TRENTACOSTA AND POLIZZI ACQUITTED IN ROBBERY TRIAL Pair Had Been Accused in Theft of Cash, Bonds from Butcher A jury in Judge William J. O'Hara's section of criminal district court Thursday night returned a verdict of not guilty in the trial of Mike Trentacosta, 33 years old, 1818 Bayou Road, and Joseph Polizzi, 23, 1904 Constance street, charged in connection with the theft of cash and bonds from the home of Charles Rauschkolb, Algiers, on March 28. Following announcement of the verdict, Assistant District Attorney M. E. Culligan announced he will ask District Attorney Eugene Stanley to drop charges against Mrs. Bernice Cavallo and Mrs. Bessie Spiegner, sisters, of 815 Dauphine street, who were accused as accomplices in the theft. The district attorney's office had granted a severance to the two women, who appeared as state witnesses at the trial. The case was given to the jury at 3:30 p. m. The home of Rauschkolb, 50-year- Continued on Page Eleven ..... TRENTACOSTA AND POLIZZI ACQUITTED IN ROBBERY TRIAL Pair Had Been Accused in Theft of Cash, Bonds from Butcher Continued from Page One old retired butcher, was robbed at night of his life savings. A total of about $9000 in bonds and $1398 in cash was taken while Rauschkolb danced on a river pleasure boat with two red-haired sisters, Mrs. Cavallo and Mrs. Spiegner. Trentacosta took the stand shortly before noon Thursday and denied all charges against him. He testified that he had not taken Mrs. Spiegner to the pleasure boat or given her money later, as asserted by the prosecution. He declared he was beaten by New Orleans detectives who came to return him to the city after his arrest a Bogalusa. "I was struck repeatedly by their fists and heels," he said. Mr. Culligan began arguments for the prosecution shortly before noon. He described Rauschkolb as a "foolish, gullible old man who is girl-crazy," and added that the laws are made to protect the weak against the strong. He pointed out that the testimony of the sisters on the stand agreed in every detail with their signed statements which were introduced as evidence in the case. "The prosecution has never said," he asserted, "that Polizzi and Trentacosta were seen entering the home of Rauschkolb, but we are convinced that they were principals in the robbery. It is strange that in connection with the argument by the defense that Trentacosta was beaten by police, Dr. George Hauser, who testified that he had examined Trentacosta in Parish Prison and found bruises on his body, was never asked by the defense counsel what sort of bruises there were and whether or not they were recent. "I do not attribute the defense used for these men to their counsel, for whom I have the greatest admiration, but to the accused themselves, who are versed in criminal law." Mr. Culligan, in his address to the jury, further asserted that Trentacosta's alibi for the night of the robbery had been broken down by Trentacosta's own alibi witness, Mrs. Esther Desomines, who denied having seen Trentacosta on the night of the robbery after Hazel Hughs, another alibi witness, had testified that she and Esther had seen him at a restaurant at 1414 North Claiborne avenue. Chandler C. Luzenberg, Sr., defense counsel, attacked the testimony of Captain of Detectives Alfred Malone, a state witness, in his address to the jury. "Captain Malone is the only one who said Trentacosta told him he took Mrs. Spiegner to the pleasure boat on the night of the robbery," he said. "Captain Malone testified under oath that Trentacosta had not been beaten by police, too, and if he would not tell the truth under oath about that, his word about the other can well be doubted. The police who arrested Trentacosta and Mrs. Desomines in Bogalusa showed contempt of the law by taking the prisoners to the precinct station instead of to the Parish Prison where the prisoners should have been taken." He also argued that if the statements about Mrs. Desomines, who was originally charged in the case, made by the sisters in their written statements were true and that she did know of the robbery the case against the woman should never have been nol-prossed, as it was on an order from the district attorney's office. If the statements were not true, then the sisters were guilty of perjury and their testimony could not be believed, he said.