Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-03-24
ANTONIO FIORE
IS ON TRIAL FOR
! C|CCONE MURDER
Accused Of Forcing
Mrs. Ciccone to
Do Killing.
WOMAN SENTENCED TO
DEATH FOR THE CRIME
Man Denies He Directed Death
ofHusband--Was in Jail
at Time.

Sullen-faced but without a trace OF
nervousness. Antonio Fiore, an un-
dersized and unhandsome man, sits
before Judge William P. Martin In
the Court of Oyer and Terminer and
listens silently as Prosecutor Wilbur
A. Mott produces witnesses attempt
ing to prove that he is the man who
is really responsible for the murder
OF Leonardo Ciccone at his home in
Garside street on March Z, 1912.
Prosecutor Mott expects, so he told
the jury in his opening, to prove that
Fiore was the dominating spirit in
the murder. despite the fact that at
the time it was committed he was a
prisoner in the county jail and had
been for a month prior TO March 7,
1872
The actual crime was committed by
Mrs. Maddalena Ciccone, wife of the
murdered man, who has been tried
and found guilty of the crime, and
Is now sentenced to die in the electric
chair during the week of April q
next; but it is the contention of the
prosecutors Office that Fiore was the
instIgator of the crime and that It's
actual commission by Mrs. Ciccone
was through fear of him.
At her trial both herself and her
12-year-old daughter Annie testified
that Fiore had planned the murder
while he was in Jail and had sent
word to Mrs. Ciccone by Annie telling
her to commit the crime. Annie testi-
fed that ''Uncle Tony" had told her
to tell her mother to get rat poison
~ 60 nd
that several days after she had de-
livered this message to her mother
the latter had sent her to the drug
store to buy rat poison and that she
had seen her mother mix it with cof-
fee and give it to her father to drink.
Admitted She Poisoned the Coffee.
Mrs Ciccone in her confession, and
also in testimony at her trial, ad-
mitted that she had placed the poison
5dn Coccones coffee, but had only done
I so because Fiore had told her if she
did not do so he would kill her as
soon as he was released from Jail.
F'iore is the brother-in-law of Mrs.
Ciccone. and was in jail on statu~
tory charge preferred against him
and Mrs Ciccone by the husband of
the latter. Mrs Ciccone had been re-
leased on after pleading guilty
TO the offen nd was awaiting SEN
tence at me she poisoned her
husband. ause, as she said, she
feared for her own life if she did
not kill him.
on the opposite side of the room
today from Fiore sits Mrs. Ciccone,
her daughter Annie, and Hazel Bruno
.,and Millie Schiaretti, friends of Fiore
and Mrs. Ciccone, who, it is claimed.
knew that Mrs. Ciccone had been
threatened with death if she did not
follow Flores orders and poison her
husband.
Little Annie Ciccone and the Bruno
and Schiaretti women have been con-
fined in the House of Detention and
county Jail for more than a year now
as material witnesses. F'iore did not
once look in their direction today
One and Half Hours to Pick Jury.
1t took just an hour and half to
obtain ihry to hear the case to-
day. SO talesmen being examined be-
fore the necessary twelve men were
chosen. The jury as drawn is COM
posed in the main of men under mid
die age, SeNerdI VI 1ieih pcihS ~
80 years. Juror No. 5, George I.
Manson, of Montclair, is 81 years of
age. one year over the limit, but he
did not take advantage of his chance
to get out of serving until too late
and was forced to serve.
The jurors are as follows; Sanford
" Drake, foreman, sos Summer ave-
nue.. carpenter; No. 2, Clarence j.
pope. 73 Prospect street, East Or
aee. mechanical engineer; No. 3.
p. Bidewell. 213 Waverly place,
nth Orange halter; No. 4, George
heckley. 500 Mt. Prospect avenue,
b,ltler. No. ), George T. Manson, 80
Fullerton avenue, Montclair, manu-
(Continued on Second Page9