The Washington times., 1909-09-15
POLICE ARE CROPPING
IN DARK At UTICA
Amateur Detectives Hinder
ing Police in Search for
Murderer.

/ UTICA. n. Y. Sept. 15.-Forty-e eight
! hours search by the police has failed
TO develop any tangible clue bearing on
/ the identity Of the man who shot
Theresa Prccopia and Ferdinando In
/ fusino to death in a ravine in this city
Sunday night, and who shattered the
arm of Fannie Incusino with q re-
volver bullet
Rewards aggregating $500 have been
offered for the apprehension Of the as
/ sassin, but thus far these inducements
! have accomplished nothing beyond
} bringing into the search a number of
amateur detectives whose movements
threaten to develop into a positive
hindrance to the uniformed police and
plain-clotheS men engaged on the case.
The police concede today that the out
I look for the apprehension of the muir
/ derer is far from promising, owing to
/ the reticence of the families Of victims.
but the officers have not abandoned hope
and after a night Of ceaseless effort on
! the part Of a squad OF twenty-five
police and detectives, a fresh detail took
up the hunt today.
Think She Knows Name.
Chief of Police Brophy and District
Attorney Willis are more convinced
than ever that Fannie InfUsino. the
single survivor of the three children
: shot By the assassin. can tell the name
of the guilty person If she chooses to
do so and before tn3on they visited
Paxton Hospital. where she is recOv-
ering from the effects OF the wounds,
and by gentle questioning sought 20
draw from her clue as to the identity
OF the murderer.
The little girl, propped up in a chair
deliberately told the details OF her trip
to the ravine and the circumstances OF
the murder Of her brother and Theresa
Procopia, but when Chief Brophy,
smoothing the girls brow, asked her
10 tell the name OF the man who COM
mttted the crime she said she could not
do it. When Chief BrOphy asked her
10 repeat 70 him the name OF the muir
derer as she divulged II TO Mrs. w. &.
Gray Immediately after the discovery
Of the plight OF the children IN the ra-
vine. Fannie denied she had indicated
to Mrs. Gray the identity of the murder
CT.
The police. while chagrined, are not
81 eatly surprised at the attitude Of the
InfusinO giIi, for the authorities today
are more than ever convinced that the
shadow Of the Black Hand regts on the
members Of the afflicted families, and,
In terror of their own lives, they are
preserving a secretiveness which is baf-
hing the police in their search, and
which promises TO prevent a solution Of
the case.
May Be Maniac.
Sometimes when an insane man kills
man he follows his act by killing
himself. The theory has been advanced
that the assassin may have been a
maniac and that ne crawled into one Of
the culverts under the streets which
cross the ravtne where the crime occur
red. and there made away with himself.
But the entire locality has been search
ed by the police, and no trace Of the
murderer was discovered.
Today the bodies Of Theresa and FER
dinendo were laid IN their graves amid
such scenes as are seldom witnessed In
this city. Thousands Of persons. repre-
serting all classes. gathered ar the
home from which the children were
lured to death. Following a brief ser
vice, conducted by a priest, the bodies
we're carried 10 ST. Agnes Cemetery,
the heartbroken relatives riding IL, car
riages and thousands Of sympathizers
following on foot % the place Of burial
A detail Of police was necessary TO
preserve order at the house and also al
the graves.
Father Makes Denial.
Ercole Infusino. father Of Ferdinando
Intusino. the murdered boy, resents the
imputation that he told his little daugh-
ter Fannie. not to tell who did the
shooting. With all vehemence at his
command Infusino today declared that
the statement Of the police was untrue.
that ne said nothing to Fannie about
keeping silent
'It's a He," said Infusino. between
sobs as he prepared for the funeral OF
his boy.
II never told the little girl such
thing. You tell the police that's not
So"
InfusinO's other daughter aged ab,,-+
sixteen, stood by during this converse
ton During her fathers Indignant
speech she added
DO you think the murderer Is dearer
70 us than our own children that we
shield him2"
Both the girl and her father were in
tensely in earnest and their manner In
dicated that they were telling the truth
II was suggested TO Infusino that the