New Britain herald., 1922-03-29
Wife of Cropanese, States Informer, At- tempts To Brand as False His Story of Being Cut by Accused
Says She Stabbed Him Her. self-Charges of Bigamy May Now Be Preferred Against Him.
(Special to The Herald)


 Hartford, March 29-SensationAl testimony in the murder trial of Jo- seph Cianfone and Mike Ruggerio. charged with the murder of Ehio Renaldino at Pennington on October 25, 1920 developed just prior to the noon recess today when Mrs. Mike Barry of Brooklyn. N. Y, indentified Dominic Cropanese as her husband. who married her at Borough hall. Brooklyn, February 1, 1921, under the name of Barry. Cropanese is the state star witness. Wife Slashes Husband rf Mrs. Lillian Barry of Brooklyn, N. r., on the witness stand. testified that she was married to Dominic Crop anese in Brooklyn, in March, 1921, under the name of Jacob Barry. She testified that she lived later with g. friend at Bay Ridge and that her hus- band came there to see her. One night, she said, in either April or May of 1921, in Brooklyn, she slashed him on the left side of the face with a pen-knife. The witness testified that she was very near sighted. She identi- fled Cropanese as her husband after he had been asked to stand up. She told the court that one child was born of the marriage and has since died. l In answer to a question directed At her by the states attorney she said. that she had served ? years, between 1918 and 1920 in the Bedford re- formatory.
 She told the attorney that Don- into was her only husband. She said the marriage took place in Borough hall, Brooklyn. The witness was ura- ble to produce the marriage license | this morning. She denied that she | took Cropanese to a, house in 1919 and introduced him as her husband. Counsel Freedman asked her to come to court and testify she said. She said she had never discussed the case be- fore last night, and the first she knew of the matter was last night when detective, who was investigating . bigamy case against ,Cropanese. in company with a man named Angelo, but not Angelo Cianfone, told her that he was being held as witness in murder trial.
 QueSt1OneO Dy JuOEe Lawyer Calnen asked her if she was sure as to the time she cut Dom- | mic. She said she was sure it was after s o'clock in the evening because hc had his working clothes on. she explained She said the Angelo. with l who she discussed the case last night. lives in the neighborhood where Dom- s,, lVyr dev0 asked her if she was being paid for coming up. She replied in the nega- tive.
 Angelo Nerbiello of 6S4 Union street. Brooklyn, was the next witness called. He grew up with the states informer and knows him very we'll, he testified. On the night that Mrs. Barry and Dominic weer having the troubel on the street, he came along, he told the court.
 He said Dominic showed him tho blood and said:
 Look at what my wife did"
 The cut, Angelo said, resembled a scratch He helped the injured man wash his face and then brought him to drug store where idodine was ap- piled. The occurrence was between and S:30 o'clock. Cross-examined by Attorney Alcorn, he said that he did not know the Cianlones and that he was in court at the request of Lawyer Freedman. He has never been in New Britain. The witness said he paid his own expenses, also the expenses of Mrs. Barry. The witness thought the stabbing affair took place in either April or May. He said he was ap- l preached by man in Brooklyn and asked to come 10 Hartford to testify. He also testified to seeing Dominic in { a barber shop after the cutting affair. and said he warned the young man that he ought to behave himself.
 The witness in cross examination. said that when he was first approach ed to come up to Hartford he was asked to come and take ride, and that Dominic was on trial. The wit ness was of the impression that the states informer had been arrested on whiskey deal.
 More of the Stabbing
 He also said that on the night of the alleged stabbing, Dominic made an attempt to attack his wife. but the witness saved her from the violence. Lawyer Calnen asked him if he knew Ruggerio He asid he did not Asked If he knew he was coming to a mur- der trial, he said he found it out when he arrived at MT. Freedman's once. Mir. Freedman volunteered the in- formation that he was paying the witness expenses.
 The first witness this morning was Joseph Rocco. He lives at 7S Pros- pect street, New Britain. and is . brother-in-law of Joe Cianhone. He saw the accused in New Britain In 1920. Whenever Joe was in New | SCoc%ipvaA m ElnwAuth Pnwn1