Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-02-06
WIFESLAYER MAY
CONVICT LOPONIO
In Shadow of Chair, Tells Story
of McGovern Murder
Confession.
Continued from FIRST Paee.)


o'clock the police came to find out
who was shooting ] told them l
did not know They asked me If l
had pistol and I showed them one
I had in my bed. It was not the gun
carried
No shells in Pistol
They opened the pistol and smelied
it to see if it had been fired and to
see if all the cartridges were there.
They were all there.
L will seal this letter and no one
Will see 1t but yourself. | want you
to come and see me and I will tell
you all about the new gun. There is
lot of things I want to tell you.
I want 10 tell you how the police we're
always bothering me.
tSigned) SALLA LOPONIO.
Every possible means was used by
Irving w Teeple. counsel fer Lo-
ponio, to prevent the introduction of
the statement as testimony he hold
ing that it was a privileged commu-
nication between an accused and
counsel. This point was briefly ar
gued yesterday afternoon after First
Assistant Prosecutor Frederick r.
Lehlbach had put Mr.. D'Aloia on the
witness stand to testify that he did
not know Loponio, had never heard
or talked with him and had never
heard of the statement in question
until aftes the trial of Loponio had
started on Tuesday last. Loponio al
SO took the witness stand and in
vain effort to keep the statement
from getting to the Jury denied that
he had ever contemplated having
DAloia as his lawyer or of sending
anw statement to him
Authorities both for and against
the admission of the letter were cited
today by counsel for either side and
every objection known in legal par
lance brought to bear by Mr.. Teeple
against its admission, but he was
ruled against by Judge Martin and
the statement allowed to go in. The
statement is damaging in its effect
on Lopohio, even despite his denials,
a. the greater part of ii was cor
roborated by Overton today, the lat
ter having been present during part
of it's dictation.
Overton. who yesterday was adj
judged sane by Drs. Walter s. Wash
ington and William H. Hicks, will
himself go on trial for his life
next Tuesday. His testimony gave
some interesting side lights on life
in "murderers' row" at the county
jail and shows the community
of interest that always exists in such
places.
Overton stated that on October IS
last, the day the statement was writ
ten. he heard Loponio and Roche
fort talking as they walked up and
down the tier corridor during exer-
else hour Overton said he was walk
ing with Joe Ferrara, soon to go on
trial for the murder of his brother,
bur that Joe could not understand
what Loponio and Rochefort were
saying because they were talking in
the English language.
Continuing, Overton said: 10
pcnio asked Rochefort about a good
lawyer and Rochefort said that
Bradner, D'Aloia, Mike Dermit" and
Teeple were all good lawyers. Lo-
lawyer and would have to make,
statement for him.
At this point Mr.. Teeple objected
and oss-examined Overton as to
the manner in which he heard the
conversation in the corridor at the
county jail.
What cell were you i'm" he asked.
4 was in 81, Rochefort in 80 and
Loponio in 40, the first one in the
tier; but we We're all on the tier
(meaning walking in the corridor)
when the talk took place"
Writes Confession.
after walking and talking for
longe time continued Overton,
"Rochefort and Loponio went to the
formers cell and got out some paper,
and Rochefort began to write what
Loponio told him.
How do you know that asked
Mr. Teeple.
Because I went into the cell with
them-Rochefort's cell-and stood
near the door,
why did you go to Rocheforts
cell?" was Teeple's next question.
Because Rochefort was always
very good to me, and / kept close to
him." replied Overton. 1t was notice.
able that all during his testimony
Overton kept his eyes steadily on
Rochefort and never once looked at