1924 WB Record Almanac, Capital Crimes in 1923


During 1923 there were 10 murders in Luzerne County.  The record for other years is as follows:
25 in 1922
15 in 1921
12 in 1920
10 in 1919
13 in 1918
12 in 1917
22 in 1916
14 in 1915
14 in 1914
22 in 1913
22 in 1912
14 in 1911
14 in 1910
15 in 1909
15 in 1908
14 in 1907
13 in 1906
12 in 1905
  8 in 1904.
	
The record for 1923 is as follows, including one case in the latter part of 1922 not noted in the last Almanac;

TONY BONAVIVO of SWOYERVILLE was shot on the street by a fellow-country-man on December 29, 1922. 
 The circumstances were undetermined.

On January 7 MICHAEL GUIAKYTOS of WILKES-BARRE, 48 years old, was found in his home with a bullet in
 his heart, supposed to have been shot in a quarrel.

March 2 ANGELO ZAMBETTO of YATESVILLE, 40 years, member of the borough police force, was shot in a 
quarrel over a snowball fight by some boys.

April 9, SAMUEL TURCE of PITTSTON, 56 years, was shot as a result of dispute over a line fence.

September 21, Mrs. JOSEPH RUSHOWSKY of WILKES-BARRE Township, 27 years, was found 
dead in her home and her husband was found wounded.  The shooting followed a quarrel.  Whether
 the husband killed his wife, then attempted to commit suicide, or the wife shot her husband then herself
 was not known at the time.  The man was acquitted in November.

JOSEPH WAMZYM of SUGAR NOTCH, 60 years, killed during an attempt by policemen to arrest 
WALTER BORKOWSKI on suspicion of being a burglar.  A revolver in the hands of Borkowski was 
discharged while the man was struggling with a policeman and the bullet struck Wamzym.
During the year LEO BAIERA of PITTSTON, on trial for the murder of ANDREW BRUNO of PITTSTON
 on October 8, 1922, was acquitted.

FRANK ACQUILINA of PITTSTON, charged with the murder of ROSS BIARA at Pittston, November 
10, 1922, was acquitted.

JOHN McINTYRE, constable of ASHLEY, who pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter for the killing 
of JOHN CAMPBELL, was sentenced to a maximum of twelve years and a minimum of eight years
 in the penitentiary.

MICHAEL CHIARELLI of PARSONS, 40 years, died in October 16 of a fracture of the skull.  Was
 found in an unconscious condition and the motive of the assault was not revealed.

ROSCO MARTELLO of PITTSTON, 45 years, was shot and instantly killed and CAPALDO CONSENTINO,
 a companion, was fatally wounded, and TONY MURISOLA was charged with the crime.  The murdered 
man and his companion were suspected of having dynamited a store and dwelling of Murisola’s 
brother-in-law in a Black Hand plot.  The shooting took place October 27 on the main street of Pittston. 
Consentino died a few days later. 

DOMINICK STARNA of PITTSTON, 28 years, found dead on the street with a bullet wound on November 12.  
The cause and the murderer unknown.