Omaha daily bee., 1920-04-23
Mother Of Slain Girl Tells Po-
lice Husband Had Often
Threatened to Kill Her and
Her Daughter.
INVESTIGATIONS SHOW
SUICIDE Is IMPROBABLE
Detectives Say Woman Could
Not Have Pulled Trigger
Arena and His Brother Arc
Taken Into Custody.

Americus Arena, 1887 South
Twenty-third street, accused by his
.mothcr-in in-law Of numbering his To-
year-old bride of month. was ar
rested yesterday afternoon with his
brother James, and both are held
for investigation pending the inquest
j which will begin today.
Z Chief of Detectives John 7. Dunn
stated yesterday afternoon it was
, impossible for the young girl to
have killed herself in view of the
physical facts surrounding the case.
Gun Beyond Her Strength"
"The weapon used" Chief Dunn
said. was an old style hammerleSs
pistol and | don't believe the girl
had strength enough to pull the
trigger. 1t is very stiff and almost
impossible to pull when you use all
OF the strength in your hand"
Another theory advanced by the
poiicc is that no powder marks we're
found on the girls head and experts
say the revolver was fired at dis
tance of more than four feet
Men Stick to Story.
Efforts of the police to get con-
fession from Arena and his brother
were of no avail as they stuck to the
story told the police Wednesday
night when thew declared that the
girl wife had killed herself.
Mrs. Catherine Laccio. 1915 South
Twelticth street. the girls mother,
told of the romance of her daughter
Marie yesterday afternoon.
/g I'VE were opposed to having
$Marie marry Arena" she said be-
tween sobs as her husband Case
tano supported her, "but March 25
4 they ran off and were married by
justice of the peace. A few days
later they had their marriage con-
firnied by Father Michael Stagno at
St. Annes church.
Husband Threatened Mothsx,s :.
when I opposed the marriage
Arena threatened to kill me several
times. Only yesterday Marie came
over to sec me. She was sad be-
cause | had not been to her home to
sec her. She came to see me and
to tell me that she could not come
to visit me any more because Arena
had forbidden her to do SO.
"'lf he finds out that have been
\hcrc today, he'll kill me- she told me
"Wednesday afternoon-and now
she's dead"
Mother Causes Arrests.
Mrs, Laccio did not learn of her
daughters death until Thursday
III .1i,ing. when she was interviewed
BY a newspaper man. She immedi-
a. iv called the police and told Cap
tain Dillon OF the threats OF her som
IL NV.
Detectives Haze and Whalen went
to Arenas home and he was taken
to the Office OF Chief of Detectives
Dunn. where he was questioned for
mare than a half all hour. He was
thea t.i.ea to the Jail, where he is
he'd incommuu:cado. His brother
We tai:en into custody holr later.
The Husbands Story.
Arena and his brother declared to
the police Wednesday night that
Marie idu klSScu lGI uuSpdtu dIteI
he got her glass OF water and that
when he went back into the kitchen
70 talk to his brother, who makes
his home with Americus, they heard
a shot.
They rushed into the bedroom.
they said, and found Marie lying
across the bed with blood stream
ing from a bullet hole in her fore
head. Americas revolver lay beside
her, the brothers told the police.
1* Dead Girl Was Belle.
The dead girl, who was known as
the queen" Of Little Italy," first
met her husband during the war.
When he received his discharge
from the army they were engaged,
and six weeks ago they were mar
ried.
An inquest will be held by County
Attorney Shotwell, this morning at
the Hulse & Riepen undertaking
parlors, 70i South Sixteenth street.