The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-11-27
He USED AN AXE
WrOnged Husband Kills His
Wife and Her Lover.
COnfesses to His Priest and the
Police.

Kenosha, Wis, Nov. 27.-Tortured
by the mental picture of his headless
wife and her lover, whom he slew Sat
urday night, Pasquale Marchesi, 81
years old, a merchant, went to a priest
and confessed the double crime, which
| had heretofore not been discovered.
The young avenger was turned over
to the police, who are closely guard
| ing him for fear of possible mob vio-
| lence.
According to Marchesi, he went
home and found his wife, Rosario, and
his cousin and namesake occupying
Mrs. Marchesis bed chamber. The
younger Marchesi, who was not of age,
had been a favorite of the husband
and the scene drove him mad, he said
Without allowing his presence to be-
come known, MarcheSi went to a wood
she'd procured a hand axe, crept to
the bedroom and chopped off the
heads of the two lovers. Taking his
baby, two months old, from the arms
of his slain wife, Marchesi washed the
blood from its face, carried it to the
home of his brother and said that his
wife was i'll. He returned to the house,
dressed his daughter, Josephine,
years old, and took her to his
brothers.
Marchesi then returned to the house,
concealed the Ratchet and began wan
dering about the city. AS morning be-
gan to dawn the specters that had
haunted Marchesi all night drove him
to hide in the basement of an Italian
Catholic church.
In the darkness Of the church base
ment, he said he heard tie death cries
of his wife and saw horried forms of
headless persons rushing at him
through the blackness.
AS the music of the morning mass
came family to his ears from the au-
ditorium above, he said he thought he
distinguished the words vengeance is
mine saith the Lord Then he rushed
from his hiding place. went to the
home of the parish priest and sought
relief in confessing what he had done.
Priest Gives Him Up.
After the priest had turned Mar
chest over to the police, the slayer
told a connected story of the crimes,
pleading that he had felt justified in
killing the pair at the time the deeds
were committed but that later he was
sorry such an awful crime had crept
into his life. He said:
II went home last night earlier than
had expected to return. 1 had no
suspicion of my wife's unfaithfulness,
but just for fun peaked in at her
bedroom window. I was driven to des-
peration by the sight that met my
eyes. There, with all the confidence
that 1 myself might rightfully exercise,
was my favorite cousin, my namesake,
wearing my night robe. My wife, her
two babies near her, was treating him
with the affection that was alone my
due.
Il became as one insane. ran to a
woodshed in the rear and seized a lum
berman's hand ak. I returned to the
chamber window with only one thought
that of revenging myself. carefully
raised the window so as not to be
heard l crawled in unseen and crept
to the bed. My arm strengthened by the
sight; I chopped off my cousins head
IL = 4
not move, but the sound Of the blow
aroused my wife
"She started up and fought savagely.
She begged forgiveness, throwing her
self on her knees. That was the end of
her Her defense had prevented the
fatal blow. but her praying posture al
lowed the ak to swing freely. L was
mad but 1 had sense enough left to
avoid striking the baby. which my wife
had grabbed up as she sought to de-
fend herself.
Marchesi went on to tell how he had
struck at his wife repeatedly, almost
serving her head but always taking