Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-07-28
COCCH| ACQU|TS
NEW YORK POLICE
Murderer of Ruth Cruger Says
They Knew Nothing
of Crime.
TEXT OF HIS CONFESSION
Tells How He Brutally Killed
Girl Because She Cried
for Help.
tBy Associated Press. ]

scTlpt OF the Interrogation in the AL
fedo Cocchi murder case has just been
made public. Cocchi swears he was
not helped by New York police. and
says he confessed solely to Father Nor
retto. manager of the Saint Rafael So
ciety for Italian Immigrants. New York
He declares he killed Ruth Cruger with
stick because she refused to cease
calling for help. He did not assault
the girl before or after he struck her.
The slayer says he would not have
killed the girl had she promised not to
tell OF the attack. He denies charges
OF his association with policemen for
unlawful purposes. or tat he had an
accomplice in the murder Cocchi fur
ther denies American citizenship. His
replies were made to pressing oues-
tioning by Judge Zucconi. taken down
by the judges clerk. The transcript
contains long detailed history of the
crime and subsequent events.
TEXT OF STATEMENTS
NECEIVED by ATTORNEY
The text of the statements made by
Cocchi during various interrogations or
the prisoner by Judge Zucconi was re-
ceived by Cocchfs counsel ATTORNEY
Henturini. to-day. There we're eight
OF these interrogations between June
10 and July 20. and the record of them
covers nine typewriter pages
On the first day, the record shows.
Cocchi denied the crime, claiming tina,
the reason he left New York. was be-
cause Of his wifes jealousy. and the
quarrels to which that led. although he
admitted that he had sharpene6 a pair
OF skates for Ruth Cruger On the
second day Cocchi began by declarinp
that the girl came to his shop in com
pany with two Italians who were not
known to him and who ordered him to
leave, he doing SO. and they remaining
IN the room. Under cross Questioning
oy Judge Zucconi. Cocchi began to
weep and, holding his head in his
hands. declared:
1t Is true. killed her For week
! mad been constantly auarrenns with
my wire. This day. the 18th. when ]
a's my midday meal at home. 7 drank
nVe glasses OF California wine to make
me forget my family troubles.
IN nervous condition. went to
my shop about 80 O'Clock. when there
immediately entered the girl who had
before noon left her skates for shar-
pening. She was very beautiful and
/ lost my head
BARS STREET DOOR
| WITH BLOCK OF WOOD
She went to the rear of the shop
TO get her skates without seeing me
barred the street door with block
OF wood. so that no one would be
able to open it from the outside Then
started to embrace the girl. but she
was very strong. and threw me back
| wards. l tried again. and succeeded.
| despite her resistance
| picked her up and dropped her
INTO the repair room below through a
| square door. feet first. holding by the
head and shoulders. All the while She
was screaming Police! Police.
She fell about twelve feet below
striking a motorcycle side car on her
side. but was not hurt I Jumped after
her she being again on her feet, fight
ing and resisting with all her power.
| l remember that before droppine her
| below l said to her. Please say moth.
ins' as have two boys but she con-
tlnued shriekinG for the police. al
though do not believe any one hea rd
her.
When Joined her in the lower
| room my head was gonc/ tried again
10 emh.a ace and kiss her. but again did
not succeed. she was so strong.
remember she was of Clark complexion
and stout of body: also that her hat
feli OF when l first attempted to en-
| brace her.
Finally. exasperated by her resist :
anee. grabbed in my left hand a stick
OF heavy wood a yard long and strucl,
her twice or thrice across tn. back OF
the neck. holding her with my light
hand. She groaned and sank down.
her head bathed in blood.
HORRIBLY FRIGHTENED.
WOULD HAVE KILLED HIMSELF
Horribl-- frightened and sorry. I
would have killed myself had I had n
revolver. Expecting to be discovered
at any moment. I took the yet warm
oody and dragged it into box in the
iett-hand corner of the room. putting
the head in first and then the body.
On the night Of the 18th / neither
ate nor slept. On the morning of the
l4th l hurried to the shop at s O'Clock.
covered the box containing the body
with coal and pieces of old iron and
oia clothing l read the newspapers s
telling Of the lost girl. Then came the
| parents of the girl and n policeman
| unknown to me-
AFTER troubled day and sleepless
night l went. on the 18th. about $3.50
| o'clock. and confessed the crime to Fa-
ther Morretto. who had married me.
then decided to return to Italy.
Leaving my house at 0 o'clock ]
took the Hoboken ferry and slept thar
| night In Weehawken. I went to Phila-
delphia on the 18th spent the day look
ing for chance to work my passage
on ship and slept in the house Of an
Italian named Romano. On the 18th
a young American. who slept In the
same place. showed me a shipping
agency on South Second Street, where,
under the name of Louis Leroi, ship
ped as a sailor on the munition ship,
Manchester. and reached Havre on the
| 28th. ] shipped as an Italian subject
Nobody asked me for passport"
What l have related is the truth
Now, ask merely to be allowed to go
into the army. where hope I shall be
Continued on Second Paee.)