Norwich bulletin., 1922-04-10
WESTERLY

In the Third district court before Jucge Oliver H. Williams, Friday, the case of mayhem upon the body of James -ArraIt came up. Castagna had previous iy entered a p:"a of not guilty and was burned over to the grand jury. the bail bail being fixed at $2,000. Dr. M. H Scanlon who attended Arnott after the alleged assault Feb. 1, testified as to Ar nolts condition. His left eye was swoI- len and the right eye badly blackened quite piece of the right ear was gone and much larger portion of the left ear was missing His face was badly scratched. both hands were skinned and there was wound on the back of Ar notS head. It was very evident that both ears had been bitten. A section of an ear which had been preserved in alcohol was presented by Dr. ScanIon as being a part of Arnott's ear.
 Mrs. Marie Serra of Packers avenue testified to seeing Castagna and Arnott at her home on Feb l, with others. They had been drinking wine. Castagna had Arnott by the arm upon leaving the house James Arnott testified he had been in and about Westerly for 20 years. On the afternoon of Feb. 1 he started out to visit the home of his hrother-in-law on Pierce street and stopped on his way to get a haircut. He had stopped at the home of Charles Ser "a about o'clock. He had $35 in his pocket at the time, part of which he had collected for the Mule Spinners' as- sociation which he intended to put in the bank that day He said he asked Serra for a drink and he said he was there about an hour and a half. A man went out with him and toward the rear of the house. They walked to the edge of the swamp. About 200 yards from the barn the stranger insisted that they cross the swamp to the woods. He sat down and smoked two cigarettes and as he got up was hit over the head and the man jumped on him and first his left and right ears were bitten and he felt the man going through his pockets. He said he was again hit over the head and ] then went to sleep. He got up again but | fell. He saw light in the distance and started toward 1t. No one was at home where he first stopped. He came across ] a boy who took him to a man with a motorcycle who brought him to West erly When he was asked if he recog- nized the assailant in court he replied he | did not When asked by Attorney Fer guson. Jr. counsel for the state, if he 1 feared bodily harm, the witness said I asked him why he had barred the win l dows and doors at his home and he re- | piled because of a robbery which had 1 been committed in that locality the night 1 before. On cross examination Arnott | admitted drinking at the Serra house | but denied that it would have been pos
 sible for the third party to have been
 present and str1ck him without his hav- | ing knowledge of it. Arnott told of be- ! fFa Sf a | Is by Officer Resell and of Costagna being there and said he was unable to i identify Castagne as the man who hit him and could identify the man in court Friday Arnott was asked if he did not make the statement that he had a great l responsibility in life that he had wife and family and why he made such a statement He said he did state that he had a great responsibility and that was because he was out of a job; that was the only reason he said. Attorney
 Ledwidge. counsel for the defendant, ob- jected to such a line of questioning. The
 witness said he had no fear unless he had made a mistake and accused the wrong man.
 Chief T. F. Brown stated that Arnott
 told him he had been assaulted and rob
 bed by an Italian. He told of going in
 to the wood that night but not until he l N1S4lSu IilS o4JOI IliC llCAS NA4N
 he find a cap, cigarettes, matches and (
 five-cent piece on the ground and th' pieces of ears. Farquhar Smith, a. mem
 Der Of the police committee of the tow1
 council, who went with Chief Brown tt
 the woods back of the Serra house, telt | of seeing a spot where there had evi
 dently been a tussle and of the articles
 found as testified to by the chief.
 Attorney Ledwidge made motion tha the defendant he iiseharzed and reIea sef from custody on the ground that ther,