Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 July 1875 — Detected by a Slight Clew. [ARTICLE]

Detected by a Slight Clew.

The death of Henry Lavino by suicide, as described yesterday, recalls a thrilling incident in the history of crime in this city, and an example of remarkable detective ability with which the ill-fated man was connected. Some years ago Lavino kept a pawn-shop on the east side of Kearney street, near Jackson, and had a sleeping apartment in the rear of the store, which was occupied by his wife, child and himself. On the night of the 27th of November, 1870, Mrs. Lavino was awakened by hearing a noise in the room, and by a dim light she discovered a man wearing a mask. The man was on the bed, with one hand clutching her husband’s throat, and one knee on his breast, while in his right hand he held a large glittering dagger, which he was about plunging into Lavino’s body. She uttered a scream, which awoke her husband, who, comprehending the situation in a moment, grappled with the masked man. A terrible struggle then ensued for the mastery and possession of the weapon. They rolled about on the bed for a few minutes, when, by an almost superhuman effort, Lavino seized the assassin, threw him over the foot of the bed on the floor, and in so doing disarmed him and with the dagger stabbed him several times. The would-be murderer, who was the more powerful, managed to get away, and made his escape in company with two confederates. During the struggle Lavino had both hands severely cut by the knife the assassin held. Then followed a long and difficult search for the murderous gang by the detectives. _ Lavino had been unable to obtain a glimpse of tire* countenance of his assailant and was equally unable to describe either of his accomplices. On looking carefully through the premises for some sign or object that might afford a clew one of the officers picked up a small key on the spot w here the masked man was thrown upon the floor, and which Lavino was certain did not belong to him. The key had recently been filed, and 100 or more workshops were visited until a locksmith was finally discovered who recognized the key as one he had made. He had some recollection of the general appearance of the man wffio purchased the key from the fact that he subsequently returned to the shop to procure a slight alteration by filing. The detectives next ascertained that some unknown person whose appearance might correspond with the vague description given of the purchaser of the key had been employed in a shop in the neighborhood of Lavino’s place some months previously. After another long season of search ana inquiry this person was finally discovered in some retired part of the city, but he exhibited no signs of having been wounded, and consequently could not have been the same with whom Lavino engaged in deadly conflict. Without alarming the person to w hom suspicion had been directed by such an uncertain trail of evidence, his movements were closely watched, until he was finally seen to visit a tenement at the city front, carrying articles of food which’ he had purchased. The detectives closed in upon the place, forced au entrance, and discovered within the object of the visitor’s attentions in a sorely wounded man, who was suffering from a number of severe knife wounds. On the alarm created by the descent of the police the patient had’been hurriedly secreted in a cupboard and covered with a mattress. He was recognized as a desperate ruffian named Cesario Jamie,, aad with his two accomplices in crime he is now serving a sentence in the State Prison. —San Francisco Bulletin.