Evening star., 1939-05-12

hoD the Philadelphia murder
tor-insurdnce syndicate 1Dds dis
covered and ho1p it tDds able to
operate without detection for
gears.
BY DAVID G. WITTELS.
PHILADELPHIA, May IL (N.A.-
NAD-Detectives had no idea. as
they sped to the hospital bed of the
dying Ferdinand Alfonsi last Octo-
ber, that they were tackling the
greatest mass-murder plot in the
history of the United States.
They though they were going out
on a more or less routine love tri-
angle" murder. The standard ele-
ments were there: Stella, the wife
pretty, young, dissatisfied; the hus-
band. who lost his money; Herman
Pertillo, the friend" who had a
way with women.
1t was acting 1t. Samuel Riccardi
of the homicide squad who got the
first hunch. Checking insurance
for a motive, he found a surprising
amounts, ,OO0-for a man ON a w
P A. laborers pay. Checking Per-
tillo, he found he spent much of
his time at the home of Mrs. Carina
Favato, dumpy, exceedingly plain
middle-aged woman.
Began Checking Insurance.
1t. Riccardi wondered why Pet
rillo spent so much time there
Checking on Mrs. Favato, he noted
that after her common law husband,
Charles Ingrao, died two years pre-
vious, and after her 17-year-old
stepson, Philip, died a year later,
she showed signs of sudden afflu-
ence. He found that Giuseppe di
MARITIME, neighbor, died after a
short illness during which Mrs.
Favato nursed him. He began check
ing the insurance on them.
He found that Di MARITIME, $40
a-week laborer. had $4,000 insur-
ance on his life, $l.97937 of it di-
rectly payable to Mrs. Favato.
And he found that motherless
Philip, whom Mrs. Favato took into
her home only after his father
died, was earning only S6 week as
a bakers apprentice-yet his life
was insured for $500! All of it
payable to Mrs. Favato!
Herman Petrillo and Stella Al
fonsi already were in Jail. charged
with the murder of Ferdinand AL
fonsi. But both kept insisting dog
gedly that they did not murder
him.
1t. Riccardi picked up Mrs. Susie
Di Martino, wispy, bewildered-
looking woman, widow of Giuseppe
Di MARITIME. She told him that Pc
trillo and Mrs. Favato had arranged
for insurance on her husband. that
they had given her bottle of
"Fatura," or magic water to give
her husband. Her husband had been
bad to her, she said.
Magic Water" and Evil Spirits"
Mrs. Favato and Petrillo told her
that the magic water" would put
evil spirits" to work on her hus-
abnd and that he would die But
it would be the "evil spirits" killing
him, as he deserved, and not she.
She said they got her to sign a
paper and cheated her out of most
Of the insurance.
A parade of women in black began
at City Hall as detectives began
bringing in widows. A parade of
grave-diggers went to work on
graves, exhuming bodies The re-
ports of the chemists began coming
in arsenic j.. arsenic .
arsenic
They put Petrillo on trial first. He
denied everything. But jury be-
lieved the evidence, found him guilty
with no recommendation for mercy
Then they put Mrs. Favato on
trial. Stolidly she listened and de-
MED as they piled up damning evi-
dence against her. She remained
stony-faced as witnesses told how
she threw gay party the day her
stepson died.
Then came Mrs. Di Martino, and
falteringly she told her story.
Up rose Mrs. Favato in her chair,
like squatting figure by Jacob Ep-
stein come to life.
"All right" she said slowly. IF you
want me to talk, 1 will talk"
That cracked the case wide open.
They confronted Petrillo with her
He snarled, "All right, if that --
is squealing, I'll spill, too
The real parade of arrests began.
Big Cesare Valenti, the professional
killer since his days with the Malta
in Italy, who shrugged his shoulders
and said, What the hell, I got to
die sooner or later anyway" Shrek
ing Mrs. Josephine Romaldo, who
collected $1,000 on her insurance.
Coquettish, middle-aged Mrs. Agnes
Mandiuk, who got $4,000 insurance
upon her husbands s death.
The names of Paul Petrillo, fat
little tailor and witch doctor;
Morris Bolber, shabby little self
styled "phychiatrist," known to
neighbors as witch DOCTOR; Rose
Ruggiero, alias Rose Lisi, alias Rose
Carina. alias "The Kiss Of Death
Woman" came into the case.
kiss of Death" Missing.
They arrested them all-except
Rose Carina, ''The Kiss Of Death
Woman" They can't find her.
The lure of the ring, police say,
was Rose Carina, THE Kiss of
DEATH" once secretary" to Bolber.
She gave her favors to many men;
most of them died. She married
several men. All but the first and
last died.
The first was John Carbonne,
whom she married in Hammonton,