Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-11-09
MISSOURI STATE NEWS.
/. Mysterious Murder in St. Louis.

uAyStcElOuS N1uTOeT IN 81. AOuISs
The yard in the rear Of an old rookery on
Almond street, st. Louis, was the scene of q
heart-rending tragedy the other evening.
Just after O'Clock. when darkness had
taken the place of daylight, the sound of a
pistol shot startled the occupants of the row
and brought in those who were out of doors.
The first arrivals found Barbato Urbano, an
Italian boy, aged7 PROSTATE and breathing
his last. The bullet had penetrated his heart,
causing death instantly. The boys grand
mother started to pick him up, but before she
could do so he was dead. The boy had fallen
in front of the kitchen door, in the rear of 31s
Almond street, the house occupied by his par
ents. just here there is passageway that
leads from the kitchen to the yard, which Is
in the rear of lot of brick sheds. The old
lady believed that her grandson's assailant
had shot him while he was in the yard, for he
had gone there to wash his hands at
the hydrant, which is used for that pur
pose by all who live in the row. The old wo
man ran into the yard. The first person she
saw sitting there was Antonio de Rita, an
Italian ragpicker. He was few feet from the
hydrant. His wife sat upon her Doorstep, and
did not seem the least disconnected. The
grandmother rushed up to De Rita and de-
nounced him the murderer of the child.
When he attempted to move away she seized
him and called aloud to the neighbors to as
he drew a knife and struck at her, at the same
moment threatening to kill her if she did not
release him. She then let go of the man, but
before he could leave the yard a crowd of ex-
cited Italians, men and women, surrounded
him. De Rita crossed himself as the people
manifested their ind gnation, and looking as
meek as a lamb, called on heaven to witness
his innocence. His wife a resident of Almond
street for years, went to her husbands res
She alsO crossed herself and VOwQd
that De Rita wasinnocento of the killing. They
said revolver had been stolen from them
that morning and claimed that the dead boy
the thief and that his death was the
suit of the accidental discharge of the weap-
on. The bystanders looked around for other
witnesses. There was no one in the yard at
the time of the shooting except De Rita and
wife, the two latter claimed, but while the ex-
element at its height some one discov-
cred that Angelo Urbano, a 5-year- old brother
of the deceased, was standing near De Rita
when the shot was fired. He was questioned,
and said the shooting was done by De Rita.
The child told how De Rita had drawn his re-
volver. how he had fired and how, following
the report, Barbato had ran around into the
paSsageway and fallen. This evidence made
the blood of the dead childs parents
boil and their cries aroused the sympathy
of other residents Of the row. There were all
manner of threats, and a majority of the men
in the crowd seemed eager to take De Rita
and lynch him. When the excitement was
at fever heat, Police Officer Hutton into
the yard. He found De Rita at the mercy of
number of men and women, who seemed to
be doing their best to tear him to pieces.
Hutton ordered the crowd back and they
were surprised at Lis sudden appearance
that they released their prisoner. The officer
then hurried him out to Almond street, with
the crowd close at their heels. In less than
five minutes a thousand or more men, wo-
men, and children gathered, and it looked as
though mob law was to prevail, for huH-
dredS of excited Italians were in the thrOng
and all were shouting for De Ritta's blood. At
the southeast corner of Fourth and Almond
streets there is a police patrol alarm box.
Hutton opened the door, thrust his prisoner
into the box, pulled the hook. giving an arbi-
trary alarm, and then closed the door again
and locked it. This prompt action saved
De Ritta's life, for before the crowd had
chance to surround the box or get tools with
which to break it open the patrol wagon ar
rived and the prisoner was taken to the Chest
nut street station. The body of the murdered
child was taken to the morgue.