Evening star., 1940-02-23
De Perrin Surrenders,
Faces Court Monday
In Wife Staying
Police Soy Statement
Admits Killing, but
In SeIf-Defense

Joseph De Perini, "a, former
street car company employe, who
yesterday gave himself up and re-
lated details to police Of the kill
ing Of his wife, was being held to-
day in the Hyattsville police sta
ton pending a preliminary hearing
there Monday before Judge Walter
Green in connection with Mrs. De
Perini's Staying last Tuesday after
noon in the couples Riverdale (Md.)
home.
Calmly and alone, De Perrin walked
into the police station and sur
rendered to the desk clerk. With
equanimity he told police details
OF the killing, which he claimed
was in self-defense, according to
officers handling the case.
Policeman Earl Huber, who, with
Chief Arthur Hepburn of the Prince
Georges County Police. Sergt. Ralph
w. Brown and Ofncer c. N. Thomson,
took q statement from Mr.. De
Perrin. said the man claimed his
wife, Alice De Perini, IS, had
stabbed at him with a butcher knife
De Perini said he then struck and
stabbed her, and after she had
fallen to the floor stabbed her seven
more times with the butcher knife
he had wrenched from her hand,
according to the police version of
his story.
Reports Money Gone.
Mr.. De Perini told police he had
given himself up because he had no
more money. A sum of money he
carried had either been spent, lost
or stolen during the time he stopped
at a downtown Washington hotel
following the killing. He told police
he had made the trip to Hyattsville
yesterday from Washington by street
car.
When he appeared at the police
station De Perini is said to have
been unmarked except for a slight
abrasion on the forefinger of his
right hand, believed by police to
have been received when he hit
Mrs. De Perini with his fist. A
later examination of Mrs. De Perini
showed her nose had been broken
Police said the man admitted
calling Mrs. E. H. Webster at Camp
Springs, Md, and informing her
Mrs. De Perini, her mother through
former marriage, was dead, but
denied making several other calls
attributed to him. Police quoted
him also as saying he could not
remember whether he had written
letter to relative describing the
killing. The letter subsequently was
turned over to the Prince Georges
County police. The letter threat
ened suicide, police said. Yesterday,
however, Mr.. De Perini told police he
had no intention of taking his life.
Mr.. De PERMITS surrender and state
ment yesterday brought to an end
an intensified police search which
began shortly after Mrs. De PERMITS
body had been found in her home
Tuesday after her young daughter
had returned home from school and
was unable to get in the house.
Served Time for Assault.
Police said De Perrin, four times
married, told them a month ago
when he was arrested for assault on
his wife that he had served time for
assaulting former wife in WASH
ington in 1914.
When he was booked in Hyatts-
vile on the assault charge last
month De Perini said he was a re-
tired motorman for the Capital
Transit Co. Traction officials de-
clared this morning he had been
employed as blacksmith's helper.
Funeral services for Mrs. De Per-
ini were held this morning at
Gasch's funeral home In Hyattsville
and burial was in Cedar Hill Gene
terry.
Surviving Mrs. De Perrin are three
daughters, Miss Ruth May Lithgow,
Mrs. Elizabeth Webster and Mrs.
Mary Biggs, daughters by a former
marriage.