The Colorado statesman., 1908-01-11
BELIEF THAT MISSING PEOPLE
AT FLORENCE WERE CHOP
PED TO PIECES.
PARTSOFBODIESFOUND
SUSPECTED MURDERER IN Gus
TODY AND MAY MAKE
CONFESSION.

Florence, Colorado, Wednesday night,
says: That Ercola Buffetti, Dominick
Minichiello, Joseph Minichiello and
Mrs. Frank Palmetto have been foully
murdered and their bodies chopped to
pieces, the police consider certain.
What disposition was made of the
mutilated corpses was partly revealed
today when human lungs, thorax and
the base of a tongue were fished out
of the turbulent waters of the Arkan-
sas river.
1t is believed that other ghostly re-
mains are being scattered along the
bed of the river by the swift current
and towns below here have been no.
titled to watch for the appearance Of
any evidence of murder that may come
to the surface.
All of the gruesome evidence Of the
supposed quadruple tragedy may not
have been disposed of in this way.
The police theory is that when the
bodies were hacked to pieces, the muir
derer may have been guided by almost
maniacal cunning to scatter the bloody
fragments as widely as possible, cast
ing some into the secret-keeping river,
burying others in out-of-the-way
places, putting some into the depths
of abandoned wells, cisterns or cess
pools, or reducing others to ashes in
some secreted fireplace.
Easiro SisinorZo, Mexican woman,
today reports to the police that yes
terday she was asked to wash a suit
of clothes and shirt which were torn,
as if in struggle, and spotted with
stains which the woman believes were
made by blood.
When Joseph Minichiello was killed,
the police believe there was desper-
ate fight. 1t is believed that Minich-
iello was killed in an orchard where
the police found evidence of a strug-
gle. While this tragedy was being en-
acted, the theory is, Buffetti accident
ally appeared on the scene and wit
messed part of it.
Buffetti was past sixty years old, and
had stopped with Bovori for two
months, working for his board. He
was nearly blind and deaf. His room
Monday lie upon the floor The police
believe he was killed while he slept,
the night after Minichiello was muir
dered
Bovori was subjected to a searching
examination by Chief of Police Fur
Miss today. The chief says the pris.
oner confessed having killed a man in
Italy before coming to America.
Chief Furniss says Bovori told him
that he knew where Mrs. Palmetto
could be found but that she would
never be found alive. Further than
this the prisoner refused to talk.
1t is said by neighbors that Bovori
became infatuated with Mrs. Palmetto
who was only eighteen years old ;
that his attentions to her caused her
husband to get a divorce; that when
she came to Florence to work in a
restaurant, Bovori induced her to keep
house for him. She had repeatedly
refused to marry him, it is alleged.
The police today made a thorough
search of Bovori's house, finding a
bunch of letters addressed to TONY
Neroni," which is believed to be Bo-
vori's real name. One letter was from
Bovori's father in Italy, asking the
young man to return to the old coun-
try and participate in a fortune the
family had recently inherited. The
father offered to use every effort to
clear the son of the murder charge in
Italy if he would return.
When Bovori was searched at the
jail, he had $3.50 in currency. The po-
lice say one of the bills bore a stain
believed to be of blood.
The police believe the prisoner was
planning to return to Italy and charge
him with killing the Minichiello broth
ers to get them out Of the way of dis
posing of joint property and to obtain
what money they had. Dominick Min
ichiello is said to have had 5000 when
he disappeared.
Searching parties with graphing
hooks have been dragging the river
since the lungs and thoraX were found,
in hope that if the remainder of the
body is lodged in the bed of the stream
1t may be recovered. Part of the en-
trails of a human being was found,
but nothing from which the identity of
the victim could be determined. At the
point where the lungs were washed
ashore were tracks of a wheelbarrow
which, it is said, lead from the river
bank to Bovori's house.