The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1917-06-27
Blackwell's Island Prisoner
Tells Police of Acts
in Shop.
CARRIED AWAY DIRT
Story Is COrroborated by
Office Boy and a Po.
liceman.
PRIEST ENTERS A DENIAL
Father MorettO Asserts He
Did Not Shelter Suspect
Before Flight.

With news from Bologna, Italy, yes
terday that the authorities had haeun
TO doubt certain parts of the confession
Of Alfredo Cocchi there came local de-
velopments which tended to show sew
eral new features Of the crime. These
were brought out in an investigation Of
the story told by Stephen Smith, a half
breed Indian. who is serving a term on
Blackwell's Island for larceny. II his
story is fully verified-and salient points
Of It have stood the test-it will be
shown that;
Cocchi was a local agent for a white
slaver and together they held a woman
on February 1S, the day Ruth Cruger
disappeared.
The two men and the girl were seen
driving away from Cocchi's shop that
night in a taxicab a fact which bears
out to some extent a story told to the
I police at that time.
Through the subsequent presence Of
the white SLAYER with Cocchi up 70
February Is II is suspected that he
was an accomplice in the crime.
Smith reported to the Sixth detective
branch in Brooklyn after the disappear
ance OF Cocchi that he had carried away
several loads OF dirt from Cocchi's shop
and asked them to make an investiga-
ton.
"On February 13," said Smith. a man
named Trease took me to Cocchi's shop.
! noticed when we got there that Cocchi
had girl in the back room. Shortly
afterward Cocchi and Trease took the
Rffl in a 10 m,
| got message to go to Cocchi's shop.
he handed me letter to Trease. He
instructed me to deliver this letter to A
man whom / would meet at Twenty
nrst street and Broadway. It was not
Trease. This man apparently had got
description Of me, because he accosted
ne at once and 1 turned the letter over
20 him.
Asked to Move Dirt.
After delivering this / went back to
cocchis shop. The back door was open
and there was a big bundle on the floor
covered with a blanket. 1 had noticed
before that this blanket had been laid
over the basket car Of a motorcycle.
"Cocchi said he would give me IS IL
would dispose of a pile of dirt for
nimL He asked me to take it to the
nearest city dump. / loaded the dirt
that night into a motorcycle side car
and made three or four trips.
"A day or so after that Trease left
for Ell Paso. Cocchi advised me to go
with him. / re- 'Ased. ! did not see
Cocchi after he had paid me the IS.
When saw his name in the newspap pers
! went to the Sixth branch detective
bureau and told them what knew. I
even offered to take them to the place
I had uwo&f fhn frt 4
had dumped It As l remember. ! talked
10 acting Detective Sergeant Matthew
Ward and another detective named
'Aristie. They would do nothing. I
vas arrested soon aftefward and on
APRIL was sent to the penitentiary."
Detective Ward in reporting to his
superiors said that Smiths story 30 far
as 1t related to his telling him what he
Knew OF the crime was false.
Nerifcation of Smiths story comes
from two opposite sources. Henry Roem-
mele an errand boy for Cocchi, a week
ago told Assistant District Attorney
Fitzgerald that when he went into
'occhis shop between February 13 and
Ia he found that one of the motorcycles
in the rear of the shop had basket car
attached, covered with a big blanket
Patrolman Thomas p. Garigan Of
Traffic + said that one night in Febru-
AIRY he found a man carting dirt In q
motorcycle car. This was close TO
Cocchrs shop. He said he questioned
the man. The explanation was satisfac-
tory to him. said Garigan. SO he per-
mtted the man to 60.
1T was somewhere around February
20 should imagine" Garigan said.
Priest Enters Denial.
Father Gaspar Moretto Of st.
Rsphaels Society for Italian Immi-
grants at 10 Charlton street. accom-
panied by Father Anthony Demo. went
20 the District Attorneys office yester-
day and branded as false that part OF
he Bologna confession of Cocchi In
which he said that he had been sheltered
by a priest for two days and aided In
his escape from this country. II was
explained that Cocchi made his confess
sion in the ecclesiastical and not the
criminal sense. OF the confession the
veil Of silence which the church throws
around the rite makes II impossible for
any man made law TO penetrate its
secrets
Father Moretto said his acquaintance
with Cocchi dated from 1907, when he
married Cocchi and Maria Magrina on
Ellis Island He could not recall the
day in February on which he met
Cocchl. He thought II was about the
middle of the month. He said
Il left Ellis Island ON the 4;fo boat
and got home at $50. There were eight
or ten persons waiting for me. Cocchi
was the first TO talk TO me. / didn't
recognize him until he mentioned the
crcumstance OF our other meetings. He
said he had waited for me for two or
llree hours.
II would be glad for you to hear my
confession, he said to me. | told him to
Vait until had attended 10 the others
Then he went to confession TO me and
eft Immediately afterward. He didn't
'sll me where he was going. didn't
zee him or hear from him after that
time, ! never gave him any money, nor
die he ask me for any.
i did not know OF the Cruger girls
disappearance at that time Not until
two days afterward did ! learn OF IL
through the newspapers. About r mont h
-