New-York tribune., 1921-04-22
Hired as Slayer
At $40 a Week
And Slew Many
Butcher in Pay of King
of the Gang ON East Side
Smilingly Tells How One
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Judge, Lawyers, Shocked
when You Shoot. You Shoot
10 KILL He Asserts; Mem
ber of Coney Island Gang
sr.eiol Dispatch to TIE Tribune

MOUNT VERNON, N. Y, April c1.-
With smile on his face which
changed to a sneer at the defendant,
Alphonsc Sgroia went on the witness
stand before Supreme Court Justice
Arthur S. Tompkins and jury at
White Plains to-day and told of sew
eral murders in which he had taken
part as if they were ordinary affairs.
He was testifying in the trial Of Frank
Fevrola on a charge of murder
Sgroia known as Butcher" among
the crooks Of the lower East Side Of
New York, admitted that he had been
in the pay of a man known as king of
the Gang" who gave him $50 week to
follow orders"
His story was so sordid that 1t ere
ated a sensation not alone among the
counsel for the prisoner but within the
ranks Of District Attorney Davis and
his assistants. Justice Tompkins, who
has tried many murder cases, also
knitted his eyebrows.
Denerosi Nazzaro was found shot to
death on the tracks of the Nepperhan
Avenue branch of the Yonkers Trolley
Company on the evening Of March 16,
1917.
Tho evidence to-day showed that
Nazzaro was enticed to Yonkers under
the impression that he was to kill his
so-called friend Fevrola, but instead he
was shot to death.
ToIIa YiUhfIv IF Cr3mae
Sgroia seemed to think it funny to
tell about the murders he had com.
mitted in the past five years. He
citation with the Coney Island anc
Navy Street gangs and Of the various
crimes that the gang members hac
been connected with.
After the witness had told how Few.
rola, Antonio Parretti and Anniellc
Parretti had taken part in the shoot
ing of Nazzaro, who was also known
as "Joe Chuck" member of the
lower East Side gang, it was brought
time in prison.
1t is said that the murder Of Nazzaro
was due to the latter revealing secret
Of the murder gang. Sgroia tes,,fied
that he had met Fevrola and two ether
members of the gang at Yonkers He
said he had been directed to entice
Nazzaro to Yonkers.
"We walked some distance" said
the witness, "and then, according to q
given signal which we had agreed upon
Fevrola said he had bellyache and
stepped back. Then he fired at Naz.
zaro. Aniello and myself. according tc
plans agreed upon before, also fired;
then we ran away. We took trolley
car for Mount Vernon. After reach
ing that city We went to Manhattan.
Carelessly Enumerates Murders
District Attorney Davis asked Sgroia
if he had been implicated in 1thel
murders, and in a careless way, a.
though it was a trife, he replied:
Sure. l belonged to the Navy Stree,
and Coney Island gangs. I have go,
three other murders to my credit"
Sgroia is now serving twelve year,
in Dannemora for manslaughter. Law
yer Thomas J. Oneill, who is defend
ing Fevrola put Sgroia through rigi<
cross-exAmination.
did you shoot to kill after you ga,
Fevrola shot a Nazzaro?"
the witness replied. "You must un
derstand that this was not my case
When l shot I never shot man il
the back"
Sgroia said that Fevrola had had al
Idea that the dead man intended to ge
even with him and for that reason h
had him enticed to Yonkers for tn
purpose Of ending his life.