Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-09-15
pARDONS COURT
MAY SP ARE MEN
DOOMED To DIE
In Special Session to Consider
Pleas of Angelo CercerieIIo
and Joseph 10th.
srecial to the Evening Star.

Special TO the Evening Star.
TRENTON, Sept. 15.-The lives Of
two men convicted of murder hans
upon the result of the deliberations
Of the Court OF Pardons, which Is
meeting here today In special session
One of the cases is that OF Angelo
Cerceriello, of Newark. convicted OF
wife murder, and the other is the
plight of Joseph 10th, convicted OF
killing his sweetheart in the borough
Of Roosevelt.
Both men are alive only by the
clemency of Governor Fielder who
granted them reprieves in order that
their cases might come before today's
special session of the Pardons Court
Cerceriello was .,iven thirty days
stay, after he had been sentenced tc
die the week of August 80. and SINH
lar respite was granted to 10th, who
was to have been electrocuted in the
week of September 7.
Governor Granted Reprieve.
The governor granted reprieve to
CerceriIlo in order that the Pardons
Court might have al opportunity OF
investigating the condemned mans
claim, through counsel. that he was
convicted of murder upon the false
testimony of Alfonso Laudisi, another
murderer, who hoped to obtain inn
munity for himself by so testifying
Cerceriello was convicted of having
killed his wife in the Silver Lake
section of Bloomfield on May 30, 1913
Laudisi claimed that Cerceriello had
confided the history of the crime to
him while the men were inCarcerated
in the Essex county Jail together
Since then Laudisi is said to have
admitted making the false state
ments.
When the court met this afternoon
the unusual spectacle of a life-term
murderer giving testimony was pre-
sented Laudisi was brought from
the State prison by Parole Officer
Thomas Mclaughlin. He was securely
handcuffed.
Laudisi swore that he gave false
testimony against Cerceriello when
the latter was on trial for his life, on
tho promise that he, Laudisi, would
be granted immunity by the authori-
ties in Essex county.
Before the court session Laudisi
was in one of the other offices of the
executive chambers The testimony
that was given by Laudisi this att
ernoon will be kept secret as The ses-
sions of the court are also secret.
Frank McDermit, counsel for Ger
eeriello, is here to prosecute his client S
appeal, and Assistant Prosecutor
Wilbur Mott, of Essex, will oppose
the granting of communication.
Toth's case was before the Court
of Errors and Appeals and his con-
viction was upheld by that tribunal.
he ofo 1o In hnhatP 10
that he is an irresponsible youth.
Laudisi's confession, made March
!, declares that Laudisi lied on the
stand and that he was induced to do
30 by Peter Deskowitz, another
prisoner Laudisi in his testimony,
said that Cerciello confessed to him
shat he had killed his wife. Laudisi
fscar ing, declares that all of this
testimony was false.
Laudisis confession is written by
him in Italian on four sheets of note
paper. Each sheet is numbered.
dated, and signed by Laudisi. A
translation follows:
"March l, 1914.
TT the undersigned, declare myself
In the presence of death to have false
~ testified against Angelo Cerceriello
! and Peter Deskowitz. The declara-
ton that / made in court on the date
of the trial, l cannot say the number
of statements that were told me al
the Jail to testify to, and every time
they took me to the courthouse, in
the prosecutors office, where | always
found three women dressed in mourn
ing and man who only spoke to me
once, telling me to testify against An
gelo Cerceriello because Antonio
Derogatis and Joseph Federico would
free me of this, my death penalty
They explained to me that those three
women were the sisters of the de-
ceased wife of Angelo Cercerello.
"In this period of time every thing
was explained to me, that the finger
prints of the hands found upon the
Ratchet were not those of Angelo
Cerceriello. but the murder he must
pay the penalty for, guilty or moi
guilty.
II was saying that Angelo Cerceri-
clio had confessed to me all at the
Jail and Peter Dishowitz was saying
that he was present and heard al
that Angelo Cerceriello said to me
Joseph Federico told me more than
once to force Angelo Cercerle'lo tc
write a letter to his brother advising
him to run from Newark, and / re-
fused to do 1t.
Told He Would "Trip Himself"
"A few days before the trial of the
case they informed me that If / would
trip myself on the day of the trial
when / testified in court, Angelo
Cerceriello would go out free anC
both of them would go TO the electric
chair, and be prejudged and NAL.
treated by the public.
ION the morning when / had beer
called in court matters were fully
explained to me beforehand, and dur.
ing the lunch hour adjournment that
/ was taken up to the prison pen foI
my dinner came Joseph Federico, al
excited. telling me the balance of The
story that l had not fully remem-
bered, making me rehearse 1t over
and over, advising me not TO be afraid
IL Cerceriello's lawyer acted savagelS
towards me. He told me to say thai
Angelo Cerceriello had thrown The
bullets of he revolver in the water
closet, which Joseph Federico had
thrown them there himself while the
plumber was examining the
water closet in the store Always with
the promise and forcing me to have
Angelo Cerceriello punished while in
nocent, giving me liberty, but il has
been all the reverse. Peter Desko-
WITT is at liberty and I. Alfonso Lau-
dist and Angelo Cerceriello are
condemned to death by the
electric chair. free my sou
with all my heart asking him pardon
declaring Angelo Cerceriello innocent
signing myself herewith with my owr
RIGHT hand my name