The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-03-24
WOMAN DENIES
ALL CHARGES
Female CamOrrist Defends Her
self on Witness Stand at
Viterbo, Italy.
ACCUSED OF HARB0RING
THE BAND OF MURDERERS
Her Friends Said to Have In
cluded Many Men in High
Places.

VlTERBO, Italy. March 23.-Maria
Stendardo, at whose home, the state
alleges, the assassins washed their
hands of the blood of the Cuoccolos,
was examined by President Bianchi al
the trial OF the thirty Camorrists today.
She is one of the most interesting
characters in the case and the only
woman among the prisoners. The
charge against her is completely in the
murders and the receiving Of stolen
goods.
In the course of the interrogation
the accusation was made that she had
bribed witnesses to testify falsely in
MED, asserting that the Carabileers
had offered to pay her $l2 for each
witness whom she secured TO sign q
statement prepared by them.
Maria Stendardo, whose defense was
general denial of the charges, is
under middle age and retains much Of
the beauty that in youth resulted in
many conquests IN the poorer classes
among whom she was born and later
made her woman Of ease and influ-
ence, in both the Camorra and In the
official life of Naples.
Her home is said to have been a re-
sort of desperate criminals, while her
friends included men IN nigh places.
She is an intimate friend of Nicola
Nora, one OF the alleged actual mur-
derers Of Cuoccolo and his wife, and it
isp charged that Nora and his COM
panions went to the woman's home fol-
lowing the murders. This Maria en-
phatically denied, insisting that it was
another instance of manufactured eyi.
dence.
Antonio Matteo, who is accused of
having lured Cuoccolo to his death. was
another prisoner questioned today.
Matteo, who is advanced in years, once
had fame as an athlete and is known
as a frequenter Of questionable resorts.
He is illiterate and, according TO the
police, a vicious character.
The particular charge against him is
that he induced Cuoccolo TO visit
lonely spot on the outskirts of Tore
Del Greco. on the pretext that they
were TO meet TO organize burglary at
the home of Commander Rossi Romano
Cuoccolo fell into the trap and found
himself in n place where everything had
been prepared for his death.
Under examination De Matteo denied
participation In the crime and that he
was the head Of the Camorra in his
district. He said he hated Nicola Nor
ra and would never work with him in a
crime. lheY nad quarreleu SearS ago,
he said, over theft in which they
were engaged.
Another OF the accused. Zanelll. at
tempted to dl5crcdit Abbatemaggio. He
declared that he had known the intormer
since childhood. Abbatemagglo. he said,
suffered frequently from convulsions as
a child When he had grown up he was
in the habit OF beating his own mother,
frequently drawing blood,
The witness recounted several incidents
show
and rapacity OF Abbatemaggio and the
testimony made a strong impression.
When the sitting had adjourned the
lawyers and correspondents approached
AbbatemagSio, who appeared perfectly
calm. lie charged ZanellI with being an
instrument Of the Camorra and declared
that ne himself had been an exemplary
son. although criminal His repentance
has been sincere, he said. and he was
ready 10 face everything for the triumph
OF truth and Justice