Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-11-17
BLOODY FINGER
MARK MAY DECIDE
CECER|ELLO'S FATE
Trial of Alleged Wife-Slayer Is
Started Before Judge
Martin.
CONDEMNED MURDERER
TO BE DEFENSE WITNESS
State Depends on Gruesome
Print on Hatchet Handle to
Get Conviction.

Angelo Ceeerlello is on trial in the
Court of Oyer and Terminer before
Judge William p Martin on charge
of numbering his young wife, bride
of four months, by hacking her head.
arms and hands almost to pieces with
a hatchet in a vacant lot in Chester
avenue, Bloomfield, on the night of
May 80 last
In the trial of the case, for the first
time in Essex county, and it is be-
lieved in the State of New Jersey, the
impression of finger print of per-
son charged with murder will be used
as evidence against that person, as
the State will rely largely for convic-
zion or what is said to be perfect
print of one of Ceceriello's finger
tips outlined in blood on the white
handle of the new hatchet with which
1T is alleged the murder was COM
mitted.
Backing this evidence which is re-
garded by the State as conclusive, is
that to be given by Peter Deskowitch.
acquitted last week of charge of
wife murder, and Alfonso Laudisi,
convicted last May of murder in the
first degree, and who has since been
confined in the county jail awaiting
the imposition of the death sentence
by Judge Harry " Osborne
It is claimed that damaging state
ments were made by Ceceriello to
these two men while all three were
confined in 'murderers' row" at the
county Jail To counteraet the evil
dence that is expected to be given
by these men Frank NJ McDermit,
counsel for Ceceriello, has caused
writs of habeas corpus to be issued
TO produce the nine other men con-
fined in the Jail awaiting trial on a
$ charge of murder and one man, John
Dolan, recently convicted of wife
murder and now under sentence to
be eectrocuted during the week be-
ginning December 2S
Before taking up the matter of OBJ
tanning q jury to try the case Judge
Martin asked if there were any Jurors
who wished to be excused Instantly
there was football rush to the bench
as two score men attempted to get
excused from service. Only those with
cases of illness were excused, none
being allowed to go for business rea-
sons.
Hugh O'Grady, of 10 Brill street. a
ear-maker. was the first man called
20 face Ceceiello, the little, squat,
dark italian accused of the murder OF
his wife. O'Grady, a young man,
proved satisfactory to both sides and
was accepted. as foreman of the jury.
Four talesmen We're examined and
excused for various reasons before
Dewitt G. Pell, an insurance agent,
of 10 washington street, was chosen
as No. on the jury. Abraham Fine
berg, the next talesman called, a real
estate dealer, of II Astor street. took
his seat as No. g. Five more men,
one of them being Lathrop Anderson,
the real estate man, were called be-
fore No. 4. juror was obtained. Mr..
Anderson had no scruples against
capital punishment, but was excused
by Mr. McDermit for the defense.
Frederick Opel, a manufacturer of
119 Johnson avenue, was chosen for
No. 4, while Thomas d. Anderson, a
real estate agent, of Bloomfield. and
Elwoo6 T. Reid, retired of 40 South
street. were rapidly chosen as jurors
Nos. and 6. At the end of the first
hour of the trial six men were in the
Jury box.
It was exactly noon when the jury
box was finally filed, 1t having taken
an hour and three-quarters to select
the twelve men. Beside the six jurors
named above, those who will hear the
evidence are No. 7, Martin Wright,
107 Newark street, carpenter; No. 8,
William H. Farley, Is Heller Park
= way manager; No. g. Simon Cans, 120
Elizabeth avenue, grocer; No. 10,
Henry r. Van Duser, 40 North Sixth
street, superintendent; No II, Albert
o. Vogeler, 40 Renner avenue, mer-
chant; No. 2, Walter L. Babcock, "a
Fremont street, Irvington, machin-
ist
The jury is composed of men of all
ages, most of them married. although
no questions bearing on the marital
state of the talesmen were asked by
Assistant Prosecutor Wilbur A Mott
for the State or Mr.. McDermit for the
defense. Simon Cans, who does not
look to be over % years of age, is the
youngest man on the panel and Ed
ward L. Red is apparently the
oldest.
In his opening to the jury Assistant
Prosecutor Mott made brief address
In which be said that the motive for
the murder was that Ceceriello had
. become jealous of his wife and had
come to believe that his bride of four
months was not a pure woman when
he had married her.
Owing to the fact that Court Inter
prefer Joseph Frederick has been en-
gagged all summer in working up evil
dence in the case, he is barred from
acting as interpreter in the case. Rev.
Bismark j. Caltorti pastor of Olivet
Chapel, Hunterdon street and Four
teenth avenue, has been engaged as
interpreter in this case.
Douglass Robinson, a negro, living
at 172 Honness street Silver Lake,
was the first witness called Robin
son is the man who first discovered
the body lying in the vacant field on
Chester avenue, Bloomfield His tes-
timony was simply to prove the find
ing of the body. He also identified a
map diagram of the scene of the kill
ing. The nearest house was almost
two blocks from the place where he
found the body, he said.
At the conclusion of Robinson's tes-
timony Judge Martin told the jurors
they would be quartered at Continen-
tai Hotel for the nights they were oc-
cupied on the case The following
Z officers will be in charge Of the jury:
Gottfried Kunz James H. Reid, Abra
ham Sedrich and Peter Kearny.
It is expected that the trial will last
the greater part of the week.