The San Francisco call., 1909-03-18
WITNESSES HAVE
GREAT MEMORIES
Remarkable Alibi Stories Told
Are Favorable to
Giusippi Pia
Marvellous Accuracy In Remem-
bering Things of Night of
the Assault

SAN RAFAEL. March IA too per-
fect alibi offered today in the trial of
GIusippi Pia. accused Of assaulting Miss
Elizabeth Grapes. viii probably result in
she district attorney fling charges of
perjury against witnesses for the de-
fense. with marvellous accuracy the
witnesses brought forward TO prove
that Pia was in the Cosmopolitan hotel
frcm dinner time 10 10 p. n. on the
night Of the assault recollected that
the prisoner wore light tan shoes and
a pair Of -ubbers. dark coat and black
trousers and that he was continuously
sitting by the stove in the hotel all OF
The evening Of the assault With one
witness excepted the same persons
FAILED signally to remember how the
accused was attired the night before
or on Thursday or any other occasion
when asked by District Attorney Boyd.
Two OF the defense's witnesses sWOIe
that Pa wore a light hat on the even
Ing OF February 6. and two others
sVerred that the defendant had a black
hat.
VISIT SCENE OF CRIME
During the progress Of the case sew
eral zoo interested spectators were
asked 10 leave the courtroom. and one
man was compelled to remain in the
courtroom, as he insisted on listening
% testimony and then walking into
the corridor. where he spoke to witnesses
yet unheard- Before the session closed
q the afternoon the jury, accompanied
by the attorneys for both sides. the
prisoner and the judge and court stem
ographer, visited the scene Of the as
sault
While the jurymen were taking OBJ
servations, Pia appeared 10 be down
cast
The first witness called this morning
was Arthur McPhee. q detective Of the
san Francisco police force, who with
Detective Charles TAYLOR. worked on
the case In conjunction with Sheriff
Laylor- McPhee explained that John
Mills, the negro held on suspicion. was
used merely as q blind 10 get Pia %
come back 10 San Rafael which he did
Detective Taylor then testified that
Pa had cOrrobOrated TO a degre Miss
Grapes testimony by the statement
that he (Pial had seen Miss Grapes
come out Of the Journal Office on the
day Of the assault and had walked
down the street after she had passed.
DEFENSE WITNESSES CALLED
The prosecution then rested its case
and the defense called the first wit
ness, Amilio Sada, an Italian salesman.
Sada testified that he met Pia at the
Cosmopolitan hotel the night Of the
assault and that the accused was still
ln the hotel saloon when he left at
$50 Sada clearly recollected the dark
trousers, dark hat and shoes the same
as taken from Pia by the sheriff.
o. Norris, another Italian, testified
in the hotel until 10 p. m
". J. Miller a detective, who for
while was employed by the district at
torDeT on the case. testified that Miss
Grapes had told him on the day sub
seguent to the assault that she could
NOT Identify her assailant He contra
dicred fatty the testimony of Police
man Collamore in face OF testimony
favorable TO Collamore, and denied that
De had ever had trouble with the sher-
n over the case or was discharged by
TIE district attorney. The witness was
-rlied and left the stand very red in
-he face.
Louis Bronzini. a laborer. stated that
'ia was in the saloon OF the hotel con
nuouslE from : o'clock 10 nearly 10
ana tlat The defendant wore tan shoes
white hat and dark coat and black
.rauSers. When District Attorney
Boyle wanted TO know what Pia wore
an the day preceding the witness could
not recollect. nor could he the day be-
fore that Joe Bassani a l6 year old
boy who works at the hotel said that
Pia was I'm the saloon when he left
for the show and that the prisoner was
stil there when he returned at $50
O'Clock. The last witness was Antoine
Nogoni lie swOre that Pia and he
conEersed during the entire evening
from until 10, when he went TO bed
Like other Witnesses he remembered
the tan shoes, dark coat and light
trousers.
The defense probably viii have Of
fered all its testimony by tomorrow
evening.