The New York herald., 1922-04-23
ITALIAN KILLS WIFE,
HIDES IT TWO YEARS
Played Upon Her Jealousy of
Rival in Seeking Lat
ter's Death.
Special Correspondence OF THE New York
HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau.

Special Correspondence Of THE New York
HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau.
Rome, April g.
After a week of testimony in the trial
of Ignazio Mesones for the murder in
January, 1918, of his wife. Bice Simo-
netti, the mystery of the Lungotevere
Marzio" has become more of a mystery
than ever
The initial week of testimony has sup
piled for the first time details of the
trick by which the murder of the young
wife was concealed for two years. But
new complications have arisen in fixing
the blame upon the blind and dissolute
Mesones and upon his mistress Marie de
Angels, for the crime. Mesones him.
self appeared briefly upon the witness
stand. Marie de Angels made a hys-
terical and battling witness. The wealthy
Commentators Simonetti and his wife,
parents of the murdered wife. also testi-
fed. And finally Stella Ianella, the
young girl who led Mesones about the
streets. added the final tangle to the case.
which has been puzzle to the criminal
courts for the last four years. %a
The case is maze of sordid purposes
and emotions. through which runs as a
motif the strange fascination which the
diseased adventurer had upon women
from his we'll born wife to the little
Stella Ianella. whose mother kept a
tobacco shop near st. Peters.
With the revelations Of the week IL Is
now possible to reconstruct the circum-
stances of the crime. Before the trial
opened 1t was known that Mesones had
married Bice for her money and then
gone back to his old mistress, Maria de
Angels. It was also known that there
was a bitter jealousy between the two
young women, who on two different
occasions met and slapped each other.
Then there was a gap in the details
On January 4, 1918. a young woman
identified as Marie Rotellinl was found
murdered near the villino Borghese. Al
the same time Mesones proved by vari'
Gus documents and witnesses that his
wife had left him and zone to Americs
with another man. Two years later !.
was discovered that the young woman
identified as Maria Rotellini was In
reality Bice SimonettL
The question as to how Bicc came tc
disguise herself as another woman, even
carrying In her handbag calling cards
and letters under the assumed name. has
now been answered in fashion which
adds a diabolical tone to the murder
The new theory of the murder that
emerged bit by bit runs as follows:
Mesones and Maria plotted to kill Bice
in order to get possession Of her money,
making the most elaborate plans to cover
their crime. Mesones began to play upon
Bices hatred OF her rival. finally appear
ing to share 1t himself and declaring
that he desired to get rid Of her alto
cst. LII - "a
Bice that she must commit the crime
herself. So she assumed an elaborate
disguise and for three days went from
one small Rome hotel to the next. cover
ing her trail. She was looking for Maria.
But somebody was following her. On
the morning OF the fourth day she was
murdered
Mesoness plan worked well. For two
years nobody positively identified the
murdered woman with his wife. He made
bitter complaints OF Bice's infidelity to
her parents and demanded money from
them. They refused to believe that Bice
had left for America. even when Me-
sones produced postcard from her
written from Naples and witnesses who
declared they had seen her about to
leave the country with a strange man.
A reward of 10000 lire offered by the
whereabouts OF their daughter stimu-
lated young Sherlock Holmes. vittorio
Pellegrini. who finally succeeded In caus-
ing the arrest OF Mesones and in identi-
fying the exhumed body Of the murdered
Maria Rotellini as Bice.
The possibility OF direct completely
in the crime by Maria de Angels was
removed wlSn Maria proved on the wit
ness stand that she had been jail fol-
the non-payment of automobile hire
at the time of the murder. She began
her sensational testimony by declaring:
"It was not Mesones himself that
loved I only loved him because he was
the father of my child"
The child, according to Maria's testi.
mony. was given the name OF Emilio
Benucci another one of her lovers, who
regarded 1t as his own. Her tale was q
sordId one OF tangled love affairs that
began when she was 13. in which tn,
strangest element was her swinging be.
tween Benucci and Mesones over 9
period OF several years.
More dramatic moments were supplied
by the testimony OF Stella Tanella, now O
girl OF is, who had been Mesones's guide
about the streets. The fact that Mesones
could not have committed the crime oi
which he Is accused without one or sew.
eral accomplices tended to fix suspicion
upon her. She declared that soon after
his wifc's disappearance Mesones gave
her wedding ring. some bracelets and
certain documents for safekceping.
Didn't you suspect anything wher
you saw the wedding ring?" she wa,
asked.
II was too young didn't understand
these things" she stated.
cha alao confessed that ahn had seer
Mesones talking with rough looking
group OF men some months before tie
murder. and that he had said to her
afterward Those men would commit a
murder for only hundred lire"
The prosecuting attorney turned Il
Mesones who was present, and asked
him whether he had made that state
ment. Mesones asserted that he could
not remember.
RINDERPEST HITS CARABAO.