Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-05-23
WOMAN, SLAYER,
BABE IN ARMS,
CRIES IN COURT
Breaks Down as Her Little Chill
dren Are Taken from
\ Her. s
MANY EYES ARE WET
AFTER PATHETIC SCENE
Mrs. Pignatelli Being Tried for
Murder-Self- Defense
Her Plea. :. Ill

Holding her nine-month- -oId baby.
Rocco, in her arms. Mrs Carmela Pig
natelli looked on with wondering eyes
and in ignorance of what 1t all meant
| as Prosecutor Wilbur A. Mott and
Frank M. McDermit, counsel for the
prisoner. examined thirty-one tales
men. drawn to act as a jury which will
| have her life in its hands in the Court
| of Oyer and Terminer before Judge
Thomas A. Davis today.
Mrs. Pignatelli, a small Italian
woman about 33 years of age, was
dressed entirely In white, as was little
Rocco, whom she fondled constantly
| Mrs. Pignatelli does not understand
the English language.
William o. Azzoli who. with former
Judge Thomas s. Heiry and James r.
McDermit, are assisting Frank NJ
McDermit in the defense, explained ia
her what was going on in the court
ROOM
Mrs. Pignatelli is being tried on
charge of killing Antonio Antorino in
Montclair. on Sunday night. April %.
just one month prior to the day on
which she goes on trial for her life.
Mrs. Pignatelli claims that she was
forced to inf1ict two stab wounds, one
of which pierced Antorinos heart and
caused his death, in defending her
honor. She claims that the man, who
was formerly her sweetheart, attacked
her, and 1t was only after he had
choked and beaten her that she grabbed
a knife from the kitchen table and
inflicted the fatal wounds.
Her husband and her four children,
outside of little Rocco, were barred
from the courtroom before the draw
ing of the jury begun.
When the case was called vincenzo
Pigaatelli, the husband, and his four
children occupied seats alongside the
mother. 1t was the first time the
mother had seen her children since her
arrest on April % and there was an
affecting scene as she picked up first
one and then another and fondled ana
kissed them. The oldest is 10 years of
age.
Family Reunion.
Suddenly Prosecutor Mott turned and
feet he jumped with:
~ object to this going on under the
eyes of the jurors
The same view was taken by Judge
Davis who ordered Pignatelli and the
four children taken to his private office
until they were wanted on the Witness
stand.
When the children were taken from
their mother they set up wailing that
brought tears to many an eye in the
court room and for the first time Mrs.
Pignatelli broke down and cried.
The only dry eye in the room was
that of little Rocco. who was too young
to understand what was causing his
brothers to cry.
The twelve jurors had been chosen at
1925. James j. Mcclure, merchant
tailor of 1853 Broad street, is foreman
of the jury.
Last Juror Selected.
The twelfth man was selected as a juror
after 81 or the 36 names ON the STRUCK
jury panel had been exhausted. phe
jurors who will determine the fate Of
Mrs. Pignatelli are: James j. Mcclure,
merchant tailor, S59 Broad street, fore
man; No. 2, Benjamin p. Laidlaw,
grocer, West Orange; No. 3, Richard r.
Jolley, haberdasher Broad street; No.
4, Samuel S. Colt, architect, Orange:
No. 5, Thomas j. Hicks. coal dealer,
East Orange; No. 6, Edward L. Aiken.
manager, Orange; No. Z, Arthur De-
vine. jr.. insurance is Clinton street:
No. 8, Henry A. Eberhardt, machinery,
sc Union street; No. 8. G. Harry Gu
sack, coal dealer, Orange; No. 10, David
McElrea, builder, Orange; No. IL
| De1A ,ertp
pect avenue; No. u, Peter Broderson,
contractor, East Orange.
OF the nineteen men excused three
were challenged by the State and Ave
by the defense. Four were excused by
consent of counsel, while seven were
excused for cause. And with the ex-
ception of William Gauch, of Newark
who was excused because he was II
years of age and also Civil War
veteran those who were excused for
cause were subjected to a severe grill
ing by the prosecutor and Judge Davis
before they We're released from serving
on the jury.
Would Not Convict Woman.
In every instance the reason given
was that the juror would not vote to
convict woman of first degree MUIR
der and thereby send her to the cleo
trio chair, no matter what the evidence
in the case might be. In each instance
the juror was asked to reconcile this
statement with his oath as juror.
but in every case the answer was the
same. II could not conscientiously vote
to send a woman to her DEATH"
The jurors excused for cause were
William p Newman, of South Orange.
an exempt fireman; Charles M. Kozlay,
of vest Orange; Fred c. Gieger, Orr
ange; Charles A. Laureigh. Oranges;
Samuel H. Dodd. East Orange; Alois
Gall Orange; James j. Haag, Oranga.
and James N. Blauvelt, East Orange.
The jury as selected is a representa-
tive one, being composed of men well
known in Essex county
Both Prosecutor Mott and the at
| tornevs for the defense expressed thena-