The Sun. — 1865-04-14 (London, England)

PELIZZIONI'S CASE.-." THE SAFFRON-WIT.T. MURDER."  The case for the prosecution having closed,  Sergeant Ballantine proceeded to address the jury for the defence. He dwelt upon the great importance of the inquiry, owing to past trials, and upon the fact that the prisoner was under sentence of death. The police, he contended, had commenced with a blunder, and that sooner than admit tho blunder suppressed matter, which was of the greatest importance to the present inquiry. He should endeavour to lay before them what he considered the admitted facts on which the jury would have to decide. It was conceded by the prosecution— and that would be the first matter for consideration—for upon it the entire case for the prosecution was founded— that the act was committed, if it was committed by Pelizzioni, was committed by him when he was down in the bagatelle room. If he succeeded in breaking the groundwork and point of the prosecution that Pelizzioni was the only Italian in the room, he should destroy the whole case for the prosecution, for it was obvious that the other circumstances of the prosecution were of secondary importance. The case for the defence was this—There had been a variety of discussions, amounting to scuffles, in the course of the evening, and an ill-feeling had sprung up between the English and Italians. The English were by no means behind the others in returning any compliments the Italians might pay them. The Italians said that while they were ready and intending to have a row the English were quite as ready to create a disturbance themselves. The Englishmen, they say, had been calling the Italians ruffians, and using other expressions of that kind, and that two or three of the Italians did, in point of fact, force their way into the bagatelle-room, into which the English had retreated, and that it was then the matter occurred which formed the subject of the present inquiry. The question then arose, Who was it that struck the blow? The defence said, in contradistinction to the prosecution, that not only one man got into the room before Harrington was stabbed, but that two or three of them got in before that event took place. Upon this point there would be a great conflict of testimony. It would be shown that amongst others Gregorio Mogul and his brother John got in. John, indeed, was one of the first, and when Gregorio saw that his brother was being maltreated he took out his pocket knife, with which he stabbed Harrington, Rebbeck, and Bannister. At that time Pelizzioni, who was a man of great influence amongst the Italians, was at a neighbouring public house, and was informed that a serious disturbance was going on at the Golden Anchor. He went there for the purpose of putting an end to it, and directly he entered the house and went to the room he was knocked down, and fell on the body of Harrington. In a moment afterwards he was seized by King, and was taken into custody by the police. That was the case to which, upon satisfactory evidence, he should ask the assent of the jury. The learned sergeant then called attention to the evidence for the prosecution, which bore upon these points. At the clq,se of the learned counsel's address, which lasted three hours and ten minutes, Gregorio Mogni was called, and in answer to Mr. Ribton said he had been sentenced to five years' penal servitude for the manslaughter of Harrington. He was then subjected to a long examination, during which he repeated his account of the disturbance at the Golden Anchor on the night of Dec. 26. He admitted taking a knife from the pocket, when Marazzi told him not to use the knife, but he .replied that if he did not he would not get out of the room alive. He then struck the knife into the belly of the first person who came up to him, but he did not know who it was. He then struck the knife into Rebbeck. He did not know into what part he struck the knife, but he struck the blow with his left hand. He wounded another man, but did not know him by name. He did by sight. The witness Bannister, one of the parties stabbed on the evening in question, was called into court, and the witness at once idendfied him as the person. He also identified Mrs. King as the female he threw down when he entered the bagatelle-room. The witness was under examination when we went to press. The case was then adjourned till Saturday.