The People v. Terracco

179 N.E. 114, 346 Ill. 423
CourtIllinois Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 17, 1931
DocketNo. 20893. Judgment affirmed.
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 179 N.E. 114 (The People v. Terracco) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Illinois Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
The People v. Terracco, 179 N.E. 114, 346 Ill. 423 (Ill. 1931).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Jones

delivered the opinion of the court:

Plaintiff in error, Carl Terracco, jointly indicted with Carl Stepina, Dave Taddeo and George Raymond, was convicted in the criminal court of Cook county of robbery while armed with a dangerous weapon. He was sentenced to the Joliet Penitentiary, where he is now confined, and has sued out this writ of error.

On the morning of August 21, 1928, the cashier of the Service State Bank of Chicago directed the bank’s messenger, Ole Pederson, to take a package of money, amounting to over $18,000, in a brief case or satchel down-town to the Union State Bank. Pederson, accompanied by Thomas Meany, a guard, entered a Yellow cab and started down town. While on the way the cab was forced to the curb by a large greenish-blue Cadillac with wire wheels and brought to a stop. Three men jumped out of the Cadillac and covered the occupants of the cab with guns. One man grabbed the brief case and threw it into the Cadillac car.

The robbers jumped into the machine and sped away. The crime was committed around 11 :oo o’clock in the morning. Between 2 :oo o’clock and 3 :oo o’clock of that morning two men entered the Albany Park Garage and one of them asked the attendant, DeVries, for some gas, and as they walked toward the tank the men took DeVries by the arm and led him to a wall. One of them was pressing something against DeVries’ back and said, “You stand there; don’t move.” The instruction was obeyed, and a little later DeVries heard a car being started and was again warned not to move. After the car was driven out of the garage DeVries discovered the men had stolen a greenish-blue Cadillac sedan with wire wheels. The car was recovered that evening abandoned in Melrose Park and delivered to its owner. In the meantime Terracco and Taddeo were arrested and identified by DeVries as the men who took the Cadillac. His identification was made within eight hours after the car was taken.

The driver of the Yellow cab which conveyed the messenger and guard, testified that when he was forced into the curb three masked men jumped out of the Cadillac and one of them put a sawed-off shot-gun in his face; that there was left in the Cadillac a driver and another man in one of the rear seats; that the man in the rear wore a torn cap with a blue lining hanging down, which served as a mask, and that this man had a peculiar gun which he pointed toward the occupants of the Yellow cab. The witness was shown a cap and also a gun which were in evidence, and identified them as being similar to the cap and gun he had seen at the robbery.

The messenger, Pederson, testified that for a week or two preceding the day of the robbery he had seen the defendant Taddeo around the bank four or five times. He stated that he washable to identify the cap because of its tom condition and the way the blue lining hung down.

Charles Kobwitz, a police sergeant of Melrose Park, who had known both Terracco and Taddeo for a number of years, testified that at 12 :og o’clock, noon, on August 21, 1928, Terracco went by him seated in the rear of a greenish-blue Cadillac and was going south on Eleventh avenue. Terracco waved at the witness and his salute was returned. There were other men in the car, but the officer did not observe who they were.

Wayne Luce, also a police officer of Melrose Park, testified he was well acquainted with Terracco and Taddeo and saw them riding together in a blue Cadillac sedan with wire wheels on Twenty-second avenue between 11:45 o’clock A. M. and noon of August 21, 1928, and that there were five men in the car.

Officer Conklin and his wife were in the Buick sales department in Oak Park to have their car checked over, and Conklin testified he saw Terracco and Taddeo there between 1 :oo o’clock and 2 :oo o’clock P. M.

Police officers Sullivan, Kusack and Pieske, at 1:35 o’clock on the afternoon of August 21, 1928, drove to the home of Terracco, at 115 North Fifteenth avenue, Melrose Park. Taddeo was in front of the home at work on his own car and was placed under arrest. Officers Kusack and Pieske entered Terracco’s home from the front and Sullivan went to the rear, where he met Terracco in a passageway, leaving the house. In one hand Terracco had something wrapped in paper and in the other hand a paper bag. Pie was ordered to throw up his hands and in obeying dropped his bundles. In the package wrapped in paper was a sawed-off shot-gun. The paper bag contained two loaded automatic pistols, one of which was a German Lueger. These guns were offered in evidence,- and the German Lueger was identified as being similar to the one held by the man in the rear of the Cadillac at the scene of the robbery. After the arrest the police officers made a search of Terracco’s home and found a cap, which was offered in evidence and marked “Exhibit 2.” It is the cap which was identified as having been worn by the occupant in the rear of the Cadillac.

Plaintiff in error’s defense was chiefly an alibi. He testified that he was a married man living with his family; that he had never been in trouble before; that he was engaged in trucking stone and other materials and also conducted a saloon in Melrose Park; that on the night previous to the robbery he was in his place of business until 10:30 o’clock, when he closed and went to a public garage, where he spent about an hour; that in company with two or three other men he went to Carras’ restaurant at 1 :oo o’clock A. M., where he had something to eat and remained until 5 :3o o’clock on the morning of August 21; that he saw Tony, the waiter, police sergeant Boni, Dominick Regó, and four or five other men; that Rego came to the place several times during that night; that when he left the restaurant he went home to bed; that he got up about 9 :oo o’clock or 9:3o o’clock A. M. and walked to the home of Andrew DeGrazia, whom he asked to drive him to the Oak Park Buick Salesroom, where he had an automobile for repair; that DeGrazia drove him there in a greenish-blue Buick, arriving about 10:3o or 11 :oo o’clock in the morning; that they stayed ten or fifteen minutes, talking to the service manager, Guarine; that his car was not ready and DeGrazia drove him back to the saloon, arriving after 11 :oo o’clock; that he and DeGrazia went back again to the Oak Park Buiclc Salesroom shortly after noon; that on the way there they passed officer ICobwitz at Eleventh avenue, who waved at him; that after they reached the salesroom he told DeGrazia to go on home, as he would have his own car in which to return; that, however, he did not get his car because the repairs were not complete; that he saw at the salesroom officer Conklin and his wife, and also a salesman by the name of Walker; that he stayed until almost 2 :oo o’clock, when the service manager had someone drive him to his saloon; that he was not in an automobile any time during the day with Stepina or Taddeo nor did he at any time ride in a Cadillac car; that when he arrived at his home he went into his basement, because he had been informed during the morning that Angelo Maretta would leave some packages in his house; that he knew Maretta ran a few stills and delivered alcohol; that Maretta told him he would leave the packages there because things were “hot” and he expected a raid; that when he found the packages he did not inspect them, but immediately carried them out and while doing so he was arrested, and that he did not know the packages contained guns.

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Bluebook (online)
179 N.E. 114, 346 Ill. 423, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/the-people-v-terracco-ill-1931.