New Britain herald., 1914-07-23
SUSPICIOUS DROWNING
 TO BE INVESTIGATED
Mother Of Francis Pue|ieSe Claims Boys Pushed Him in Deep Water.
NFICHBORS ATTACH BLAME TO HIR


 Her Five-Years-Old Son Was Bat
 tling With Death.
 Suspicious circumstances surround ing the death by drowning in White Oak pond yesterday afternoon of little five-year-old Francis Pueliese of Mountain View have caused an in- vestigation to be started by Prose cutor M A. Norton and Medical Ex- aminer T. G. Wright and while the authorities are reasonably satisfied that the tragedy is the result of an accident, statements made by the youngsters parents MT. and Mrs. Frank Pueliese, and their neighbors, which show up in strong contrast, are responsible for a delay in the making of a finding. The case will be looked into thoroughly. by the police and the medical examiner before report is sent to the coroner.
 While the boy was drowned short ly after one o'clock but a few feet from shore, it was not until five hours later, that the body was recovered by Robert E. Donahue. The latter, who is a neighbor of the PueIieses, was on his way home from work when he heard of the drowning and he hast ened to the pond. He dove but once and located the body but a few sec- onds after he entered the water ac- complaining feat which a number of young swimmers had unsuccess- fully attempted several times since the child disappeared below the sur face of the pond.
 According to a story told to a Her aid man today by Mrs. Pueliese, she went to the pond shortly after noon with her three children, Minnie, aged 8, Angeline, aged and the unfor- nate Francis, whose sixth birthday would be in September. The two older children were wading in shall low water near the old plank bridge, while the mother and Angeline stood nearby watching them. Accompanied by her two little girls, Mrs. Pueliese declares she started for a spring in the vicinity for a drink of water, after telling Francis to stay near the shore until their return. When she got back the little fellow was not in sight. She found his trousers on the bank and noticing bubbles on the surface, of the water arrived at the conclusion that the youngster had been drowned.
 Two older boys, who had been on the bank, had been teasing Francis to come in deeper water and learn to swim early in the afternoon, accord ing to the mother and she expressed the belief that during her absence they dragged him in and let him sink. They denied even having seen the little fellow when he went down, claiming to have been in another part Of the pond. The woman asked them to dive for the body, but she stated today that they told her they wanted to go to the ball game and couldn't spare the time to make the search. Unless something is done with them, she declared, she will give them fate similar to that meted out to her son.
 The woman appeared to be undis- turbed by the boys death while tell ing the details of the tragedy and seemed to take the affair as nothing unusual.
 Nelghbors told an entirely different story to Prosecutor Norton this morn ing. The Pueliese family lives in little shack near the Electric field NAA~ parently do not like Mrs. Pueliese.
 According to the details of the tragedy, which they stated were given them by boys who were at the pond during the afternoon, Mrs. Pueliese was in the pond with two Italians, who were teaching her to swim, while two of her children were wading in the water nearby. When Francis dis appeared, they told the prosecutor, his mother went into the bushes to dress and her teachers left the scene. They allege that the woman had threatened the boy with bodily in- jury.
 These allegations Mrs. Pueliese wig orously denied in her talk with the Herald representative. She declared that the only time she was in the water was when she entered it in search of the body of her boy She found that the water was over her head and retreated, her venture hav- ing been responsible for the condition of her clothes
 She later notified Supernumerary Officer Thomas Dolan of New Britain and Constable John E. Conlon, who were on duty at the Electric field, and the local officer went to the pond to direct the youthful swimmers in their efforts to locate the body. Med ical Examiner Wright was working on another case during the afternoon and could not be located until after 5 o'clock. It was while he was getting an account of the affair from the child's mother that MT. Donahue brought the body to the surface.
 The medical examiner gave pern1iS- -s~ the undertaking rooms of w. A. Bailey and company and this morn ing the childs father and uncle called al the establishment to make arr engagements to have the remains sent to New Britain the funeral to bo Io1d