Perth Amboy evening news., 1911-10-26
BENZ GUILTY
OF MURDER IN
FIRST DEGREE
Sentenced Today by Justice
Bergen to Die During Week
of December 4
PRISONER uNCONCEkNED'
Jury Reaches Verdict Early
This Morning After Being
Out All Night.
ipecia1 to the EVENING NEWS.

I 4
| New Brunswick, Oct. 26:- AIsfinp
Beni, the Italian murderer, of Perth
Amboy, was found guilty this nlorn-
| ing of murder in the first de @gse.
Justice Bergen Immediately sess4
fenced the prisoner to die in the
electric chair during the week OF
December 4. The jury had been
locked up all night and at O'Clock
this morning the foreman sent word
/ to Justice Bergen that they mad
reached verdict.
Justice Receives Verdict.
When this news was given to
| Justice Bergen he hurried tu The
court house and received the verdict
at $50 o'clock. When the vegairt
was given Judge Peter r. Dal9 vas
on the bench beside him. Wfacn
court opened this morning the prls-
oner was brought forward and told
to face the jury. Every man III the
1 jury box was standing, facing tAa
prisoner. Justice Bergen. upon be-
| ing told that a verdict was reached.
had the clerk call the roll. As en- cry
mans name was called the iistics
asked for his decision, making the
4 closing minutes OF the speedy tgial
one long to be remembered. MOI ono
OF the jurors finehed when called
upon to answer the question, each
giving in clear and decisive tones the
words that will send Bent 20 the
electric chair.
After the jury had reached their
decision Justice Bergen said he was
called upon to execute the law ia 4
degree as was found by the Jurors.
4 When the death sentence was pro-
nounced all eyes turned to the nrtz-
Toner, who seemed as unconcerned as
during the trial. When told throu gh|
his interpreter that he was to die He
retained the same calrnness as waA
/ CHARACTERISTIC of him thronghOuts
the trial. s
/ Prisoner Back in jail.
Immediately after sentence wa9
1 pronounced the prisoner was hustled
back to the jail. When Justice Ger.
gen yesterday afternoon learned that
Ia verdict was not likely he eftiaTed
j the Jury locked up.
With the sentence Ut Beni, one ef
the inosh cold bio0ded Izaixder@ aasx
4 lcommitted within the State iii fSesvE
\ Jersey wifi tara-ws to close tbs
/ case was one of the most brutal
handled by the county authorities 81
the men shot were sent to eternity
while In s1umber. Their murderer
gave them no chance to fight for
their lives.
u Plea Is Made.
Theodore Strong, counsel for the
defendant, yesterday afternoon In q
masterfu1 plea spoke for one hour
and fifteen minutes trying to per-
suade the jury that his client was
mot accountable for the double nlsIr-
der. This phase OF the case was
somewhat strengthened by testI-
mony given by DR.. William r. Ram-
say, OF Perth Amboy, and DR.. j W..
Rices of New Brunswick, who testi-
fled that Benz was an epiieptie. Laws
Iyer Strong contended that Benz COM
mftted the deed while laboring un-
der this strain,
Prosecutor Booraem, represents
ing the state urged the jury In for-l
ty-fye minute talk to render a ver-
dict of murder In the first degree.
He next attacked the testimony giv-
en- by the physicians employed bv
the defense and told the jury that
they had sufficient time to watch the
prisoner to determine whether he
was mentally unbalanced. Another
/ point for the prosecution was that
the doctors who rendered testimony
at the trial had examined the Dris-'
one after the deed had been per-
lpertrated ana could not swear as to
the prisoners condition at the time
of the murder.
Justice Bergen charged the jury
and told them he wanted a verdict
OF guilty In the frst degree. The
jury went out shortly after three
o'clock. The court room was pack
ed to its capacity and many remains
ed for several hours thinking that
the jury would return with YER
dict within two hours TO anauss
the spectators the results of the
worlds series baseball game were
given them. The trial of the Anboy
murderer is another instance or the
world famed Swift Jersey Justice
History of Murder.
The murder for which Heni will
pay the penalty was committed
about II o'clock on the night of
September 7, at 4s2 Sayre aven,.e,
Perth Amboy. August h6inno and
August Pascarelli were the ones Ia
italy shot and Frank Minno Was SO
badly wounded that he was sent to
the city hospital whore he renf1irs1
for several days. The two murdered
men and the wounded victim we're
lsleeping in a room on the first floor
of the house on the night the deed