The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-09-11
MURDERS YOUTH,
THEN SETS FIRE
To HIDE CRIME
Charred Body of Boy Found
in Debris of Melano's
Shoe Shop
TWO HAMMER WOUNDS
ARE FOUND IN HEAD
Proprietor Placed Under Ar
rest and SWeated by
Police but Maintains
His Innocen>e

WASHINGTON, Sept 10.-Flreman,
while putting out a IRE to-day in the
shop OF Tony Melano. Italian shosmak-
er. at Fourth ana FL streets, N. W. dts
covered the charred body of boy VINO
had been murdered with q hammer.
The boy. identified at the morgue az
Harry Smith, fourteen years old. son
of we'll do family, of 1907 Florida
avenue, had been slain by two blows
in the back of the head which left gap
ing wounds. The shop had been sat-
urated with coal OIL and fired. Within
an hour after the gruesome find. Tony
Melano WAS sweating under the third
degree" in the sixth precinct station
house. He denied all Knowledge OF the
incendiary tire or the murdered boy.
Melano WAS arrested by detective
Cornwall at the point OF a. pistol. as he
stepped out OF the rear door or MS
home. No. IS schotts alley, On table
in the room was found loaded revo3-
yer. According to Detective Orlana, or
the Italian squad Me!ano is believed 10
be a member Of the Black Hand
Mrs. Francis Hooper. who lives
across the street troua Meiano's shop,
told Central 0f,ite detectives Tonight
that al 5 o'clock yesterday afternoon
she saw man In the shop strike a
boy with hammer.
Melano "Sweated"
When Fire Marshal Nicholson Ar
rived a general investigation was re-
gun, and Detective Driana, the italian
detective Of the District police. start
ed for the home Of Tony Melano. at IN
Schottss alley, between First ard Sec
ond. b and { streets Northeast Bus
Detective Cornwall and the fire mar
shat had gotten there first ard met him
| Oriana went 10 the front door. Corn
! we'll to the back. A Cornwell swung
open the gate. he says he Jaw MeIano
step out on little balcony that heads
flight Of steps leading down from
the second floor Cornwcl drew his
pistol and ordered the man 10 stand
still. He went TO the upper room
There says CornwelI. he found a load
ed revolver lying on "a table near the
door.
They ''sweated" Aelano in the SQUAD
room of the Sixth precinct station
house Meian@ In strange man To
be shoemaker. He IN handsome IN
the clear cut way natives 1T CalabrIa
are. As II u medium height. and
shows. military training. Ills hair is
closely cropped and white His eyes
are sn@ppy and dark. Ills nose is
finely ehlseied, and his mustnche turns
~ msrtially. He is not, OH the face
OF him. che sort Of man who has al
ways monded shoes. once when be
tectiVe oriano asked him ii he had
served III tho Carbineri, ha straight
ened and smiled, No. he said-"Ar-
tiieri-~the artillery of Italy higher in
rank than the Garbinerl.' He smiled
again.
Says RE Loaned Shop Key.
Try as they would the ponce coulu
get from him but one story.
He declares that, hs loaned the key
OF his shop to 81 mana good friend
of his, an American. He gives the
mans maine. He says that the man
had ITaabata at s1s5sgsts ard wanted III
sleep on the couch in the shop over
and over again, without any apparent
difference he told this story.
He chung To it when Detective Wee
don asked him why he had ehoked
q boy In the shop at O'Clock yes
terday afternoon and related the story
told by Mrs. Hooper
He reiterated II. even when faced
with the fact that he had sent his
six-year-old daughter out of the shop
yesterday afternoon to purchase a gar
Ion bottle OF coal oil.
He emphasized ii with shrugs and
smiles when the detectives told him
that the boy was killed with a hafh-
mer like shoemakers' use
Blood Stains on Clothes.
And even when at last. Cernweil,
Needon, ana Eaur round dark spots
on his trousers. which they declared
to b blood stains, and similar stains
on his underwear. he smtlingly point
ed out ssmnli abrasion on one 81.
his hands. and repeated the story ABOUT
the man and the key
Then the police went back to the
Schott's alley house. They searched for
blood-staIned clothing and found none.
They questioned ARtonetta. Meiano's
wife. Dressed In blue waist and
a redsh brown skirt, she stood In
downstairs room, empty save for a
crayon likeness of her husband-years
younger. In his uniform OF Artilero,
and answered questions. Around her
crowded the bambinos of the alley and
one or two OF her own.
Tony had been home since IL O'Clock
last night, she said. Tony had told
her he loaned the key of the shop to
a boy That was all she knew. and
she cried.