The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-01-09

AGNCto OY tto AO1Cb " GIo 4GtOt0F 81
Disturbances an Other ToWns Of the
Island.
ROME, Jan. 2-The peasants in a
village In the Province of Trapani
seized a tax collector this morning and
arraigned him before a mock tribunal.
They convicted him Of oppression, and
ordered that he be shot, the community
applauding. Thesentence was executed.
Troops have been sent to the village.
Dispatches received from Sicily to-
day show that the anti-tax movement
has made great progress in the Province
of Trapani. Several days ago the dis
content In Campobello, town of 6, 1000
inhabitants, near Trapani City, had
become so threatening that the town
council passed a resolution abolishing
the wheat ectrol. As protests against
this action, the millers refused toreduce
the price of flour and the bakers an
nounced an increase in the price of
bread.
When these measures became known,
yesterday morning, about 1000 men
and so or more women of the working
class gathered from the town and the
surrounding country and began march
ing through the streets, The police,
who tried to dispense them, were put
to fight. The rioters set fire to all the
public buildings except the town hall.
From these buildings the fire spread
to the by private houses. While
q large district was in flames the mob
left the owners and officials alone to
fight the fire, marched to the prison,
and tOoki it by storm. All the prisoners
were liberated.
The soldiers, who had been confined
in their barracks, the registration
bureau, were driven out by the fire,
which had been started by a working
man before the course of the mob was
reported by the commander. When
brought out to save from destruction
what was left Of the town, the soldier
were exceedingly ~forbearing. They
forced back the mob slowly at the poinS
of the bayonet, and at no time received
orders to fire. Nearly a third of the
town is 10Y in ruins. Many families
that were burned out walked the streets
all last night. The whole town look
as if it had suffered from a lombard
ment. Among the buildings destroyed
were every mill and every miller
house in the place.
At Salemi, a town of Is, 900 inhabit-
ants in the same district with Campo
bello, fires were started by anti tax
rioters just before dark yesterday, and
half a dozen buildings were burning by
9 o'clock. Fires we're set by rioters il
several smaller towns also, and in the
early evening the whole district seemed
ablaze. The troops, although provoked
by the rioters repeatedly in Salemi, did
not fire. Several rioters were arrested
after a struggle. A private was shot
in the cheek and a captain In the
stomach.
At Pietraperlia, a town of ii, coo In
habitants, near C~altanisetta, an anti
tax mob set fire to three public build
ings and tried to get at the rest, but
was prevented by the troops, who had
been called out to protect them. The
rioters made such determined attacks
on the military in their efforts to reach
the buildings that eventually, the order
to fire was given. Five were killed
and many wounded by the first volley.
The second volley, fired over the heads
of the rioters, was quickly followed by
the dissolution of the mob.
The town council In Marineo, near
Palermo, abolished the wheat octrol on
Saturday, but the millers and bakers,
like those in CampObello, refused to
reduce their prices. The people rose
1 Yesterday d4A UG4CN W uC69EOH VIC
town buildings, but were driven off by
the troops after several stubborn fights,
in which three rioters Wer killed and
several more wounded. Troops c0n-
tinued to guard the houses Of the mill
ers and bakers and the public buildings
throughout the night.
The communal councillors of SYRIA
cuse have taken steps to quiet the pOpu-
lace by lowering the wheat tax. The
announcement of this policy yesterday
morning w~asreceived with Joy through
out the city, and the Governor was re-
ceived with tremendous enthusiasm
when he entered the theatre last even
ing.
The dispatches from Trapandi giving
details of the riots in CampobelIo, ar
rived during a Cabinet counsel this
morning. They were read first by
Premier Crispi, who at once COM
municated them to his colleagues. ALI
the Ministers pronounced the situation
in Sicily to be graver than at any pre-
vious period of the anti-tax agitation.
Several expressed the opinion that the
communal councils whose bad admin
istration had caused the disorder ought
to be dissolved by the government.
The appeal Of the military commander
VI GuO AAdAA W 1H0 PdbENO61sM u bno
people is considered In the ministry as
well as among the people at large to
be proof of the desperate condition Of
Sicilian affairs.
Several Secilian deputies who have
great influence with the people of their
districts have started for the island to
help In the work of p~acifcation.
Premier Crispiexpected until this even
ing to go, but the alarming reports re-
ceived with the last dispatches have
caused him to change his plans. He
will not visit Sicily for the present, as
he deems his presence In Rome indis-
pensible.
A mass-meetin0 of all classes In