New Britain herald., 1918-10-04
PERRETTAS
 CONVICTED OF MURDER
Especial to the HeraldD

Especial to the Herald,)
 Hartford, Oct 4.-Joseph and Bras mo Perretta were found guilty ot murder in the first degree by jury in the superior court late this after noon. They were charged with having murdered Frank Palmese on Cherry street Now Britain, on the night of June ;.
 The case went to the jury at 2:l5 o'clock after the charge by Judge Burpee which consumed an hour. During the judges charge, Mrs. Bras mo Perretta became hysterical and tell over into the lap of her mother, sitting next to her. The jury was out 45 minutes.
 Judge Burpee directed that the brothers be hanged at state prison on February 5, 1919. Both collapsed when sentence was pronounced
 Today's session of the court opened with arguments by the attorneys. Judge Noble E. Pierce of the counsel for the defense said that the only strong thing in the case was the iden- tftication of the acused by Palmese. There was no question that Palmese
  ton whether the identification was based on sufficient observation and it must be considered whether he spoke from influence or imagination. The state, said counsel proceeded to es- ! tablish a motive and that advanced Is n two edged sword. Reference was made to the trouble between the Per- rettas and the others. That might account for PalmeSes identification Judge Pierce highly complimented the policefor their zeal in building up the ease. Counsel then proceeded to ques- ton if the circumstances of the Gls- sault justified the identification made by PaImese. Judge Pierce argued that the assault was made from the rear and reviewed in detail the cir cumstances pointing to that. The defense then spoke of the motive. Mrs. Cora Nappi was the only witness who testified on the point. The accused, Erasmo. is the owner of property, married five years. He is no wild wandering assassin from God knows where" said Judge Pierce.
 That gun is a wonderful thing. said Judge Pierce referring to the re- voIver alleged to have been used and he spoke of the erasure of the private marks. That was not the work of simple shoe man. said MT. Pierce, adding that the revolver was a stolen one Counsel then advanced the sug- gestion it was not believable that the murderers would take the trouble to carry back the revolver to their own house. The natural impulse would be to throw it away. Such action was so different from that which led to Ina nf Pierce then reviewed Officer Carlson's s testimony regading the finding of the Pierce then reviewed EAOIN SHRDL weapon. That testimony was that the revolver was recovered from a stone pile, and when getting it there was a cloud of dust and the stones seemed to have been placed there wet and had dried.
 "There is another thing that puts the revolver out of the case. This re- volver has a black barrel. One of the witnesses testified that one of the men seen running away held a shiny thing in his hand" Judge Pierce said.
 AIcorn's Argument.
 States Attorney Alcorn argued that on the night of June 2, q foul, cruel murder was committed in New Britain and wonder in the dock are the mur- derers." MT. AlcOrn said that when men are in trouble their friends come to their rescue and tell of their good character. It has not been done in this case Why not '
 Here Judge Pierce rose to take eX- ception to the statement. Judge Bur- pee ruled that it would have been bet ter if the statement had been omitted but no exception can be noted.
 Resuming, Attorney Al.orn said "tC paraphrase a old saying, the best laid plans of murdcrers often SC wrong'" Tn this case murder was planned. The murderers did not in lend that the victim would be dis covered until the next morning. I'll that had happened there would have been another dead Italian and another unsolved murder" he said.
 The attorney argued on the testi mcny In regard to that given by Mrs Erasmo Perretta, he recalled what a distinguished lawyer once said: "A wife who would not commit
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