OCR Text |
Show uu I la! W mi IIIL wuiii Vitozzi, the Priest, Causes an Uproar in Camorra Trial Viterbo, April C CIrro VitrozzI, the priest, was called in tne court or assizes as-sizes today to explain his alleged connection con-nection with the Neapolitan Lamona. It was Vitozzi who secured tne re lea"se or Enrico Altauo, CIrro Alfano, Ibelh and Rapi when they were first arrested, charged with complicity In the murder ot Gennaro Cuoccolo and his wife. The priest went to the authorities, au-thorities, and said that he had learned in the confessional the identity ol the assassins and that the men under arrest ar-rest were innocent. He -was believed and not only secured the freedom of his friends, but subsequently denounced denounc-ed do Angells and Amadeo as the murderers These men had some difficulty dif-ficulty in discrediting tho priest. As "he testified today, Vitozzi could not,or"would,not, control his emotions (and, aided by. his attorney, ;who jjntor-Vupted jjntor-Vupted wlU countercharges. " against the Carabineers, caused such an up-j up-j roar in the court that President Blanch! Blan-ch! was forced to suspend the sitting. The priqst has suffered physically from his Ions confinement in prison and when ho was summoned to the bar ho advanced slowly, leaning on his cane. At his elbow was his physician who explained to tho court that he would have to give his patient frequent fre-quent stimulants to save him from fainting. Nevertheless the prisoner spoko In a strong voice. He proclaimed himself innocent, expressing surprise that the fact that ho was the godfather of Er-rlcone Er-rlcone should have been used against him. He had never done wrong, and know evil only as a servant of tho church must know It in order to fight It successfully. "When I was arrested," he continued, contin-ued, "I petitioned the queen mother, recalling to her mind that at the timo of King Humbert's assassination I celebrated masses for the repose of his soul for eight days. vl also asked Queen Helena for mj release because 1 was ill. Instead of attracting compassion, com-passion, I was sent to the prison hospital." hospi-tal." , ; When Vitozzi referred to a woman companion of Errlcone's brother CIrro, CIr-ro, who died In Jail, Erricone rose and, lna voice charged with emotion, asked permission of the court to leave the room The president ruled: "Erricone is a 'man and must show his strength. It is Impossible to allow him to leave the court every time the name of his dead brothor Is montionod." Erricpno, however, explained that it was not tttc hearing of his brother's name that got on his nerves, hut that he did not wish to be prosent when reference was made to the woman whose name had been linked with that of "Poor. Innocent Cirro." The president permitted him to withdraw in the custody of the Carabineers At this point Slgnor Plstoleso, attorney for Vitozzi, broke in with the assertion asser-tion that the witnesses against his client had been bought and that he could prove it This brought fourth denials from the prosecution and. In tho hubbub that followed, the session was adjourned. |