The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-12-10

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Hers ett ded tElat on ssSltn.flay n slt
after SIX IS she was coming home she
heard screams, and went IN 70 ES.osass
house to ind her bending over jan
uary with gun. Rosa said: 7 dl4
January" There was nobody nome,
but herself and the smaller children
Nick, the husband Of Rosa, TESTIFIED
that his wife told him about the ae-
lions Of the would-be lover, saying
that she didn't want him longer IN
the house, and that he replied: an
right, we won't have him, then. II he
raises trouble here! January then
stopped Nick number Of times on
the street and other places TO ask why
he could not come in as usual. He
got very mad because Nick continued
to refuse to see him at the house, ana
finally told Nick himself that ne
would spoil Christmas for all OF them
there.
twas brought out in the testimony
that while January had known Rosa
in Italv years ago, Rosa was then but
ten years old, too young Tor any love
affair to have been started.
Rosa was allowed to tell her own
story in her own way as follows; she
spoke quickly in much excitement,
living over the shooting in realistic
manner. She motioned with her
hands and shook her head in a tense
way. She began:
January she called him Jeimero),
he come to my house say, you bet
ter get out of h"re. He say, Rosa,
YOU, so pretty. l want you to go
way with me. say, no trade my
man for 1000! He say bad words
to me, and I say he better not tell me
those words again! Ny little girl and
baby cry, and I push him out the
door (This occurred on visit. before
the shooting). He say he want me
leave my little girls, and II don't, ne
fix me. Then he say again, you mnch
pretty! I say, got one man to Watcn
me and not like him watch me and
say me pretty. He say. Ne dies for
you! take big stick and hit him
over head. He say he cut my face up
soon He say have no Christmas.
He say he will do me right when he
get me! 1 not let children go to
school one week. F'raid he come
when I alone"
On the Saturday before the shoot
ing. January visited the home Of Rosa
again. He again asked her If she in
tended to go away with him. and
when she refused emphatically, he
again threatened that Christmas
would find the family spoiled. Rosa
in testffying, said that if she had not
killed January, he would have killed
either her or her husband, and IN
either instance she saw but one thing
to do to remedy the matter. A num-
Der of her friends feel that she pre-
ferred to sacrifice herself If necessary
to be rid of January. 50 that the faith
er of her eight children might be saw
ed.
On Sunday night January visited
Rosa's home, appearing suddenly
with one hand held in his pocket he
attempted to have Rosa sit beside
him. arranging two chairs for that
purr%se. Rosa testified that she saw
instantly what was going to happen
and reached for her own revolver
One shot from January's gun struck
the floor and one shot form Rosa
gun struck the opposite wall. Depu-
ties from the Sherif's office examined
the wall and floor early this morning.
Rosa. shot a number OF times, and
even after January fell to the floor
she shot again an struck his head
with the handle Of the gin to make
sure he would not rise and Still shoot
her. She then ran to the door and
called for help, saying that she could
get nobody at all for a long time. She
sent one of her children for the po-
ice to come ard arrest her, not for
a moment trying to deny the crime.
Her oldest daughter, aged II, tes-
tilted merely that the man lay on the
floor dead when she came back into
the room after leaving for a moment
This child was the only witness OF the
shooting