The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-05-10

rested was almost too much for the local department. It was suggested that the federal government might take hand since one of the in~ sured husbands was thrown from Q boat of the New Jersey coast, placing that murder under federal jurisdiction.
 Mass Crimes of History Enough of this murderous enter prise was known already to place it among the great mass crimes of his- tory. Thirteen widows are among the prisoners. Eleven have been charged with murder, eight have confessed, two were arrested only last night.
 Appalling to investigators was the belief that the murders were still going on. Gaenao Peno, 35, of Sa. lem, N. J., died this week in a hos- pital here, where he had been talk en May 3. His symptoms indicated poisoning. His stomach was being analysed today. He had been sus- pected of being one of the few male clients of the murder company; his wife was among those poisoned. Int suggestion was that the conspirators turning their devices against their
 clients now that police were on their trail, had poisoned him. Also there was much to be learned of the operations of this murder service, and who it's leading director was. Those arrested so far have been mostly obscure persons without funds. Somebody apparently profited hundreds of thousands of dollars from the murders, at the ex- pense of insurance companies. The money has not been found nor has the conspiracy been traced to a cen- tral authority. Detectives said they had 8 person under surveillance who might have been a "banker" for the conspirators, but whether he was suspected of being their leader was not disclosed.
 Leading Suspects Thus Far Leading suspects so far were: Herman Petrillo, spaghetti sales man, one of the gangs executioners who confessed 21 murders and re- portedly named three other execu- tioners, the first suspect to be tried. Convicted of one murder he threat ened to starve himself to escape the electric chair which is mandatory under his conviction.
 Dr. Horace D. Perlmar, physician accused of having supplied arsenic to the gang, who set fire to the mattress of his jail cell in an at- tempt to burn himself to death.
 Mrs. Rose Carina, the so-called professional widow with the kiss of death," suspected of five murders, indicted but still at large. She was being hunted at Asbury Park, N. J., where she formerly worked in a laundry and from where she sent letter to Judge Harry s. McDevitte, who presided over Petrillo's trial, protesting that one of the states witnesses had falsely called her a "Borgia."
 Morris Bolber, a lifelong crimi- nal, suspected of having had a lead ing part in the conspiracy.
 New Revealed Gang
 Of the newly discovered murder gang, little was known except that 1t employed a poison with an anti mony base. The insurance plotters generally used arsenic, and in small doses so as to prolong the illness and make 1t appear natural, ale though one victim was given hem- lock-the poison which killed Soc- rates-two were drowned and 8 few were run down by automobiles.
 The conspirators had agents to in- terview prospective clients, to broach the subject delicately and, if the clients were women and needed urging, to make love to them and promise them marriage after their husbands were disposed of.
 The husband had to have at least $l,000 insurance and of that sum, the conspirators charged $500 for their services, plus ten per cent of all profits over s700.
 The latest arrest, made at Reading, Pa, last night, was that of Samuel Cispano, who allegedly was aboad the fishing boat from which Mrs. Anna Arenas husband was pushed to drown. The 18th widow arrested was Mrs. Rose Smigel, whose hus- band, David, died May 2, 1886. Mrs. Meyer Smigel Shenkman, 40, be- came thirteenth widow involved.
 Startling Developments
 Almost every day since last sum- mer, when the investigation was started at the behest of suspicious insurance company executives, there had been startling developments. The first significant clue, given vol- lntarily by John Cacopardo, 28. who is serving a 30-year prison term for murdering his sweetheart, Molly Strange, in New York, was almost dismissed as too fantastic. He said that his uncle. Paul Petrillo, was a witch doctor" and head of mur- der ring.
 Lieut.. Samuel Riccardi, of the homicide bureau, decided to inves- tigate the story in his spare time. He had barely scratched the surface when United States secret service agent, working with an informer, approached Herman Petrillo, Paul's relative, srispecting that he was dealing in counterfeit money. Pet rillo offered jobs to the two men. who were posing as ex-convicts, as executioners for a murder ring.
 Riccardi pieced together the story of the witch doctor" the counter feiting and the murder ring" and tackled new line of Investigations | that exposed the case as it stood | today. ...