The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-01-06
Catherine de Ninno's Crime
Result of UnbearabIe
Neglect, She Says.
FAVORS WIDOW PENSION
Woman Wins CIemency for
Girl Slayer.
BY Hortense Saunders

NEA Service Writer
NEW YORK, Jan. 6.-Answering
society's indictment with coun-
ter-indictment of society, pleading a
mothers case with an eloquent argu-
ment for mothers penslons-that
was a modern Portals defense which
won clemency for girl, who shot
her betrayer.
Wednesday Judge James W. Bar
rett, the youngest jurist in the high.
er courts of New York City
suspended sentence upon Mrs
Catherine De Nino, 16. confessed
slayer of Louis Elmo.
Dorothy Frooks, the woman attor
ney who volunteered to defend the
girl saw through the tragedy Of this
one girls life, a revelation of what
countless others in a similar environ
ment may encounter.
This case resolved itself into
home problem" declared Miss Frooks
HAD this girl been surrounded, in
her childhood. with ordinarily favor
able home conditions, this tragedy
would have been averted.
No Moral Protection
"Cat arine de Ninno was never a
bad nor incorrigible child. She was
one of eight children of a widowed
mother who spent her days away
from home, working at manual tasks.
To add to the inadequate income,
the mother took a roomer into the
already overcrowded house. How
could she protect her children NOR
ally when she was taxed beyond her
strength by providing physical neces-
stiles?
Had this mother been receiving a
modest widows pension from the
city or State, she could have provided
a real home for her children. Her
daughter did not commit her act
against society until society had
driven her into an unbearable posi-
ton because of neglect"
Briefly stated, the de Nino case was
this: Catherine, at the age of 70, was
attacked by Louis Elmo. She became
the mother of his child, which was
given out for adoption at the time of
its birth, and the secret was known
only by a few. Catherine went back
to school in the fall and at 16 fell in
love with Rocco de Ninno. whom
she married.
Threatened to Tell
Elmo threatened to tell her husband
of the past, and Catherine paid him
to be silent, as long as she could.
When she stopped, he made good his
threat and de Ninno put her out of
his home. Catherine, twice betrayed,
laid for Elmo, fired three shots into
him, was seized by policeman be-
fore she coulG take her own life.
cit is society's fault that this muir
der was committed" said Miss
Frooks.
The woman attorney obtained the
permissions of the court to have
Sophie Irene Loeb, president of the
Child Welfare Committee of America.
speak as 'amicus curiae"-friend of
the court. This was the first time in
America that a woman appeared
as 'amicus curiae" in defense 70 an
other woman in manslaughter
trial The legal procedure itself was
almost obsolete.
Her Chance
This gave Miss Loeb, an advocate
of widows pensions, the chance to
point out that a pension might have
prevented the occurrence of four
years ago which eliminated in
murder, also to analyze the tragedy
in its broader social aspects, from the
standpoint of the general public.
''The case brought letters of sym
patty and offers of aid from every
corner of the United States" Miss
Frooks said. There were re-
quests from dozens Of women
strangers to Catherine--to be allowed
to testify for her.
1.-THE people who actually knew her
are few. Her teachers almost had
forgotten her, and her friends were
all children themselves-to young to
make good character witnesses"
Miss Frooks, though still in her
eos, has had varied and eventful
career She is the youngest woman
member of the United States SUI
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