The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-11-12
PRISONER PLEADS HIS RECORD
Attorneys Give Pretracci Good Record
Before the Court and Judge Belden
Gives Him Light Woman
Who Was Wounded Tells Story.

Domln1ck Pretraccl, henOsha Italian,
went up to the state prison today to
serve term of three years as punish
ment for his attempt to murder his
mother-in-law, Mrs. Raffella Blase, on
the night of June 18th last The sent
ence of "three years at hard labor
was imposed on Pretracci by Judge
Belden in the circuit court late We'd
nesday afternoon after the court had
spent more than four hours investigat-
ing the conditions surrounding the case.
The sentence came as a surprise to peo-
pie who had followed the case as they
had supposed that the Italian would
have been given much harder
punishment.
Pretracci was arrested at Knoles,
Wis.,, two months after the shooting Of
the woman had taken place. He was
taken at the point of revolver by
Chief of Police O Hare. He had been
working in a stone quarry at Knoles
and had SO disguised himself that af-
ter his arrest he sought to deny his
identity. Pretracci was bound over to
the circuit court to answer charges of
assault with intent to kill and murder.
1t was understood that he would plead
to this charge when he was taken into
court on Wednesday afternoon, but af-
ter many conferences between the court
the district attorney and the attorney
for Pretracci, the information was
n ho 11o d.
to the bench he pleaded to charge of
assault with a dealy weapon regardless
OF human life. Under this charge Judge
Belden imposed the sentence of three
years in the state PRISON. Pretracci
rade strong plea for himself before
sentence was imposed and after the lit
tie session in court was over he went
back to Jail evidently well satisfied that
the penalty he was to pay was about as
small as he could have hoped for.
The crime of Pretracci came when a
wave of shooting crimes was passing
over Kenosha His mother in-law took
the stand aid told the story of the
shooting. She brought nothing into the
L..
She declared at the time of the shoot
ing she was grooming lullaby to the
baby of Pretracci, who was in the baby
carriage and that she knew nothing of
the coming of the enraged n-in-law
until she heard the shot and felt the
twinge Of the bullet as it entered her
arm. She showed no passion or demand
for vengence as she told the story of
the shooting.
Attorneys for Pretracci made strong
representations to the court of the con-
duct of the Italian before the shooting.
They asserted that he had always pro
vided we'll for the support of his wife
and child and they claimed that the
shooting was due to the interference
of the mother-in-law with the affairs
of the Pretracci family 1t was not
brought to the notice of the court that
Pretracci had been tried in one of the
other courts of the county on charges
of making a vicious assault at the time
he was connected with the manage
ment of what was known. as the "Big
Mary" saloon on Main street.
Pretracci was widely known among
the Italians and the court room was
pretty well filled with his friends.
There was great rejoicing among these
people ever the light sentence impos-
ed on Pretracci.
Mrs. Blase was not seriously wound
ed by the shot fred by the son-in-law
but this fact was due to her good
| fortune rather than to the lack of in
tention on the part of the man who
went up to the prison at Waupun today.