The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-11-13
DRAMATIC SCENES
 AT EAST SIDE HOME
Throng Halls Mike" as the |. Next Mayor of New
 York City.

been called on trial for 35 days for al- leged instigation of the killing o1 Michael Gaimari brought in the yer dict which set him free, thus inferen-
 tially expressing their belief in his own 1 contention that he had been the V1c- tim of a political plot.
 Great Joy Among Friends
 Then began, to last far into the night, celebration which damned the rooms of his home at Il Oliver street with persons who streamed in at the front door and out of the basement | entrance, while the former deputy 1 street cleaning commissioner laugheo and shook hands until he said ms arms were so tired he could shake no l longer.
 ] Amid the celebration Dr. Henry Moskowitz. president of the civil ser vice commission, was called to the tel ephone in the Rofrano home. When he came back to Rofrano's side he said: l .T1,e mayor has just telephoned that he is glad that MT. Rofrano has :, proved his innocence.'
 | Tn "a. talk with reporters Rofrano l reasserted that he had been the Vlctl1n I of "an outrageous plot but Woulu sav nothing about hissfuture plans eX- i cept that he expected to remain III tne Second Assembly district and would I "completely vindicate his name. ASK ed if he expected to get into politics again, he was silent.
 For Mayor or for Congress ! But not so his friends. By the crowd in front of his house he was even hailed as >''the next mayor hls noliti.al cronies professing to see in 1 inc trial a lever which would pry him into stronger political position than he had occupied before. They talked onenly of trying to send him to Con gress.
 Rut over it all hung the fear that some of those who believe him re- sponsible for Giamari's death may seek vengeance in what was often re- ferred to in the trial as 'the Italian way" Uniformed and plain clothes no1icemen guarded his home last night and sent away all those not recog- nized as friends by the Rofrano fam fly.
 An hour before the verdict was re- turned everybody concerned in the de- fense was anxious The jury had Just sent out for a copy of "Choc" Curl ca,s first statement to the district at torney. Tn it was matter believed to be unfavorable to the defendants
 A Verdict at Last.
 Then, as everybody was saying that it was about time for the jury to go to lunch. came the message that ver- diet had been reached. It took per haps ten minutes for the lawyers to get their places in court. Meanwhile 4O policemen in and about the court became active.
 A few persons who had got past the outer guard were driven out of the building The crowd of thousand outside was driven from the entrances to positions on Centre and Lafayette streets. Into court filed dozen plain clothes men, constituting nearly half the small audience that was permitted to hear the verdict.
 The jury filed in. No. Il had a smile on his face, and the word went about that there was to be an acqu1ttal. Fo- franc was brought in immediately be- hind the jury and took his, position at the rail with a face as inlmob1le as granite.
 lie SdZoQ SCTdISHI dL AIUcIC 1<CW- hall, the foreman, as the latter uttered the welcome words. Not even then did the expression on Rofrano's face change. A friend, Morris Geronimo, reached over, grabbed his, hand and burst into tears. James Rofrano sobbed and Martin w. Littleton got up, with tears in his eyes, to receive the congratulations of his opponent, Assistant District Attorney Brothers.
 Cheers From Hall and Streets.
 Word leaked through the door that the verdict was one of acquittaL From the corridors came cheers from about fifty of Rofranos friends who had been permitted to assemble there. The cheers were taken up in the streets and were augmented by the footing of the horns of half a dozen waiting automobiles.
 All this time Rofrano's mother and wife had been waiting upstairs in the Sheriff's room. The cheers gave them an inkIing of the verdict, but it was not until Geronimo burst in upon them that they were fully assured. Soon Rofrano, who had returned through the prison pen, had his arms about the two women.
 ''IL IS good! It -gOOd! ms W1Ie murmured over and over again.
 Heading the reception committee on hand to meet Rofrano were Nicholas Cinimo and Anthony Santulla. AS they hurried to the Sheriff's room the de- fendant's women folk came down the stairway with @ police guard and went to an auto. MT. Littleton came next.
 Hailed as Coming Ruler.
 'Three cheers for our next Mayor!" some one shouted (thereby beating the crowd that nominated Rofrano later), and the cheers were given heartily as the lawyer grasped dozen hands that were outstretched to him and then hurried away.
 It was when ROfrano~ himself came down the stairs on the Lafayette Street side, guarded by dozen police men, that the crowd let itself loose. It yelled in Italian and 1t yelled in English, and many of it's members gras ped Rofrano's arms or planted resounding kisses on his cheeks as he passed, his chin high and his chest protruding.