Los Angeles herald., 1908-09-14
SEEN
IN COMP ANY OF
QUEER VISITOR
MYSTERIOUS STRANGER ASKS
Him TO TAKE A WALK
POLICE FIND THAT MAN HAS
NOW DISAPPEARED
Evidence Points to Murder Having
Been Committed Elsewhere Than
at Spot Where Body Was
Found


NT living on East Ninth street within
W a thousand feet of where the
body Of Giuseppe La Rocco was found
at midnight Saturday, was the last
man seen with La Rocco before his
death.
EARLY Saturday morning, as was his
custom, La Rocco left his home at 49O
Summit avenue and went to the boot
black stand on First street, between
Broadway and Spring, where he mad
his shoes shined.
He next went to the barber shop of
Frank lombard at 1913 East Ninth
street, where he was shaved.
Where he spent the intervening hours
is not known, but at o'clock he ap-
peared at the house OF Frank Catailna,
2231 East Eighth street, and had a long
talk with him on ordinary topics OF
interest to both.
Ia Rocco and Catalina had supper
together, and while both men We're yet
at the table stranger to Catalina ana
La Rocco, who gave his name as Ma
nelli, appeared at the house and called
La Rocco out, saying he wished to
Ia Rocco walked into the yard with
the stranger and after few moments
returned and bade Catalina good by,
saying he had some business to trans
act.
Manelli and La Rocco walked away,
and until the body of the murdered
man was found no one who knew MIN
saw him or the stranger.
Yesterday and last night Detectives
Jones, Boyd, Mcnamara and Home.
with number of patrolmen, secured
the town in search of Manelli, but We're
unable to find any trace of him.
ManeIll Leaves Home
! At the house where he had been stop
: ping there was no one. The little place
] was vacant and none of the neighbors
had seen anything of the strange man
who came there but recently and dio
: not make friends with any of them:
That Manelli can thrown some light
on the mystery Is the belief OF the
police, and that he has disappeared
| gives sinister tinge to his actions.
Manelli is wanted by the police and
, wanted badly to explain where he went
with La Rocco and what occurred while
they were together.
D From the time La Rocco left the Cat
4 alma home with the stranger until Mrs
Y n. E. Jones, who discovered the body
5 In the rear OF her home. heard a cry
. just SUFFICIENT time had elapsed for the
2 two men to travel the Intervening dis
tance,
: It was shortly after o'clock that La
Rocco and Manelli left Catalina's It
was about 1880 that Mrs. Jones heard
her little dog barking furiously In the
vacant lot back of her home. It was a
few minutes later that she heard q cry,
and then, except for the barking and
growing Of the dog, nothing more was
heard.
Al about midnight, as Mrs. Jones
was leaving the house to accompany
. her slster-in-law home, the body was
discovered and the murder reported to
the police.
Giuseppe La Rocco, or "Joe,Y as he
was called, was well known In Los
Angeles and especially among the MEM
bers of the Italian colony. He was q
man OF considerable means and for
merly was the proprietor of large
fruit store in this city. He retired from
business about eight years ago and
! built himself fine home on Summit
avenue, where he lived with his WIFE,
two daughters and three sons.
Six months ago his daughter Mamie
was married to John Henderson, but
such was the affection for the daughter
that the father insisted upon her still
making her home with the family.
La Rocco was regarded very highly
, bv his friends and neighbors He was a
good husband and father. splendid
example of the American foreign-born
citizen, and his business reputation was
of the best.
spot Has Evil Repute
The scene of the La Rocco murder is
within four blocks OF where the Gar
dena home was dynamited @ yehr ago
by members OF the Black Hand, and
within three blocks of the italian bar
! ber shop where its proprietor was shot
down a few weeks afterward. also pre-
s sumably by members OF the Black
Hand.
The Italian residents IN that entire
section have been living In terror ever
since, and the La Rocco murder has
!. added to their fears. Extraordinary
police protection has been asked for
that part Of the city.
S. Edmondson, who lives on Hunter
i street and whose yard backs on the
: vacant lot in which La Rocco's body
was found, was home all Saturday
r evening, from $3.50 o'clock on.
nl He drove through the vacant lot at
about that hour and Immediately over
3 the spot where the body was found. He
I; stated last night to Herald repre-
Il sentative that ne had been in and about
n his back yard the whole evening until
about 10 O'Clock, when he went to bed
al He stated that he had heard no
sound, cry or disturbance Of any kind
during the early part Of the evening,
. and that not enough noise, If any, was
: made to awaken him later.
He stated, however, that yesterday
morning he had made an examination
OF the scene where the body was found
! those made by his wagon. He believes
: that La Rocco was killed some distance
Z away from the vacant lot and that the
body was brought there in a vehicle OF
. some kind and dropped to the ground
Z The fact that La Rocco's body was
( virtually drained Of blood through the
wounds which he had received. and
Z that but little blood was found where
? fhe body lay, makes this theory reason
n able. The police are following all ciews
possible, and not only are they trying
81 to secure evidence in the immediate
y neighborhood but they are also search
/ ing for blood-marked wagons or other
!. .Ivehicles, and also for bloody clothing
as the man. or men, who killed La
Rocco must have got blood upon some
| OF the clothing which they wore ct the
time.
II Up to late hour last night the police
4 had been unable to solve the mystery
fl ana had secured no further information
GConflnued on Page Two1