New-York tribune., 1920-02-02
Wife Murder
Mystery Sti1's
Rome Society
Young Painter, Son of For
mer Secretary of Peruvian
Legation, Charged With
Killing His Missing Bride
Crime Revealed by Chance
Husband Said She Was
Drowned: Watchmar
Overheard Talk of Shaving

ROME. Feb. Louis Ignatius Me
sones, q Peruvian painter and son of
Dr. Enanool Mesones, former Secretary
at the Peruvian Legation in this city. is
under arrest here on charge of hay
ing murdered his wife. The case is one
os the most mysterious for several
years and hiss excited keen interest in
sl ranks Of Roman society.
MesoneS eloped in 1917 with a daugh-
ter OF Attillo SimonettI. proprietor of
one of The best known art galleries in
Rome and a Commander in the Order
ot the Grown OF Italy. The parents of
the girl objected to the marriage on
alleged moral grounds. but after the
elopmeOt recognized il. L is asserted
ttas Mosones neglected his wife and
that in January. 1918 the latter dis
appeared. NeSones explaining she had
gone 20 Peru. Later he is said to have
announced the ship in which she had
sailed had sunk and that Signora Me
soueS had been drowned
Tins story vas accepted by the wife's
parents. who made no investigation, and
the matter remained in that status
until recently when q night watchman
overheard conversation between two
men, who said Mesone's wife had been
murdered. They said, it is averred,
that her body was "palmed off" as that
OF one Maria Rotellini, who. on January
l. 1918, was found dead on the Tiber
enban kment. BY her side was q revol-
yer and in one Of her pockets was a
letter addressed to a relative in Udine
describing her vicissitudes in finding
work IN this city and telling of her de-
c!slon 10 commit suicide. The BODY
was taken 70 the morgue, where it was
ident.Hed. At that time Austrian forces
occupled Udine, and it was Impossible
TO conduct an inquiry among her sun
posed re.atives there.
ne Watctman went to the moreue
obtained pictures of the woman ana
showed them to Sicnor Simonetti, who
recognized them as lihenesses Of his
dabsa teH. inVestigation 81 hotels mon
tc1ed IN the letter found on the pav-
sea o. the suicide showed q woman bv
tn mama OF Potellini had actually
s--Iec &c them, and now the police 4re
IT, ls 20 trace this woman. An al
legged woman friend Of Mesones is eli
minated from the case, having been in
sosgital al the time of the suicide.
IL the course Of the Inquiry con
oucted by the authorities it has been
ascerialned that no passport was is
sued 10 Slgnora MeSones, so that She
G. ID not have sailed for Peru. as her
husband asserted.
u0on the truth of the story told when
ms fe disappeared.
MS accusation is preposterous, +"
said. Il have been Prosecuted bv
Il police for the last two wears. I
haven't killed anybody. for | have bean
e.Dd for two years, and it is equally
ard to claim committed murder
though an accompiice. Ny wife
saled tor New York, from which city
she was Going to Peru. | remained be
had to settle mutual affairs, and was
gwen power o. attorney by nv VIE
to carry out this business.''
Nesones said he did not remember
tae name OF the ship on which his VII
a4.e@ ane declared he had not reported
-le vess had been lost at sea.
Interviewed b. q representative o.
t3a :GiogHa'e d'Italia." Signor Simon
e-H tod Of the elopement Of his
da1-a. .er
I'VE had lived in an apartment fac
ir that o. Nosones," he said, "and
N'a1 my daughter. then sixteen years
Oh. returned home from holiday
sa# c15Nge in the character Of the
sll. watched her and discovered
That Mesones was mating signs to her
rom his window and that she was an
swcrlng them. Inquiry about the
Peruvian resulted in the worst possible
reveiatlons and, wishing to prevent
them seeing each other, took my
daughter on long journey through
Italy. hoped she wou forget, but
shortly after our return She eloped
with him. The rest is known"
Mesones has two brothers, Alberto.
row Il the Iransvaal, and Leon. who is
liking IN America. The father Of
Nes0nes married Luigia Jacobini, d
member Of a good Roman family. She
is related 10 two cardinals and one Of
her nieces IS q prominent motion pic
ture &C tress.
The PRISON doctor visited Mesones
today and found him in serious CON
d.-ion. The doctor ordered his removal
70 the prison hospital. The police sus-
pee Mesones OF being implicated in
the forgery of bauknotes.
According 20 the idea Nazionale.'
when Smonetti was in despair over
lhe dlsapp of his daughter,
Mesones said to him Give me 10000
IRE and / viii 20 to America and bring
your daughter back" Simonctti CON
suited a lawyer who advised him not
70 give up the money.