ALLEGATION OF MASS MURDER

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 160, 1 April 1939, Page 6 (Supplement)

ALLEGATION OF MASS MURDER

Use Of Typhoid Germs

A murder ring whose .members used deadly typhoid germs, arsenic, lead piping, find anything else lethal they could find to get rid of "a long series of victims whom they had insured lor £lO,OOO to £2o.ooo’’ was unmasked in Philadelphia by District Attorney Vincent McDevitt.

Startling a coroner's court investigating the death of Ferdinand Alfonsi —one of four persons whose bodies have been exhumed —Mr. .McDetilt said lite insurance conspirators were responsible for the deaths of ''between 10 and 12 people.” Seeing iliat the court looked sceptical at allegations of such large-scale murder. Coroner Charles Ilersclt said il was his certain opinion that the gang had killed at least four persons find probably did away with eight others. Two women ami a man are under arrest—Mrs. Stella Alfonsi (attractive 29-year-old widow of one of the alleged victims). Mrs. Carina Savato (close friend of two other victims), and Herman Petrillo, aged 40, who, according to the evidence, sought typhoid germs on frequent occasions. All appeared calm and unmoved in court as lawyers outlined the alleged mass murder plot. The coroner said lie understood that sandbagging, drowning, and faked motor-car accidents were- among methods used by the gang to kill people they bad insured. On Ihe witness stand a former secret service agent and a Government informer asserted that they bad gained the confidence of the ring and pretended to enter a. conspiracy which offered them £l.OO in genuine money and £S(X) in counterfeit Io bring about the death of Alfonsi and others, Dr. Henri Dialoiizi followed them to testify that the prisoners had offered him £6O for typhoid germs. Arsenic lias been found by police chemists in the bodies of two of four men exhumed.