New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-02-13
Man Was Slain
After Quarrel
With Detective
Whitman to Investigate Re-
port killing of Importer
Occurred Soon After He
Left Police Headquarters
Suspect Is Identified
Walsh, Murdered Whisky
Bandit, Had $l5,OO in
Cash, Declares Father

The murder Thursday noon Of Az
berto Alterio, wealthy Italian i'm
| porter, in the shadow Of Police Head
| quarters was committed soon after the
victim had left Police Headquarters,
according to information which reached
The Tribune yesterday,
Former Governor Charles S. Whit
man was acquainted with the facts last
night, and he said that he would begin
an examination tomorrow or the data
which have been gathered.
According to The Tribune's inform
ants, Alterio, on whose person was
found passage for an early trip to
Italy, visited Police Headquarters
Thursday and had'a heated argument
with detective.
1t is said that the detective followed
Alterio to the street on the Center
Market Place side OF Police Head
quarters and there the discussion was
resumed. Finally, Alterio, shouting in
Italian. started north.
According TO witnesses, a man on
the other side Of Center Market Place
followed Alterio. A few minutes later
Alterio was shot and killed. and q
woman wounded by stray bullet.
Alleged Slayer Identified
Lodged in the Tombs, charged with
having guilty knowledge of the shoot
ing, is Antonio Mancini, who says he
! is a grocer Of Providence. He has
! been identified, according to the po-
! lice, as having been the man who did
| the shooting.
| Mr.. Whitman and James e. Smith
his assistant, handling the murder of
Frank Walsh at New Brunswick, N. j.
had received little information yester-
| day. Walsh had been witness before
them and had told of alleged police
connections with rum running.
! From New Brunswick it was reported
| that the authorities were far from sat
\ isfied with the story told by Samuel
Perkins, the negro who was one of the
crew of the truck carrying the whisky
which was seized by Walsh and his
companions before the murder. Per-
kins ie being held as a material wit
| ness, and Prosecutor Stricken of New
| Brunswick plans to check up many de.
| tails Of the negro's story, which, he
says, he believes is far from all the
man kD,ws.
According to Walsh's father, hotel.
keeper of Passaic, the murdered man
had $4,000 in cash when he left home
| shortly before the robbery. Only s8Os
was found in his clothes. The autopsy
be held tomorrow.
The machine seized by the booze
runners and alleged slayers o& Walsh
after their own machine was wrecked
was identified yesterday as having
been stolen from Felix Arnold, of New
Brunswick.
Police Of New Brunswick, who have
been checking up on the story told By
| Perkins, tonight questioned Stepher
Jense, taxicab driver of Trenton.
Jense told the police that on the
night Walsh was murdered an uni
Identified man hailed his taxi at the cor
ner Of South Clinton and Chestnu
| streets, which, the police say is les:
1 than block from the Salamandra ga.
rage in Trenton, where the truck came
from. Jense said that this man in
structed him to drive to New Bruins
wick.
Trailed Whisky Cargo
Shortly after they passed Princeton
Jense said that they caught up with {
black touring car which was trailing
the Salamandra truck. Jense said ths
he was instructed to trail these TIVE
machines until they reached Kingston
One mile beyond this place Jense say
that he passed both the touring car ant
the truck.
After they reached New Brunswick
Jense said that his fare told him t,
turn around and drive back towart
Trenton. This, he said, he did, an,
about six and a half miles from New
Brunswick he met the truck. Jens
said his passenger shouted something
to the driver of the truck which he
not hear. Then he was again instruct
ed to turn his taxi about and drive t.
New Brunswick, where Jense says h
was paid and discharged.
Jense, who was not held, could Civ
che police no definite description Of hi
psssengsss