The Proceedings of the Old Bailey

 

693.   ANTONIO PITAZZI (28) , Feloniously wounding   Pasquale Cascarino, with intent to murder. Second County with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

MESSRS. POLAND and BODKIN Prosecuted; MR. TORR Defended.

  PASQUALE CASCARINO (Interpreted). I live at No. 1, Neate Street, Camberwell—I keep an ice cream shop there—the prisoner is my brother in-law; he has been in the habit of taking out a small ice cream barrow—I lent him a barrow last year, this year he got another one; he has been in the habit of standing with his barrow in Avenue Road, Camber well—I was going to buy a small shop near there; the prisoner knew that, I told him so—he said "Take it if you like, but we shall not know the result; you take the shop, and under the bridge we shall see"—there is a bridge in Avenue Road—he was in the habit of coming to my shop in Neate Street every day—on Thursday, 31st May, he came there between half-past 5 and 6 in the afternoon—I told him I had been

to see the shop in the Avenue Road—he said "I don't want you to go there; I don't mind another one"—he took off his hat, threw it on the floor, stamped on it and kicked it, and said "We shall see who is the strongest underneath the bridge"—my wife said to him "Mind what you say, those are serious words"—he said "Well, we shall see about it underneath the bridge"—he then went away—about half-an-hour after I went upstairs with my wife; I was sitting on a box counting some money to pay my rent with—I heard the prisoner downstairs say "Is Pasquale upstairs—I had left two of my men downstairs, Angelo Cascarino was one of them—they said "Yes, Pasquale is upstairs," and the prisoner came up; he said "Now I have found you"—I said "What do you want in my room?"—he said "You won't let me go in my place there"—when I saw that he was very wild I got up from the box, he then took a dagger with three edges from his sleeve, and with the other hand he got hold of my throat, and forced me on to the bed and stabbed me in the lower part of the belly—he tried to stab me many times after that, but my wife seized him behind, and he could not do so—she screamed out, Angelo came up and tried to get the dagger away from him—I did not see the prisoner stab Angelo, but I saw him after he was stabbed—my wife called out for the police, and the police came, and I was taken to Guy's Hospital—I remained there 17 days.

Cross-examined. The prisoner is my wife's brother—until this year we have been friendly—I asked him to take this ice shop with me, but he did not like it, so I said I should take it by myself; he said if I did, when I passed his barrow by the bridge we should settle it—my wife and the interpreter were present when he threw down his hat and stamped on it, it was in my shop—he was out of temper when he did it—he said "Who is going to pay for this hat? as I serve this hat, I shall serve you"—I got my finger cut in trying to take the dagger from him.

  GUISEPPA CASCARINO (interpreted). I am the prosecutor's wife—on 31st May I was present when the prisoner threw down his hat—later in the afternoon I was upstairs with my husband when the prisoner came up—he said "Now I have found you"—he then took the dagger from his sleeve, and stabbed my husband—I took hold of his arm and he tried to stab me in the belly, it only struck my clothes—I opened the window and shouted "Police l"—they came and my husband was taken to the hospital.

  ANGELO CASCARINO . I heard the last witness scream out and went upstairs—I saw the prisoner with the dagger in his hand—I was out in the knee with it—I turned him out of the room—I was in the hospital 11 days.

Cross-examined. I am the prosecutor's cousin—I was present when the prisoner threw down his hat and said "Who is going to pay for this hat.

  HENRY WILLIAM DREW . I was house-surgeon at Guy's when the prosecutor was brought there; he had a clean cut punctured wound on the left side of the stomach, about half-an-inch long; I did not probe it, it was in a very dangerous position—he was under my care for a day or two and was then transferred to another surgeon—he was let out after 17 days, quite cured.

  WILLIAM SALTMARSH (Police Sergeant L 6). I took the prisoner into

custody on 2nd June—on the way to the station he said "Is my brother dead or better?"—I said "Better"—at the station he said in broken English "My brother-in-law have money, me have no money; I pay him 6s. for six months for standing in Avenue Road in the summer-time, and 6s. in the winter-time; he take my barrow away; he have a fight with me; he get four men and his missis, and they kick me in the stomach; he is a vagabond; me not have knife, my brother have knife"—he was charged with attempted murder of Angelo and Pasquale—he said "What about this dagger? it is only military men that have daggers; they must be mad"—these two knives were found upon him.

GUILTY of unlawful wounding. (The prosecutor said: "I will forgive all he has done tome.")— Six Months' Hard Labour.