The North-Eastern Weekly Gazette. — 1893-05-27 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

MURDER OF A WHOLE FAMILY.  A GRIM AND HORRIBLE STORY.  A terrible tragedy has occurred at ICiesistro, in Italy. The crime has caused the liveliest feelings of horror throughout the country, and in the locality the most intense indignation prevails against the woman who is held to be, mainly responsible for the deed of butchery. The murderer, Antonio Torchia, a carpenter, aged 40 years, had lived for all his wedded life at Nicastro. His wife, Giovanni Rubino, was industrious and domesticated, whilst the husband was sober and hard working. They had five children, the eldest aged eight, and the household was completed by an orphan child aged nine, whom his wife in the goodness of her mind had adopted. Entire harmony prevailed in the household until a few months ago, when, unhappily for all concerned, Tot-chin became enamoured of Clementine Chiurubals, a woman 46 years of age, who lived close by Torchia's home. From that moment all happiness in the little household tied. The man, instead of devoting himself as previously to his wife and children, commenced to illtreat them. Beatings were incessant whenever he was at home, and ad Ibis earnings were spmt upon the woman with I whom he WM infatuated. The neglecied w:fe, maddened by her husband's brutality and , the wrecking of her domestic happiness, sought out her rival and violently assaulted her. The police were summoned and Giovanni was locked I up, being finally sentenced to a short term of I imprisonment. She was released from :viol on May 12th, and on the road homewards she was overtaken by her husband. They ultimately entered the house together, and the neighbours without heard the door bolted. No sooner was the house barricaded than the husband, producing a revolver, fired at his wife, who made not the slightest effort to eseape. She fell dead at his feet, not a word escaping her. The murderer then entered an adjoining room where his children slept. They were already alarmed by the report of the pistol,- and seeing their father enter, wild and haggard, with the smoking weapon in his hand, they wept_ bitterly and begged him not to hurt them. The elde.3 child, Francisco, sprang from his bed, and, clutching his father by the knees, prayed for pity. The monster was unaffected by the child's petition, but with ia..rrible coolness fired close to the b•iy's head, killing him instantly. The other little ones tied in terror, hut the bloodthirsty wretch prevented the escape of all hut one son. His little daughters, Ange'.a and Maria, aged six and four respectively, had taken we'. ago tinder the bed, but he dragged them out and ~hut them deed upon the floor. Then le. e.-pied the erplim girl crouching in a corner. He wounded her, and the ! girl, falling down, feigned to be dead, and thus saved her life. With his sixth shot the murderer turned his weapon upon the baby of 18 months and scattered its brains upon the pillow of the cot. The neighbours had by this time secured help, and sought to break the door down. but before they sec.aeded in del:l., so the watchers at the wind :w arew TAO& emerge from ' the bed-room, calmly re-;oad his %capon, , and fire into his own moth. lie died at once. The dwelieg re,embled a , slaughter-house. The mur!,Ter had fired only , one shot at each victim, d-dth being in.stan. taneous except in the elles o: the orphan girl. , She will recover. When the news of the massacre became known the entire population of Nicastro , rose against the woman Clementina Chiumbals, , and sought to lynch her. The gendarmes, • however, succeeded in protecting her from the mob, and she now lies under arreet.