The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-01-03
RIOT SPREADING IN SICILY.
SERIOUS TROUBLE IN TIE LARGEST
Towns OF THE ISLAND.

| Ewes wAe- the Tss IL Taken or wheat the
| Nob. Rise Because Miller. and Bakers
Keep Up the Pries or Bread-The sitns-
uor r. COnstantiy decreasing In Gravity.
ROME Jan. 2.-Despatches received from
| Sicily to-day show that the anti-tax movement
has made great progress in the province OF
| TrApani, Several days ago the discomfort in
Campobello. town OF G.OO0 inhabitants had
| become so threatening that the Town Council
| passed . resolution abolishing tho wheat oc-
| troll As protests against this action the mill
ers refused to reduce the price Of -four and the
bakers announced an increase Of the price OF
bread.
When these measures becam 9 known yoster-
day morning, about thousand men and flftJ
or more women OF tho working class began
marching through the streets. The police.
who tried to dispense them. were put to flight
The rioters set ERE to all tho public buildings
except the Town Hall From these buildings
the fire spread to the private houses While a
large district was in flames. the mob left the
owners and officials alone to fight the IRE and
marched to the prison and took 1t by storm.
| All the prisoners were liberated.
The soldiers. who had been confined In their
| barracks. were brought out to save from de-
| struction what was left OF the town. The SOL
| diers were exceedingly patient. They forced
back the mob slowly at the point OF the bay
| onet. and at no time received orders to fire.
Nearly q third Of tho town is now in ruins.
| Many families who were burned out walked
the streets all last night. The whole town looks
| ss II It had suffered from n bombardment.
| mill and every miller's house In the place:
AT Salient. q town Of 10000 Inhabitants. In
| started by anti tax rioters shortly before dark
yesterday. and half q dozen buildings were
| burning by 81 O'Clock. Fires were set by rioters
in several smaller towns also. and IN the. early
| evening the whole district seemed ablaze.
peatediy in Salient. dfd not fire. Several rioters
were arrested after struggle. A private was
At 'PietrsperzIs. a town OF ii 900 inhabi.
tsnts. near Caltanisetta, an snti-tax. mob set
at the rest. but was prevented by the troops
| who had been called out to protect them. The
military In their eirorts To reaeh the buiidInss
that eventually the order to fire was gven.
Five were killed and many wounded by tho
heads of the rioters. was followed quickly by
the disPeTssi Of the T Tn po,srmo
abolished the wheat octroi on Saturday. but
the mileIs and bakers, like those IN Campo.
people rose yesterday and tried to destroy the
town buildings. but were driven off BY the
three rioters were killed and several more
were wounded; Troops continued to guard
public buildings Throughout the night. N ''
The Communal Councillors OF Syracuse
have taken steps to quiet the populace by low
ering the wheat tax. The announcement OF
this policy yesterday morning was received
with Joy throughout the city. and the Governo or
was received with tremendous enthusiasm
when he entered the theatre last evening.
The dispatches from Trepani giving details
OF the riots In tampobello arrived during a
Cabinet council this morni ng. They were read
first by Premier Crispi. who at once communi-
PRONOUNCED the situation in sicily to he
graver than at any previous period OF the anti
tax agitation. Several Ministers expressed
tho opinion that the Communal Councils
whose bad adm inistration had caused the dis
order ought to be dissolved by the Govern
OF the island to the patriotism OF the people Is
considered in the Ministry. az well MS among
the people at large to I've proof OF the des rate
condition OF Sicilian affairs.
Several Sicilian Deputies who have great In =
fuence with the people Of their districts, have
paclhchtion. Premier Crispi expected until
this evening to go. but the alarming reports
received with the last dispatches have caused
him To change his plans. lie will not visit
Sicily for the present as he deems his presence
in Rome as INDISPENSABLE. A mass meeting OF
II deputation to report formally to the Govern.
ment what reforms were most needed in
Sicily. aS the Government was hut i'll in
formed by the officials representing 1t on tho
| island"
LoNDov Ian. "A despatch from Rome to
the Central News says: " The peasants in u
village in the province OF Trapani seized a tax
collector this morning and Rrrai.ned him be-
fore a mock tribunal. They onvi2ted him OF
oppression and ordered that he be shot tho
community applaud ng The sentence was
executed. Troops have been sent to the