Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-11-11
STATE IS WEAK
IN MURDER CASE.
Prosecutors Witnesses in Trial
of Deskowich Give Con-
Trajectory Evidence.


The case of the State against Peter
Deskowieh, charged with thesmurder
of his wife in Nutley on March 10
last by throwing kerosene oil or ben
zine over her and then touching a
match to her, is rapidly crumpling UP
through the testimony of the wit
nesses called by the State, and what
little hope of conviction the State had
at the start of the case is rapidly
being abandoned by Assistant Prose-
cutor Andrew Van Blarcom, VINO Is
trying the case for the State.
Witness after witness called by the
State make contradictory statements
when II comes to vital points, this
being due to the fact that Mrs. Des-
kowich in all statements made by her
used "a mixture of the English IAN
guage and the Slovenian dialect In
talking, and as the persons she talked
to did not understand the SlaVoniah
dialect, they arc now very much con-
fused as to just what the woman
did say as she lay in her home in .;
dying condition from the burns re-
! ce.ved.
Michael Deskowich the nine-year-
old son, so far has told three differ
| ent stories as TO what happened IN
the Deskowieh home early on the
morning of March - last, and not
one agrees with the other. He first
said yesterday his mother had been
| burned because his father dropped
bottle of oil on the floor and some
of it splashed on his mothers dress
and then caught fire. But on cross
examination he admitted he had
| been asleep and that the first thing
he heard was the breaking of bottle
| and had not really seen it dropped.
| Outside of the courtroom he told
! County Detective James II. Mason
! that his father was angry at his
mother and that he had seen his
father pick up a bottle of oil and
throw 1t at his mother. but that the
bottle missed her and broke over the
stove, and that then his mother
clothing caught fire
Recalled TO the witness-stand today
and questioned about this, ne denied
that he had told Mason such tale,
and then insisted that he had not
seen the bottle until 1t WAS lying on
/ the floor broken, this being after his
mothers clothing WAS all atlame.
The ante-mortem statement of Mrs.
Deskowich, taken at the Passaic Cen
eral Hospital by County Physician
William II. Mckenzie and Court In
terpreter Abram Cohen, was intro
duced in evidence today. but it did
little TO aid the case of the State. as
ir was a very confused and incoherent
statement, though 1t did contain an
accusation that Seskowich had thrown
benzine and kerosene over her. 1t did
not, however, contain any statement
that he had then touched a match to
her clothing.
Defendant on stand.
Just before the noon recess Deeko-
witch took the stand in his own behalf
and for the first time made an expla-
nation of why he left his home in East
Centre street Nutley, few minutes
after his wife was burned and did not
return until eight hours later, or after
| she had died in the hospital.
| Deskowich's story was told in a
| fairly convincing manner and was to
| the effect that a few minutes after the
! burning he had left the house to get
| a doctor for his wife. leaving her in
charge of some neighbors. He said
he could not find a doctor in Nutley,
and that then becoming confused
through the excitement he came TO
Newark looking for one. He did not
| know any doctor in this city and then
| decided to go TO Brooklyn and obtain
| aid from friends there. On his return
! from Brooklyn he went directly to
| Nutley, but was arrested before he
reached his home.
AS to the actual burning of his wife
| Deskowich told u clear and pretty
| convincing story. He said she arose
| to get his breakfast at about o'clock
on the morning of March 10. The
wood used in the kitchen stove was
| green and would not burn, and he sad
| he believed his wife tried to hurry
the fire by pouring gasoline on 1t.
The first he knew of any trouble
was when he heard his wife scream,
and, rushing into the kitchen, saw her
clothing afiame and also fire on the
| top of the stove. Near the fire on the
stove was a bottle he knew contained
gasoline, and in order to prevent this
from catching fire he knocked 1t to
! the floor.
GnsoIene Spattered on Wife.
He said that he thought that in
knocking it to the floor some of the
gasolene spilled or spattered on his
wife. and added to the fire that was
already burning her thin house
dress. After knocking the gasolene
bottle to the flour he called for as
sistance and then made efforts to
put out the fire that was burning his
wife by pulling her clothing from
| her and throwing basins of water on
her When neighbors. aroused. by
his cries. came to his assistance. he
said he dressed himself and went to
get doctor. but not finding one went
on to Brooklyn.
The case will go TO the jury late
this afternoon. and a quick verdict of
acuuittal is expected, the tip to this
effect coming directly from one of the
| iurYmen. who. as Deskowich's cross
examination was finished, received
permission to ask one question.
The question asked Deskowich was,
"Was your wife in the habit of using
kerosene to start fires WITH
on receiving an affirmative answer
from Deskowich it was noticeable
| that the jurors sat back. in their
seats as though big question had
been settled in their minds.
/ NTo-A & II