Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-14
ITALIAN GUILTY:
PENALTY, DEATH
BORSEI CONVICTED OF FIRST
DEGREE MURDER
ATTEMPT TO PROVE HIM INSANE
is FAILURE
Mental Condition of Prisoner 10 Con-
sIdered Sound and Jury Returns
Verdict Which Means He
Must Hang


minutes yesterday afternoon Constan
| tino Borsei was found guilty of muir
der In the first degree for the staying
of Emilio Deramo at the United Cast
! ing company's plant at Violet and VIII
son streets January 81. Friday morning
at 10 o'clock In department four of tn
superior court he will be sentenced t.
the death penalty by Judge w. 2
James.
Try to Prove Him Insane
Yesterday morning, in the effort t.
prove Borsei insane. which was TIN
only hope of Attorney William Rex
the mans attorney, it was strang'
array of testimony that was brough
forth.
Anton Besold, awaiting an appea
after being convicted of first degree
murder for the killing of his wife, Cla
die Besold, in Temescal canyon II
July. 1906, was one of these. Henri!
Sanderson, convicted jointly will
Cristobel Morley of burning down hi
house in order to obtain the insurance
was another. Frank Brusch, another
inmate of Borsei's tank at the county
jail, was the third. Prior to tho ap
pearance of these three the men wht
had worked with Borsei had testified
unequivocally thta he was not insane
William A. e. Noble of Hollywood
mechanical manager of the foundry
where the shooting took place, wa:
the first witness.
did you see Borsei Immediately
after the shooting?" asked Attorney
Rex.
"Yes," was the reply. "He was
brought into the office by Fuchs anc
Mahoney. He said something in italian
nj ell
kill Emil? Don't you know you viii
hang? He just answered: I don't
care 1 have noticed that he always
was taciturn when at work, but nc
other popularity"
On direct question by Assistant Dis
trict Attorney McComas the witness
said that he didn't believe Borsei was
insane.
T. B. Newton. president Of the COM
pany, when called by the defense, cor
roborated this testimony.
Then the convicted wife-murderer
firebug and the third prisoner were
called. Brusch, who formerly was 6
private detective, said he believed that
Borsei is insane because in the jai
he would walk along and stare ant
then begin talking Italian rapidly
when there was no one to talk to OF
would break into the conversation o.
other prisoners who could not uAder.
stand the italian language and insist
on jabbering away until forced away
by the others.
Anton Besod Testifies
Strange to say, the strongest witness
for Borsei was Besold. whose convic-
ton apparently cleared up the Temes-
cal canyon mystery. He told appar-
emily a straight story on the witness
stand and maintained stoutly that he
was there merely o tell what he had
seen and what he thought. Besold is of
mental caliber far in advance of
most of his companions behind the
bars. He said that he had been in
the county Jail twenty-one months
and then, when asked If he knew Bor-
sci. he said.
II do. In the daytime he talks to
himself. I have heard him both at
night and in the daytime. when he
did not know that I was near him,
saying in English: Emil, you tried to
poison me and to steal my wife and
my baby I have tried to quiet him
and have seen the sweat standing in
great beads on his neck.
"At night he got little sleep and he
would talk and talk, sometimes in Eng
lish and sometimes in Italian. I could
Of1ly tilt ElSilSil WOIOSs
"In your opinion is he sane or in
sane?' asked Attorney Rex.
1T think he is insane" came back the
sturdy answer. "I worked in an asy-
lum in st. Louis. He acts much like
many of the patients who are there"
On cross examination Judge McCo-
mas started out to the point. HE told
you that he killed Emilio, didn't he?"
lie asked.
mo, sir. often asked him. I asked
him why he killed Emilio. but he never
would answer. Sometimes he would
leave me and go up in corner and
talk to the wall"
'You never did that yourself, did
you?" asked McComas sharply.
Besold had nerved himself for what
he knew was coming. and answered
stolidly: ST never did"
''You are convicted of murder, aren't
your"
"Yes."
1.-THE murder of your wife,"
Eyes, and I have an appeal pending
in court" came back the quick re-
tort. Then Besold left the stand. Henry
Sanderson's testimony was merly a
repetition of what Brusch had said.
Says He Is Sane
After the noon recess at 2 o'clock,
when it was expected that physicians
who had been given permission to >ex-
anime Borsei for the defense would
take the stand, Attorney Rex an
nounced abruptly that the defense
would rest.
Judge McComas then put on the
stand Drs. j. Fl. DAVIDSON. w. W.
Hitchcock and r. Wernigk. The an
swer came from all of them-"Hes
sane"
DR.. Wernigk added parts of con-
versation he had held with Borsei at
the county jail yesterday morning.
at asked Borsei why he had killed
Emilio Deramo," said the medical ex-
pert HE said that Emilio had been
making trouble. I asked him If he did
not know that he would be arrested
and put in Jail. He said he did. I asked
him If he would do the same thing
again If he had 1t to do all over and
he answered NO believe that he is
sane"
Short arguments by counsel followed,
the Jury was instructed and within
of an hour after they
left the court room returned a first
-