Two Shots in the Morning: The 1913 Death of Antonio Repici

The death of a popular Dennison man in June 1913 left the Tuscarawas County community searching for the truth.

Content warning: This post contains references to suicide and domestic assault. If you or someone you know has a mental illness, is struggling emotionally, or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to get help. Click here for resources to find help for you, a friend, or a family member.

Antonio Repici’s surname is spelled a number of ways in the historical record. I have chosen the spelling associated with his genealogical records.

Antonio Repici (1885-1913) immigrated to the United States from his birthplace of Brolo on the island of Sicily in the winter of 1907. He made his way to Dennison, where his father-in-law was already living, and shortly after arranged for his wife Antoniella (1890-1969) to join him there. Antonio first found work at the railroad shops in Dennison and, when the 1910 census was taken, the Repici household in Dennison included two children and a number of boarders. Eventually Antonio found work at the American Sewer Pipe Company where he was considered a popular and sober worker.

The events of June 10, 1913, began early in the morning when Antoniella went downstairs to prepare breakfast, and left Antonio upstairs to dress. At approximately 6:10 a.m., shots rang out from the couple’s bedroom and Antoniella reported hearing a thud and a scuffling sound. She rushed upstairs and found Antonio lying in a bedroom doorway with blood spurting from a wound in his chest and a .38-caliber revolver on the floor near a window. Antonio died almost instantly.

The County Coroner conducted an immediate inquest and initially ruled the death a premeditated suicide. The reported motive was remorse following a violent quarrel the previous night, during which Antonio allegedly beat his wife so severely that the police were called to the home. It was theorized that Antonio spent the night brooding over the incident before he decided to take his own life while his family was downstairs. However, this initial verdict was soon challenged by a County Prosecutor who found the circumstances of the shooting to be “unusual”.

The investigation intensified as law enforcement officers examined the physical evidence, which suggested a more complicated story. Investigators found that two shots were fired: one bullet missed Antonio entirely and struck a wall and landed on the bed, while the second inflicted the fatal wound. This led authorities to wonder why a man intending suicide would miss at such close range. Furthermore, they noted that Antonio staggered from the bed toward the door after being shot, whereas a self-inflicted wound would typically cause a person to fall immediately.

Suspicions were further fueled by reports of long-standing domestic strife between the couple. Neighbors informed the investigators that the Repicis quarreled violently for weeks before, and one specific incident involved Antoniella allegedly striking her husband with a piece of coal. While Antoniella claimed she heard only one shot, a neighbor insisted they heard two, creating a discrepancy in the testimony. Despite these conflicting stories, the investigation faced a wall of silence as witnesses refused to answer any questions.

The saga concluded with a bizarre incident at Antonio’s funeral. When the funeral procession arrived at the cemetery, they found no grave prepared and the two diggers sent by the coroner were found fast asleep next to a hole only two feet deep. The diggers claimed the ground was to hard and they had become too fatigued to continue. Antonio Repici was eventually buried in the potter’s field. His widow, Antoniella, remarried less than a year later and lived until 1969. What really happened to Antonio Repici that morning in 1913 remains largely unresolved.

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© Noel B. Poirier, 2025.