Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-11-14
DEFENSE TO CALL
ALLEGED SLAYERS
Ccontinued from First Page.>

What effect the testimony of the other
alleged murderers will have in coun-
teracting the testimony given by
Deskowich and Laudisi is problema-
teal, but it is known that the entire
matter Is of having the "murderers'
row. inmates testify is taken as more
or less of a joke by the prosecutors
office.
OF the men in the row George +.
Drum, former county engineer, and
the best educate oman there, is called
the secretary, as the boss" of the
row Is always designated. 1t Is de-
clared that Drum sometime ago be-
came suspicious of Deskowich and
ers in the row against talking to them
or among themselves when either ono
| of the two suspected men were pres
emit.
The feeling against stool pigeons"
| In "murderers' row. has been intense
for long period back, as it developed
| in the trial a year ago of Salvatore
| Loponio, convicted of the murder of
Policeman John J. McGovern that
| Charles w. Rochefort, the min jail
awaiting trial on charge of attempt
| ing to poison his wife by means of
| cyanide of potassium poisoning, had
| DGtA hClHiAl6 bhC PiOoSShbCi p OAiANS
obtain evidence against Loponio.
| Rochefort turned over to the prose-
cutor's office letter dictated by Lo-
ponio and written by Rochefort. This
| letter Loponio supposed was to go to
lawyer he wished to have defend
him. This letter was a practical con-
fession of the murder and had a great
deal to do wit hthe conviction OF
Loponio.
Later, when Rochefort was on trial
for attempted wife murder, he made
the accusation In open court that he
would not be on trial IL the prose-
cutor's Office had not broken faith
with him, intimating that he had been
promised immunity If he testified for
! the State In the Loponio trial.
| Rochefort's work for the prosecu-
| tors office netted him nothing In the
end, as after being acquitted on
charge of wife murder he was at
| once rearrested on charge OF
bigamy preferred in New York State,
and is now serving long term IN
J the Sing Sing prison on that charge.
, Again in the trial of Antonio Ftore,
! Jointly charged with Mrs. Madalena
| Ciccone for the murder of the Wom-
ans husband, jail testimony again
entered Ralph Rullo, a young man
who was in Jail charged with sending
threatening letters being the source
OF information to the prosecutor OF
flee in this case.
| Rullo testified that he wrote in
| eliminating notes dictated by t1ore
| TO the Ciecone woman, while botn
she and Fiore were in jail after the
death of her husband and before the
charge of murder had been definitely
fixed on her.
Mrs. Ciccone also testified against
Fiore, but in her case 1t was one OF
turning States evidence to save her
own life, and resulted in her sem
| tence being committed to life I'M
prisonment after she had been SEN
fenced to death.
The indictment charging Rullo with
sending threatening letters was
ordered nolle prosqued by the couri
on MAY s, 1918 last on request OF
Assistant Prosecutor Mott. This
took place within short time after
1.-The trial and conviction of Fiore.
7 OF the eleven men charged with
murder who will testify under writs
of habaes corpus In the Cecerieilo
trial Mack. Corduan and Dolan. who
is already under sentence of death
are said to have killed their wives
while Kabeszewski is alleged to have
shot his affinity to death after snt
had refused to live with him any
longer. :,
The spectacle of eleven alleged
murderers being brought into courl
to testify in behalf of a man charged
with a similar crime will mark .
brand new era In this county ane
probably for the entire country Of
,, well.
The attitude OF secrecy that tn
prosecutors office has thrown aroune
the trial OF Ceceriello still continues
despite the fact that Deskowich ha'
given out the information that he i
to testify in the Ceceriello case. H'
was at the prosecutors office agaii
Yesterday, but insisted that 1t wal
only on a private matter.
Whatever the private matter may
have been It called for a short con
ference With Assistant Prosecutor
Mott, and when it was over Desko
witch admitted he was goins to sta,
in tho city for "a few days insteaS
OF going to Brooklyn, as had beef
his intention.