O'Clock and . O'Clock yesterday
morning. Lieut.. Petrosino has led up in
his Investigations to what he believes
was the cause Of the murder.
Old Bonnano. a former Franciscan
monk living 1T No. 2l7 Mulberry street
treated hundreds OF Sic!lians. mainly
women and children, by the faith heal
ing method. His simple fflends be-
Moved that, because OF his former re-
lgious affiliations. he was holy man
and that the touch OF his hand and
ths power OF his prayers went far to
0ombAt disease.
Slain for Revenge.
Pctros.no believes that Bonnano
failed In his treatment Of a woman or
. child at some recent time and that
tho patient died. Thereupon. accord
ing to the theory, the father or hus-
band. determined upon revenge in Il
eharacteristically Sic!lian way
room was rented in the Twenty
ninth street tenement. Old Bonnano
was told that patient awaited him
there. He called per appointment and
two men. lying in wait, overpowered
him, killed him and stole what money
and jewelry he carried
Bonnano WAS seen yesterday morning
at 7S O'Clock walking rapidly in Null
berry street. between Spring and
Broome streets. He was probably on
his way to the Canal or Grand street
station OF the Third avenue Il" on
The Bowery TO catch train for up
town. TIE trip between where he was
last seen and the Twenty-ninth street
tenement would not consume more
than twenty minutes
one of the women tenants N the
T~enty-nirth street house, passing
through the hallway abutting on the
room in which Bonnano was murdered
Al O'Clock yesterday morning. saw the
1eet and legs OF a man on the floor
ehr"ugh the open door. She thought It
was some one asleep, A few hours
later another tenant. entering the room
discovered Bonnano dead.
Tho identity OF the old man was es-
taol!shed through letter addressed TO
himself found in a y cket OF his coat
last night. Detectives who followed this
olue found his nephew. Motto Sicis-
monde. OF No 80 orchard street
Through Sicismondo an effort is being
made to-day to trace all the persons
treated by old Bonnano for ailments
during tho past month.
Here for 19 Years.
Sicismondo said his uncle was sixty
years old, and was born in Casterler-
mine Sicily. and entered there mon
astery which was afterward abolished
He became a carpenter later, but about
nineteen years ago he journeyed to
America.
Tiring Of carpentry about year ago
Bonanno had taken up faith healing
He went back to Sicily. but returned
TO America in the early part of the win
ter and rented room in Mulberry
street. Italians in that part OF the city
knew he had been a monk and were
fond OF him. He was not known to
in some quarters that he was marked
for death FOR some scorers learned
when he was in Sicily, and that mis-
slayers either followed him to TINS
country or were assigned to their
bloody task by orders from Sicily.