Norwich bulletin., 1911-01-10
PUTNAM
D'Amato Gets Prison sentence-
Changed Plea to Guilty on Charge
of MansIaughter-D.A A. r. Chapter
Observes Putnam's Birthday.

In the superior court, at a special
short calendar session held Monday at
p. m, Marcus H. Holcomb, Judge,
States Attorney Charles e. Searls
stated that in the case of state vs.
Sabainto D'Amato, who stood indicted
for murder in the first degree. the ac-
cused was prepared to change his plea
of nit guilty to the charge of murder
in the first degree, to a plea of guilty
on the charge of manslaughter, and
that as the state was utterly unable
to prove any malice aforethought, the
states attorney was willing to accept
such a plea. Continuing in his expla-
nation of the stand of the state, Mr..
Searls said:
This man was indicted by the grand
jury for the crime of murder in the
first degree for the death of one An
gelo Ramelli, which occurred in Put
nam on the 10th day of October last.
Now, as understand it, the facts
which l think the state can prove if
the case should come to trial are
these: This man who was killed (Ra-
mellD was working here in Putnam
in the construction of a sewer, and
among the other men so employed
here was D'Amato, the accused per-
son, who was a boss in charge of
construction gang of Italians at the
time.
con the evening in question. these
persons met; that is, the person who
was killed. man by the name of
Colossi. brother Of the man who was
killed, l think a brother of D'Amato
and possibly one or two other Italians,
about 7 o'clock, at the boarding house
where D'Amato lodged. They were
there some time and during their stay
there, they drank some beer. Whether
they drank anything stronger. 1 do
not know Finally, about 7.30 in the
evening, they left
Men Left Together.
/ do not understand that they left
together but the man who was killed,
his brother, and Colossi, left first.
and later the accused and one or two
other Italians left. Their object was
to go to the moving picture show
which was being presented that eve
ming. AS they came out of the lodg-
ing house, upon the main street of
Putnam, Elm street, as it is called,
certain people occupying houses near
the place heard loud talking in Ital-
ian, more or less discussion, the pur-
port of which they did not under
stand, and that is about all the Eng
disappearing witnesses know about it
Taking. however, the testimony as it
has been given to US by the brother
of this murdered man and the testi-
mony of Colossi, it would appear that
after they met in the street and had
this talk. whatever it may have been,
some trouble arose. / do not know
what. There is no evidence in the
possession of the state as to what it
was exactly. but there were words be-
tween the man who disappeared i'm
me5iately after the killing, some
words between him and l think the
brother of the murdered man. After
that ii is uncertain what did take
place. The accused drew a razor and
cut the man who died. Struck him
somewhere in the neck, severing or
partially severing the jugular vein.
Later the man was taken to the hos
pital and died. Immediately after the
killing Ferrocci, the man who ran
away, and the accused walked off to-
gether. Ferrocci went away, but the
accused was afterwards arrested. The
injured man was taken into the Office
of DIR. Russell. near where the killing
took place, but he refused to permit
the doctor to examine him. The doctor
did not see the injury at all, the man
having something over the cut check
ing the flow of blood, and after being
a few minutes in the Office of DR..
Russell he was taken to the hospital
in an automobile and lived until the
next day. I suppose his death was due
to loss of blood, but it was of course,
primarily due to the injury he received
that night.
Now, the accused, I perhaps ought
to say, is a man of excellent reputa-
ton. He has been many years in the
employ of Mr.. Suzio, who is a large