The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1917-07-28
TRANSCRIPT OF
COCCHFS STORY
IS MADE PUBLIC
Tells How Cruger Girl Was
Killed in Shop and Denies
That Police Were
Implicated

Bologna July 27-An official transcript
of the Interrogation in the Alfredo Coo
chi murder case has Just been made
public. Cocchi swears he was not helped
by New York police and says he con-
fessed solely to Father Morretto, mana
ger of the ST. Rafael society for Italian
immigrants, New York. He declares he
killed Ruth Cruger with a stick because
she refused to cease calling for help. He
did not assault the girl before or after
he struck her. The slayer said he would
not have killed the girl had she prom
ised not to tell of the attack He denies
charges of his association with police
men for unlawful purposes, or that ne
had an accomplice in the murder Cocchi
further denies American citizenship. His
replies were made to pressing question
ing by Judge Zucconi, and taken down
by the judges stenographer The trans
cript contains a long detailed history of
the crime and subsequent events.
The text of the statements made by
Cocchi during various interrogations of
the prisoner by Judge Zucconi was re-
ceived by Cocehi's counsel, Attorney
venturini, today. There We're eight of
these interrogations between June Is and
July 20, and the record of them covers
nine typewriter pages.
FIRST DENIED CRIME
On the first day the record shows
Coccht denied the crime, claiming that
the reason he left New York was because
of his wifes jealousy and the quarrels
to which that led, although he admitted
that he had sharpened a pair of skates
for Ruth Cruger. On the second day
Cocchi began by declaring that the girl
same to his shop in company 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
oss-questioning by Judge Zucconi. how
ever. Cocchi began to weep, and holding
his head in his hands, declared:
TELLS WHOLE STORY
1T Is true, I killed her. For week
had been constantly quarreling with
my wife. This day, sne 18th, when 1
ate my midday meal at home 1 drank
five glasses of California wine to make
me forget my family troubles.
I'm nervous condition I went to my
shop about 1:2o o'clock, when there i'm
mediately entered the girl, who before
noon, had left her skates for sharpening
She was very beautiful and lost my
head.
When she went to the rear Of the shop
to get her skates without seeing me, 1
barred the street dooor with block of
wood, so that no one could be able tc
open it from the outside. Then l started
to embrace the girl, but she was very
strong and threw me backwards. 1 tried
again and succeeded despite her resist
ance.
Il picked her up and dropped her into
the repair room below through square
door. feet first, holding her by the head
and shoulders. All the while she was
screaming. police! police"
FELL TWELVE FEET
''She fell about z feet below. striking
a motorcycle side car on her side, but
was not hurt. I jumped after her, she
being again on her feet, fighting and
resisting with all her power. 1 remember
that before dropping her below 1 said tc
her: Please say nothing, as I have two
boys but she continued shrieking for the
police, although I do not believe anyone
heard her
when I Joined her in the lower room
my head was gone. 1 tried again to en-
brave and kiss her, but did not succeed
she was so strong. I remember she wa:
of dark complexion and stout of body
also that her hat fell off when I frs
attempted to embrace her
"Finally. exasperated by her resistance
I grabbed in my left hand a stick O.
heavy wood a yard long and struck he