The New York herald., 1921-04-22
MURDERED FOUR,
HIS BRAG in COURT
'The Butcher Brought From
Dannem0ra to Testify, Says
He Earned His Title.
HIRED OUT AS A SLAYER
Relates With Gusto How He
and Others Lured Nazzaro
to Death i'm YOnkers.

Alphonze Sgroia was brought down
from Dannemora Prison yesterday,
where he is serving a sentence Of
twelve years, and told Justice Arthur
s. Tompkins and a jury in the Su-
preme Court at White Plains how he
came by the name by which he is
known among the gangsters and other
crooks of the lower East Side. They
call him "The Butcher" Sgroia said
and he was known throughout the dis
trict as a man who always obeyed the
orders of the man known as king
Of the gang" and as a man who would
commit murder on short notice for a
small sum.
Have you been implicated in many
murders?" asked District Attorney Lee
Parsons Davis.
Sure" said Sgroia, carelessly. Il
belonged to the Coney Island and Navy
street gangs. got three other muir
ders to my credit"
Sgroia was one of the States star
witnesses in the trial Of Frank Fevrola
who was shot to death on March IS.
1917, in wooded section OF YonlSers
near Nepera Park. The witness adj
mitted readily that he was one Of the
party that 1ured Nazzaro to Yonkers
and there shot him to death, but. he
said. that although he fired bullet into
the mans body It was not his affair.
really, but Fevrola's. and that he merely
fired to help out Fevrola. and to make
sure that the orders of the boss were
carried out.
Sgroia appeared rather pleased at the
opportunity TO tell OF his crime. and he
related with gusto the many times the
chiefs OF the Navy street and the Coney
Island gangs had sent him out to COM
NIT a murder He said that as near as
he had been able to learn the murder
of Nazzaro was brought about because
Fevrola thought Nazzaro would try to
get even with him for something that
had come up between them He. Few
rola, Antonio Paretti and Anniello Pa
retu met Nazzaro in Yonkers, Sgroia
said.
"we walked some distance" he went
on. 'and then, according TO a signal We
had arranged F'evrola said he was sick
and ne stepped back. He fired at Naz-
zaro. the bullet hitting the man In the
back. Anniello and myself fired accord.
Ing to our arrangement with Fevrola,
and then we run away We threw away
our guns and took a car for Mount
Vernon, and then back to New York
Did you shoot 10 kill after you saw
Fevrola shoot at Nazzaro?"
When you shoot you shoot to lxill."
replied Sgroia. You must understand
that this was not my case. When I
shot on my own cases / never shot a
man In the back"
Sgroia went on to tell much Of the
inside history OF the Navy street and
Coney Island gangs II was much the
same as the history OF the other gangs
that have risen 10 power In New York
from time TO time and which have then
been clubbed and shot to earth by the
Police Department.
The gang history had many ramifica-
tions. and for this reason the testimony
OF Raffealle Daniello was also heard.
Daniello is better known In gangdom as
Ralph the Barber. and is the man who
boasted OF thirteen murders when he
was arrested some time ago and sent
to prison after being convicted. At that
time he said he received $20 week as
a professional murderer He denied this
yesterday. however.
1T was two murders that have
done" he said.
Who do you people kill?" he was
asked.
He said that they killed anybody their
boss told them 20 kill. but that usually
these were mo good people--old Grim
inals." He testified that he had heard
Fevroia and Paretti tell another man
they had killed Nazzaro.
The trial will be continued to-day.