JUSTICE AT PHILADELPHIA. A Brutal Father Convicted of Murdering His Daughter.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 111, 18 July 1885, Page 5

JUSTICE AT PHILADELPHIA. A Brutal Father Convicted of Murdering His Daughter.

Philadelphia, May 31. — The course of justice in Philadelphia never ran so swift and sure as it has in the case of Archilla Onofri, an Italian circus-trainer, who was convicted of murder in the first degree yesterday for killing his eight-year-old daughter, Coraline. Onofri is a smoothtongued, smiling contortionist by profession, whose wife i« known as Mile. Tournour, a bareback circus- rider. 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 8 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 neighbours sometimes heard the sound of blows, but the children never complained and were never allowed to go out unat- ] tended. On May 11th Coraline was so sick thst she was unable to perform her usual tightrope exercise, and her father beat her with a shovel. It was shown that Onofri flogged the little Lottie all day, using a thick rope, a heavy strap and a shovel-handle, the latter being broken on her head or her body. Her stepfather also tied her, hand and foot, and compelled her to kneel down for hours. At night she crawled upstairs to bed, and because she moaned and complaiued of her back Onofri beat her again with the shovel. It was shown that, after lying quiet awhile, the 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 beating 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 the 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. "lam very strong, and didn't know when I hurt her." he said, apologetically. " She wouldn't even stand on the wice, and I used a ehovel and a strap. When I whipped the children they did well in their practice, and when! was kind they would do badly for spite." The other children could be induced to testify against their father only when he had been removed from their eight. [ The Coroner's jury recommended that Onofri be tried at once, and " that no mercy should be shown him." The trial began yesterday afternoon, after a delay of ten days, and the jury, after hearing the evidence deliberated only twenty minutes. The Judge's charge '.had been in favour lot the prisoner, because no gopd lawyer could be induced, to defend him,, and^theyerdiot was, after .ttie. merciful .charge, a surprise to>very ( one., Onofri .will, tp-mgrjdw.; be sentenced to be hanged.