Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1924-01-14
MURDER JURY
| IS SOON DRAWN
Riccardo Lusters Campana,
of Carteret, Is on Trial
Before Judge KaIisch
MANUEL DIAZ KILLED
Few Challenges of Jurors Are
Made-ProSeCutor Stricken
Appears for the State

NEW BRUNSWICK, Jan. a.
hlccardo Lusters Campana, Spaniard
or Carteret, is on trial today before
supreme Court Justice Samuel Kali
lsch,f charged with the murder on
September 26, of Manuel Diaz. a
Fellow countryman. He is defended
by Attorney H. Theodore Sorg, of
Newark. Prosecutor Joseph E.
Stricken appears for the state.
The jury for the trial was drawn
within a short time, few challenges
of Jurors having been made. Prose-
cutor Stricken in challenging the
jurors questioned them whether they
had any scruples that would infu-
ence them in rendering a verdict.
The defense challenged the jury as
to whether they have any i'll will or
malice against a foreigner, or a
religious prejudice. The women
called were excused. DIR. Sarah E.
Selover. of South River. and Coun-
Gilman Charles A. Phillips, of Car
teret, two of the jurors called, were
also excused. Two of the jurymen
challenged by the prosecutor de-
clared they had scruples in render
ing verdict for the murder in the
first degree. The first was George
Serviss. a janitor of South River.
He was told that this hesitancy
would mean violation of hi. oath.
Axel Lembcke, or Perth Amboy,
another of the jurors challenged,
said that while he had a scruple
against rendering first degree mur-
der verdict he would govern himself
in the case in accordance with the
law of the land.
The following jury was selected
to try Campana: Alexander Mer-
chant, Highland Park: G. Sumner
Smith. Dunellen: Thomas Sullivan.
New Brunswick: Joseph T. Petty.
Plainsboro; Edward McDonough, Jr.,
South Amboy; Frank Mascarella.
Iselin; Morris Hammerschlag. South
River; Alexander Lembcke. Perth
Amboy; Alvin p. Van Dore, South
Amboy; Wilson Duncan, New Bruins
wick, Christopher Kelly, New Bruins
wick.
Giles Hullfish and Joseph Russo
have been sworn as constables to
attend the Jury.
tends that bad blood existed between
the deceased and the defendant. Ac-
cording to the prosecutor Diaz came
to the boarding house of Campana
and inquired of the boarding house
owner, Carmelio Mantana, whether
the defendant was home. DiaZ who
boarded at the same place told the
owner that he wanted to leave his
place.
'If remained In this place there
would be a clash of heads" Diaz
is said to have told the boarding
boss, according to the prosecutor,
who explaind to the jurors that 1t
was a Spanish expression for a fight
between two bulls and clash be-
tween their heads. After Diaz had
gone. Compana came out of his room
and asked the boss who it was that
then attempted to pacify Campana
the prosecutor says. Later in the
evening a scuffle was heard and the
voices of the deceased and Cam
pana came to the ear of the board
ing boss and his wife who had just
retired. They heard someone tumb-
ling down. At first they believed
that someone had fallen down, but
later found Diaz dead lying over a
chair at the foot of the stairs.
Mantano, the boarding house
owner was the first to be called on
the witness stand. He said that he
saw Diaz at 1880 on the day of the
murder alive and that he saw him
dead between the hours of 10 and
IL. Eugenia Corralles, brother-in-
law of the deceased on the witness
stand said that he saw Diaz at
o'clock alive.
DIR John L. Suydam told the court
today that he performed the autopsy
and declared that death was due to
profuse hemorrhage of the chest
cavity caused by a puncture of the
lower lobe of the left lung. When
the stilleto was shown to the physi-
clan, he said that he believed that
this knife could have inflicted the
wound in question. The knife which
has blood stains on 1t was found the
day after the murder in a nearby
yard.