Evening star., 1909-09-13
PANIC AT HOTEL FIRE THREE CHILDREN SHOT,
Homehurst Inn, Edgemere One Girl Dead, Another Badly
L. !. Entirely Destroyed. Wounded and Boy Dying.
FIFTY GUESTS IN HOUSE CRIME OF UNKNOWN MAN
Prompt Action and Heroic Work Black Vengeance Believed
Prevent Loss OF Life Be Motive by Police.
OWNER RESCUED BY SON THREATS AGAINST PARENTS
of Elevator Boy
Work of Saving Lives. Bodies in Ravne-Chld
100000. Happened.
One Girl Dead, Another Badly
Wounded and Boy Dying.
CRIME OF UNKNOWN MAN
Black Hand Vengeance Believed to
Be Motive by Police.
THREATS AGAINST PARENTS
Milkman Makes Gruesome Discov-
cry Of Bodies in Ravine-Child
Tells What Happened.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
UTICA, n. Y, September 13.-The most
dastardly crime ever perpetrated in Utica
was uncovered this morning when milk
man on his early rounds found the bodies
of three Italian children at the mouth
of a culvert in a refuse-flled gulf leading
through the Italian section
Each of the children had been shot.
The eldest, Teresa Percopia, aged eight
years, was dead. with a gaping bullet
wound in her abdomen. Freddie Infusino,
aged two and one-half years, was suffer
and will die. His sister, Fannie, aged six
years, had been shot in the arm and Is
weak from loss Of blood.
The two living children were hastened
to Faxton Hospital Neither girl had been
assaulted. The crime is thought by the
police to be a piece of vengeance and
probably another Black Hand outrage in
the long list of such crimes perpetrated
in this city.
Searched for All Night.
The three children lad been missing
from their homes since late yesterday
afternoon Search for them by several
the milkman in passing over the via
duct this morning saw the body of the
eldest child lying on the ground. He
climbed down the side of the rayine and
discovered the three forms.
The elder girl was dead. The 1nfusno
girl was unconscious, but revived before
the arrival of the ambulance. The 1nfu-
sino boy had been shot through the bow
els and was unable to speak.
AS soon as the crime was discovered
the entire city police force and plain
clothes men were assigned to the case.
Descriptions of men seen in the vicinity
of the Percopia home yesterday after
noon led to four arrests, but none of these
men has been positively identified as hav-
ing been near the vicinity.
The use Of two bloodhounds belonging
to the New York Central railroad was
follow a trail over the mass of rubbish
and underbrush in the ravine.
Girl Tells of Crime.
Before removal to the Paxton Hospital
the Infusino girl stated that yesterday
afternoon a man approached the trio and
beckoned to Theresa Percopia to follow
him. She yelled to the other children:
"Come on: he is my godfather.
The Infusino children were told by the
man not to follow him and the Percopia
girl, but upon her request they went
along The man led them through the
rubbish-filled ravine to a point In the rear
of st. Agnes cemetery. The place is well
hidden from view. and revolver shots
would be heard with difficulty.
shot the Percopia girl through the abdo-
men, AS she fell he turned the gun on
the Infusino girl. The boy commenced tC
scream and was quickly shot. The man
hurried away, leaving the children in a
dying condition.
The news of the crime set the Italian
colony, which numbers more than $1,000
persons, in frenzy. Talk of lynchine
was rife. The police were able with
difficulty to cope with the situation.
Father Had Been Threatened.
1t is said that threats had been re-
ceived by Ercloe Infusino. father of the
younger girl and boy, that if he did not
comply with certain demands vengeance
would be wreaked upon him. He had
closely watched the children and thought
when they failed to return home yester-
day afternoon that they were at some
neighbor's house.
When search throughout the large
colony failed to reveal tuem he thought
they had been kidnapped. Hundreds Joined
in the search.
The milkmap as soon as he discovered
the crime .elephoned police headquarters
Parents of children were notified. A wild
mob OF Italians rushed to the scene OF
the CHASTITY crime.
The children lay sweltering in their
blood The elder girl had been dead
several hours, the bullet from a 3s-cali-
Der revolver having pierced her body.
The police have but a meager descrip
ton of the murderer and are someWha,
ba fled in their search. With the aid OF
the entire department and the blood
hounds they are following clues which
they expect will lead to apprehension OF
the murderer within a short time.