Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1912-12-31

During the year closing at mid
night tonight the prosecutors office
Investigated twenty-five homicide
cases, including eleven murders, one
being double murder. The last case
is that of William Overton. negro,
who killed his wife and child on
June 2S last.
Other homicide cases resulted from
brawls, accidental shooting and other
causes. One such case was the kill
ing of Albert E. Faulks. a school,
boy. on June D. during labor riots at
Orange and Nesbitt streets.
Of the eleven actual murders Ave
alleged slayers made good their es-
cape. In one instance, that of An
tonic Fedelli, who was found shot
and stabbed to death in a field in
Millburn on January 19 last, no clue
to the murderers was ever found.
This crime was one of revenge, as
Fedelli was a noted New York horse
thief and is believed to have been
lured to Millburn and murdered by
members of another New York gang,
against whom he had given informa-
tion.
The two murders that attracted the
most attention during the year were
the killing of two policemen, John j.
McGovern, of the Second precinct, on
the night of October II. and that of
John J. Gaffney on the night of De-
cember 6. In the case of McGovern
his three alleged murderers were
caught and are now awaiting trial,
but no trace has been found of the
men who shot down Gaffney in La
fayette street.
Two Found Upon Meadows.
In two of the cases dead bodies
were found on the meadows, both
with fractured skulls. The case of
Francisco Merchael on January 16
was believed to have been a murder,
while in that of Thomas Kurkowska,
whose body was found on Plum Point
lane on July 25, death is believed to
have resulted from a fall from the
elevated railroad track at that point.
On November % the body of a
young babe was found by some boys
playing on the city dump at Freling-
huysen avenue. The child is sup
posed to have been alive when placed
there. but no clue to the parents or
persons who placed it there was
found.
Another case in which the death of
a child was involved was that of
Emma Beers. married woman, who,
after giving birth to a child, placed
its body in the furnace of a home
in Bloomfield where she was EN-
ployed as a maid. The woman al
ways insisted that the child was dead
when placed in the furnace, and the
body had been so badly burned that
it was impossible to prove otherwise
The woman was first charged with
murder but later the charge was
mol -prossed and the woman placed in
an asylum.
Kick Kills Woman.
During the year one woman was
held on a charge of manslaughter.
This was Marion Price, a 15-year-old
colored girl, who was charged with
causing the death of Mrs. Bessie
Mayer, in Montclair, on July 10. A
young son of Mrs. Mayer, it is al
legged, had thrown stones at some
playing on the steps of the
Price home and the negro girl had
slapped him. Mrs. Mayer then at
so it is claimed, to attack
the Price girl. In the melee that
Mrs. Mayer was kicked in
the abdomen and died several hours
later. The Price girl was tried on
the manslaughter charge at the De-
cember term of court, but the jury
She is now in Jail await
ing a second trial.
The alleged murderers who got
away other than in the case of Fed
eli noted above are Daniel Cacura,
of 70 Sixth street, who, it is said,
shot and killed Antonio Minco during
a quarrel on March 19; Peter kulick,
who killed his father-in-law, Nicolo
Piontl1o, and wounded his wife at
his home, SS Belmont avenue, on
March 2S; the slayers of Albert Z.
Faulks, the schoolboy killed in the
ditch h-digger riots; Amelio Pabpolaido,
who killed his brother. Ottelio Pab-
polaldo, by shooting him during a
quarrel at their home, SS Stone street,
on October 6, and the three slayers
of Policeman John ]. Gaffney.
Homicides Investigated.
The list of homicides investigated
by the prosecutors office during 1912
and their disposition or present
standing is as follows:
January 16-F'rancesco Merchael,
found dead on meadows with skull
fractured. Thought murdered. Slay-
ers never caught
January 19-Antonio' F'edelli, found
shot and stabbed to death in vacant
lot in Millburn. Killed by New York
gangsters in revenge for informing on
them. Slayers never caught.
January 23-Luigi Ventolo. shot by
Francisco Vivola on Eighth avenue.
Vivola, who was intoxicated, re-
sented being called pigs feet" by
Ventola, and shot him. He was al