JUSTICE AT PHILADELPHIA.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 3832, 20 July 1885, Page 3

JUSTICE AT PHILADELPHIA.

A BEDTAL FATHEE CONVICTED OF MDEDBEING HIP DAUGHTEE.

News from Philadelphia, dated May 31 says:—The course of justice in Philadelphia never ran so swift and sure as it has in the case of Afchilla Onofri, an Italian circus trainer, who was convicted of murder in the first degree yesterday for killing his eight-yoar-old daughter, Coraline. Onofri is a smoothtongued, smiling contortionist by pro fession, whose wife is known as Mile. Tournour, a bareback circusrider. They have three children of whom Coraline was the second. Onofri sometimes appears on the stage and in the ring as a contortionist, but his young and pretty wife is able to earn higher wages, and for the last year the husband has devoted himself to teaching the children the profession of their mother. Coraline, although only eight years old, was learning to perform on the tight rope, and when she did not make satisfactory progress Onofri was in the habit of beating her with a cane, a knotted rope, or a shovel. The neighbors sometimes heard the sound of blows, but the children never complained and were never allowed to go out unattended.

On May 11th Coralino was so sick that she was unable to perform her usual tight rope exercise, and her father beat her with a shovel. It was shown that Onofri dogged tbe little Lottie all day, using a thick rope, and heavy strap and a shovel-handle, the latter being broken on her head or her body. Her stepfather also tied her, head and foot and compelled her to kneel down for hours. At night she crawled upstairs to bed, and because she moaned and complained of her back Onofri beat her again with the shovel. It was shown that, after lying quiet awhile, tbe dying child again began to moan, when her stepfather, in a great rage, fell on her, smothered her head under a pillow and sat upon it. The next morning she could not be waked, and Onofri finally called in a doctor, who found that the child had died during the night of injuries caused by the murder of the night before. The body and head were covered with gashes, some of them four inches long. The lungs and heart were in excellent condition, and tho child was strong and well developed for her age, Death was caused by internal hemorrhage, caused by blows with an iron shovel. At the Coroner’s inquest Onofri was penitent. “I am very strong,” and didn’t know when I hurt her,” he said, apologetically. “She wouldn’t even stand on the wire, and I used a shovel and a strap. When I whipped the children they did well in their practice, and when I was kind they would do badly for spite,” The other children could only be induced to testify against their father when he hud been removed from their sight, The Coroner’s jury recommended that Onofri be tried at once, and “ that no mercy he shown him." The trial began yesterday afternoon, aftar a delay of 10 days, and the jury after hearing the evi» denoe deliberated only twenty minutes. The Judges charge had been in favor of the prisoner, because no good lawyer could be induced to defend him, and the verdict was a surprise to every one after the merciful charge. He will tomorrow be sentenced to be hanged.