New-York tribune., 1920-05-25
Sister Killed
Accidentally.
Girls Defense
Maria Tucci Says Woman
Threatened Her With
Pistol When She Refused
Command to Sell Honor
Describes Fight for Gun
Sicilian Maid Collapses ON
Leaving Witness Stand;
Will Testify Again To-day


Sessions yesterday how she had risked
it on a never-to- forgotten night last
March to preserve what to her was
far more precious-her honor.
She is Maria Tucci, twenty, who is
on trial charged with the murder of
her sister, Mrs. Angelina Cont
thirty-three. Mrs. Cont was slain
early in the morning of March 8 in
the fiat occupied by Maria. Angelina
and the latter's nine-year- daughter,
Concetta.
Concetta on Friday had testified that
she was awakened by shot and be-
held her aunt, kneeling or the bed
pointing pistol at her mothers head
The child said she saw Maria fire a
second time and that she cried out to
here: "You are killing my mother!"
Calls Shooting Accident
Maria swore yesterday that Con-
cetta slept soundly throughout it all.
She declared that Angelina was shot
accidentally during a struggle for the
weapon, with which Angelina had
sought to frighten her into submitting
to the proposals of Michael Mongiovi
a cousin. Miss Tucci, who does not
speak English, testified through an
interpreter.
What was it your sister wanted
you to do?" J. V. d'Aloia, Of counsel
for the defendant, asked her.
"She wanted me to go with Michael
for money" replied Maria. "She would
sell my honor"
s., From beginning to end of her dra-
matte recital the girl abstained from
anything melodramatic. She answered
questions in a detached sort of way
seemingly Needless as to whether or
not her reply helped or hurt her case
you?" Mr. d'Aloia asked.
"She said: Why don't you do with
Michael what do? You will get money
You will not have to work. You can live
WE'LL"
Maria said Angelina had constantly
urged her to consent to Michaeps ad-
vances from November until the night
of the shooting.
"She drew a revolver from beneath
the pillow. Now she said, tell me.
Will you do what l say with Michael,
my cousin? He is rich VIII you OBEY
me once?'
"'No, I will not do it, told her.
She pointed the gun at me and |
grabbed her wrists. l pushed her right
hand above her head and heard two
Shots"
"Did the little girl see this?" asked
her counsel. >,
"No, she was asleep all the time y
Maria answered.
Did you see any blood?"
mo"
"Did you know you had killed or
wounded your sister,"
irl
thing the matter with her. I called to
her, "Angelina! Angelina!' and when
she did not answer I thought it was just
because she was angry"
Thercupon. the witness swore, with
Concetta still slumbering beside her
slain mother, she went upstairs and
gave the gun to Santo Mescali, brother
of the youth from whom Angelina had
borrowed it week before.
She returned downstairs. she said,
and, still unaware that her sister had
been shot, carried Consetta to the
apartment above and dressed her. She
asserted that it was not until the child
was placed on chair in the Mescall
apartment to be dressed that she
awakened.
Says Sister Had Knife
It is the theory of the defense, as
that Angelina, finding that Michael
was tiring of her, sought to retain his
financial contributions to the family
by turning her younger sister over to
him.
"Did Michael ever say anything to
you 2" the witness was asked
Eyes" she responded. "He said:
'Why don't you consent to what your
sister told you and what 1 told you?'
said: 4 will not, for you or anybody
else"
On the night of the killing, Maria
said she went to bed after her sister
and niece had retired Concetta was
asleep, she added.
"Angelna got hold of knife" she
went on, "after l got in and kept
swinging it toward me. She made mo-
tions with it like she would cut my
throat or stab my heart. She kept
saving I must consent to what she told
me that night or I would die. I told
her to let me alone, that l had to go
ito work in the morning and wanted to
sleep. After while she put the knife
under the pillow and L got hold of
it, got up and hid it under the carpet.
Revolver Displayed
"'You took the knife Angelina said
when l came back, 'but | will kill you
tonight just the same. Do you see
this thing?'
Learns of Sisters Death
Maria testified that it was three
days later, after she had fed to Atlantic
City with Concetta, that she read in an
Italian newspaper that Angelina had
been killed. This was the first she
knew of it, she said. and she straight
way went to an Atlantic City police
station and surrendered.
Chief Assistant District Attorney
Talley, who is conducting the prosecu-
tion, questioned the girl on cross exam
ination concerning statement signed
by her in the Atlantic City station
house, many parts Of which are at
variance with her testimony yesterday
She explained that the interpreter
called in at Atlantic City had been a
Neapolitan, whose dialect she did not
understand.
!, AS she left the stand when court
pad adjourned for the day, Maria, pass
Tg the jury box to her seat, collapsed
and was mildly hysterical for few
moments. Not member of the jury
was aware of it, however.
Maria's cross-examination will be re-
sumed this morning.