Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1915-12-29
MOTHER OF FOUR
STAYS A BARBER
AND DISAPPEARS
Victim, Father of Nine Children,
Shot Dead in Her
Kitchen.
CROSS ON PHOTOGRAPH
MAY BE MYSTERY CLUE
Sign Put on Picture of Woman
at Time Her Garside Street
Home Was Robbed.


Mrs. Elvira Lepore, twenty-five
years old, of excellent reputation and
mother of four children, shot and
killed Joseph Laudaudio, well-to-do
barber forty years old and father of
nine children, in tle kitchen of her
home at As Garside street, a short
distance from the Second Precinct
police station yesterday afternoon
shortly after O'Clock.
After killing the man the woman
crossed the hall to the home of
neigabor. There she said she had
killed the barber and was ready to die
for 1t. She then left the house, walk
ing rapidly in the direction of the Sec
ond Police Precinct station house. She
evidently changed her mind about
giving herself up and still is at large.
Captain Joseph A. Cordano has
taken personal charge of the investi-
cation of the crime, which is at pres
ent shrouded In mystery. The scene
of the killing is one Of the most
thicsly settled Italian sections in
Newark None of the neighbors of
the woman knew of any relationship
between her and the barber, whose
shop is directly across the street from
the twenty-family apartment house
in which the woman lived.
Detectives Kenney and Tortoriello
spent today in search of Mrs. Lepore.
She went away wearing only a
sweater over her house dress. and
( without hat. 1t is not believed that
she has enough money with her to go
very far Her mother lives at 110
Garside street, but the woman has
not been there so far as the police
have been able to learn.
Angelo. Lepore, the woman's hus-
band, who is twenty-nine years old,
has been taken into custody as a
material witness. He is being held
, at the Second precinct station house.
He Is a tailor. who returned home
after the tragedy, and is not believed
by the police to ever have entertained
suspicious of his wifes conduct He
does not now believe, they say, that
any improper relations existed be-
tween his wife and the barber.
Lepore Home Robbed.
About month ago the Lepore homo
was robbed of clothing and jewelry
valued at more than $50 by q key
man. burglar, who seemed to make
a speciality of robbing the houses Of
italian residents in the Second pre-
cinct during the absence of the occu-
pants. Two boys, relatives of the
woman's husband, told the police that
Vincenzo Lepore, of Wood street, a
cousin of the woman's husband and
themselves, came from the apartments
. about the time of the robbery. Later
xncenzo was paroled as nothing tam
Sle was found against him except
story of the boys.
Marked for Death:
A feature of this robbery which
was not reported at the time and
which may have a direct bearing on
the murder of yesterday was that a
photograph of Mrs. Lepore, standing
on a chiffonier in her bedroom at the
time of the robbers visit, was found
to have a cross marked on the fore
head. This was taken by her to mean
that she was marked for death.
Her husband shared her belief and
for her protection furnished her with
a loaded revolver, the one she used
yesterday to kill the barber Until
the woman is found the mystery con-
cerning this phase of the situation
VIII nut Ob Citdi Cu u Lie nOcbdill
has told the police about the marked
photograph and his buying the re-
voiver for his wife, but SO far has in
sisted that he and she feared only
an unidentified enemy
Mrs. Mary Ilaria, who lives across
the hall from the Lepore apartment,
has told the police that late yester-
lay afternoon Mrs. Lepore came to
aer door with the two youngest of the
Lepore children and said to Mrs.
[laria in Italian: Take care of the
ihildren a few minutes: I've got
omething to do and the children
would be in the way"
Leaving the two children, Mrs. Lee
pore went away, and nothing more
was heard from her by Mrs. Ilaria for
about twenty minutes. when she re-
turned with revolver in her hand.
Placing the weapon ON the ice box in
the kitchen of the Ilaria apartment,
Continued on Page 10. Column S.)