The following information is posted for the sole purpose of family research within the Yahoo Group The Court House Gang. It is not to be published to any other web site, mailing list, group, etc. without prior written permission and guidelines from the group owner, to ensure that proper credit is given to the group and all of our volunteers that helped with this project. 1929 WILKES-BARRE RECORD ALMANAC CAPITAL CRIMES The number of murders committed in Luzerne County in 1928 exceeded the number for the previous year. The number in 1928 was 22. Early in the year Miardli of Hazleton, who pleaded guilty to killing Joseph Beozrzo in June. 1927, was ad­judged guilty of murder in the first de­gree by Judge Fine and was sentenced to life imprisonment. January 3, Mrs. Anna Madar of Swoyerville, 45 years, was shot to death by lier husband while he was under the influence of liquor. Judge Fine declared him guilty of murder in the first degree and sentenced him to life imprisonment. January 15, the body of Mrs. Marcella Mile`saskas of Hudson, 35 years, was found in her home with evidence that she had been beaten to death. Her husband Paul was convicted of murder in the second degree and was sentenced to from eight to sixteen years. January 19, the body of Thomas Lillis of Pittston, 31 years, was found near his home with bullet wounds, sup­posed to have been inflicted as the re­sult of a dispute in a mine workers' local. February 16, the body of Joseph Cicero of Wyoming, 58 years, was found on a street with the head almost severed. The cause of the murder was not determined. February 16, Frank Agaty of West Wyoming, an organizer for the United Mine Workers, was shot to death in an office in the Miners Bank building, Wilkes-Barre, after a conference with mine workers who had been concerned in a factional dispute. Samuel Bonita was convicted of manslaughter and was sentenced to from six to twelve years. Steve Mendola, another one of those present, was convicted of man­slaughter and sentenced to from four to eight years. February 23, Mrs. Sebastian T. Blitz of Wilkes-Barre, 56 years, was shot by her husband during a quarrel. He was adjudged guilty of murder In the first degree by Judge McLean and was sen­tenced to life imprisonment. February 28, Alexander Campbell of Pittston, 55 years, and Peter Reilly of Inkerman, 28 years, were riddled with bullets and killed while in an auto­mobile, the result of the warfare among miners factions in that region, which had already claimed two lives. Campbell was being taken to his home by Reilly. Ralph Mellissari of Port Chester, N. Y., charged with being one of the men in the murder plot, was ac­quitted by a jury of killing Campbell but another jury convicted him of murder in the first degree, with life imprisonment, on the charge of killing Reilly. March 18, Dominick Aellio of Pitts­ton, 33 years, was shot to death and Frank Fordutto, 39 years, was wounded In a gun battle in which, it is alleged, two blackmailers attempted to extort money from one of the men. June 1, William Rohutsky of Foster township died of bullet wounds sus­tained while resisting a holdup in a hotel in which he was employed. Joseph Scavona was convicted of murder in the first degree with life imprisonment, the same verdict and sentence was im­posed upon Louis Enke, Daniel Sweeney was convicted of murder in the second degree. Warren Kistler, the last of the four, pleaded guilty. June 11, Edward Murray, 78 years, an inmate of the almshouse at Retreat, was shot and killed by Richard Gaughan, another inmate, who also shot the Superintendent of the institu­tion, Dennis A. Mackin, who died July 3. Gaughan was convicted of murder in the first degree with life imprison­ment. July 22, Mrs. H. H. Hoffman of Ashley, wife of a physician of that place, was battered to death. Her husband confessed to the crime after he had stated tliat ;iu unknown man and woman had bound and gagged both of them nud had killed the woman. Dr. Hoffman was convicted of murder in the second degree and sentenced to from ten to twenty years. August 2, Mrs. Andrew Rushin of Nantlcoke, 56 years, was killed by her husband, who struck her on the head with a smnll axe. September 7, Charles Engler of Conyngham township, 36 years, watch­man in a Nanticoke garage, was found dead with a bullet wound in the head, killed by a robber. September 22, Frederick B. Hess of Kingston, 36 years of age, was fatally shot by a bandit on a trolley car of which Hess was conductor. The shoot­ing occurred in Hanover township. September 29, Angelo Bau and his wife of Pittston township, were found dead in a field with bullet and knife wounds. The police came to the con­clusion that the man killed his wife and committed suicide, after a quarrel. October 8, William Jones of Edwardsville, a picture salesman , 59 years, was shot to death in the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Galletti at Courtdale. The real cause was not known. In October Mrs. Frank Lupinsky of Forty Fort was shot and killed by her husband, who committed suicide. The circumstances that caused the tragedy are unknown. November 1, Abraham J. Kaufer of Plains, 47 years, was shot to death by burglars in his home, who stole the cash taken in during the day in his store. November 14, Jacob Layaik of Port Griffith, 21 years, was shot by a rela­tive during a quarrel. November 15, Henry Roazza of Hazleton, 50 years, was waylaid and shot. His son was charged with the crime.