Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-11-22
CECERIELLO MURDER CASE
IS WITHOUT A PARALLEL
Evidence of Condemned Slayer and Fngerpnts in Blood of
Victim Play important Part in Trial of Alleged Murderer.
G. o. p Gets Jersey Mosquito Advertisement
BY DUKE WELLINGTON

by DUKE WELLINGTON
The trial of Angelo Ceceriello for
the murder of his wife, now in prog
ress in the Court of oyer and Ter
miner before Judge william P. Mar
tin, Is one of the most remarkable
ever held In this county, and in some
instances is probably without paral-
lei in the United States. In the first
place, it is one of the very few cases
of murder where the flnger-print
method of identification has entered
as an active factor.
But even stranger than that Is the
fact that the most damaging testi-
mony against the accused man
comes from a prisoner who is him
self a convicted murderer and now
awaiting the pronouncement of the
death sentence, the very imposition of
which has been delayed so that he
could testify against the man now
on trial
In a sense, 1t Is almost like testi-
mony from beyond the grave, as in
the ordinary course of events AL
fonso Laudisi, the convicted muir
derer, would have before this time
expatiated his crime in the electric
chair and would not be on earth to
testify against Ceceriello. He was
convicted May 10 last. Usually the
after conviction and the time of
death is set at date from six weeks
to two months later.
So had the usual course been fol-
lowed in the Laudisi case, he would
have gone to his fate, probably some
time in August, always barring the
possibility of an appeal being taken,
and In the case of Laudisi there Is
believed to be little possibility of
that.
To make the trial even more a
singular one is the fact that a man
acquitted less than two weeks ago
of the same crime of which Cece-
riello is accused-wife MURDERS
likewise called on to give testimony
that aids the State on its effort to
send him to the electric chair. This
man, Peter Deskowich, like Laudisi,
was cell mate and pal of Cece-
riello's in ''murderers' row" at the
Jail.
1t was a. strangely impressive
scene in the courtroom as Laudisl,
the convicted murderer. took the
stand to testify against Ceceriello.
Laudisi claimed strongly he had
been promised nothing in the way OF
immunity from the death penalty for
testifying.
What had he to gain then by aid
ing In the effort to send another man
to the electric chair?" asked the vet
Grams in court service, who are used
to the strange angles that arise IN
criminal cases. What has become
of the close fellowship and friend
ship that is supposed to be formed
and exist in prison among men fac
ing death for murders committed by
them" was another question that
arose and was unanswered.
There was no answer 1t was
brand-new situation. Not precedent
could be cited.
It would be hard to analyze the feel
ing of those who heard Laudisi sit In
the witnesses chair and swear to facts
that If believed by the jury must re-
suit in their convicting Cecertello or
murder in the first degree with the re-
sultant sentence of death.
Hardened and -blooded Court
House employees, their emotions
stifled by the many heartrending
scenes they are forced to witness
struggled between a desire to see JUS
tice done If Laudisi was telling the
truth and one of repugnance at the
| thought that Laudisi could worm
heart secrets from Ceceriello, ac-
cused of a crime that may send him
to his death and then come into court
and swear his life away, with, II
what Laudisi says Is true, no thought
of any reward or a consideration for
himself.
II Is safe to say that no sympathy
was wasted on Laudisi, despite the
fact that his story, damaging as 1t
was to Ceceriello, had a ring of abso-
lutte truth to 1t.
lust what the jury will do with the
f,neer-print identification is another
matter that has those who have fol-
lowed the case closely guessing. The
opinions given by Edward II.
Schwartz. expert of the local bureau
of identification, and p. A. FLAX,
New York expert, with national
reputation. were absolutely and I'M
aualifiedly to the effect that 1t was
the impression of the third, or ring
finger of the left hand of Cecer1ello,
that left the crimsoned imprint on the
Ratchet handle with which Mrs. Ce-
ceriello was so brutally done to death,
Finger-prints, as a means of identi-
f1cation. will certainly get a fair test
In this case, as this evidence, if be-
lieved by the jurors, is fully as dam
aging, If not more so, than the alleged
confession made by Ceceriello to Lau-
dist.
lust take a. look at the tip of anyone.
of your fingers. Nice, smooth little
thing. isn't 1t? Just few tiny little
ridges running In circles around II,
to xnyha think
about it.
But you do not know all about your
finger-tips. If you did, you would
know you had "deltas." islands,
"whorls." "verticles," "ulner loops,
"radial loops" correspondents"
ridge counts" and quite lot of other
things at the tips of your fingers.
When experts get talking techni-
cally about the tips of your fingers
you learn a whole lot of things you
never knew existed before
Judge Martin caused O laugh In his
courtroom Friday during the Cecer-
iello trial. William o. Azzoli, a law
student, was on the witness stand and
kept giving more in his answers than
the questions put to him called for.
Assistant Prosecutor Wilbur A. Mott,
after stopping him several time said !:
"Oh, he is just like all the rest or us
That's the truth" chimed In Judge
Martin. Lawyers always make the
poorest sort of Witnesses
Detective Sergeant Godfrey, by the
way, had a peculiar experience In the
Ceceriello trial. Including yester-
days session Godfrey had been called
to the witness stand no less than ten
different and distinct times to give
testimony. 1t frequently happens that