New-York tribune., 1909-09-14
THREE CHILDREN SHOT
UTICA'S STRANGE CRIME
No Trace of Perpetrator-TIco Vic-
Tins Dead.

Utica n Y Sept IA crime for which there
at present appears 10 be no explanation was COM
mitted against three italian children I'm this city,
last evening. They are Theresa Procipio. seven
years old who is dead, shot through the heart;
Fanny Infusno. six years old, badly wounded in
the left arm. and Freddy Infusino. two and half
years old shot through the bowels. who died to-
night. The last two named are the children Of
Erccole Infusino, a grocer in Bleecker street,
and the Httlo girl, who is dead. lived with her
parents over the Infusino grocery
II was at first thought that the crime was the
work of the Black Hand and when that theory
disproved il was believed that mistreatment
of the girls was intended and peFhaps accom-
plished But examination proves that this is not
There appears 20 he absolutely no explanation
as to why the chdren were shot
The children were missed about o'clock last
evening and Immediately search was made. The
police were notified and the tity Hail bell tolIed
for about two hours. All patrolhen throughout
the city the watch for them during the
night
1t has developed this morning that they were
few minutes after O'Clock last evening
going up Third avenue in company with man
about forty years of age.
Not far above the place where they were seen
runs deep guich crossed by various streets by
arches of masonry. In some places the streets
across the gulch are not built UP. and the arches.
anywhere from twenty 10 forty feet below the sur
face of the street dark and gloomy places.
This morning shortly after o'clock a woman
living near the place child moving about IN
some bushes the bottom Of the guIch In front
Of the culvert- She sent men to the place and
they discovered the body Of a little girl and
the wounded boy. The children taken 90
the house at once and the police notified. The
wounded girl could talk but little as she was
nearly overcome with fatigue and the pain from
her wound. She said that she knew the that
shot them
After the child had been revived to some extent
she said that man came along and took her young
brother by the hand and asked him to go along
short distance and he would buy him something nice.
The man said he knew the little fellows father
and talked pleasantly to him When they started
away the girls followed. attempting 10 get Freddy
away from the stranger. 10 Is thought that they
went almost directly to the culveTt. for police
man who heard the shots says that it was about
o'clock In his search for the Of the shooting
he passed over the culvert and stood for a moment
the sidewalk above. but he heard no outcry nor
suspicious sound
Fanny stood guard her wounded brother all
night. At times, she said. she would cry out and
at other times she would pat his head. In the
darkness she did not know what had become Of
her little companion. Theresa. OF why she was So
silent She says that the man went away after he
hurt them. She did not know the man. she said
and had meyer seen him before Still. she is sure
that she will know him II she sees him again
A suspect was taken to the hospital but Fanny
cannot identify him and he held in the police
station
About IL o'clock bloodhound was procured
from the detective force of the New York Central
Railroad and effort made to have the dog
track the criminal.
IL was found impossible for the hound To take up
the scent OF the murder. There had been a con-
stant stream Of people 20 view the place and the
track OF the criminal had been so trampIed down
by the morbid crowd that the dog was bewidersd
and took up no lead. Then. too. the traiIers'
posses had no article OF the murderer from which
the dog could take the scent and the attempt was
futile.
So far as has been disclosed. the sole clew the
police have to the mans IDENTIFY is that ne is an
Italian. for he conversed with the children IN that
language
Fanny, the wounded girl can as yet give no clear
description OF the man