The sun., 1903-05-17
THAT "LYNCHING" AT ERWIN
TIE CRIME ron WHICH WE HAVE
PAID An INDEMNITY.
killing Of the italians in the Mississippi
village Really an Assassination. Not
Case Of Mob I.aw-En0rts to DIS.
cover the Mupderefs-Stiil . Mystery.

village Really an Assassination. NOT
Case Of Mob Law-Enorts to Dts.
cover the Mupderers-Stiil . Mystery.
NEW ORLEANS, May lH.--The discussion
In the Italian Chamber OF Deputies of the
so-called lynchins at Erwin, Miss. calls
attention to the fact that in paying sum
Of money to the relatives of the men who
were killed and the man who was wounded
there, the United States las adopted an
entirely new responsibility. The case OF
the Italians lynched at the Parish Prison
In New Orleans in 1891 was not similar tn
the Erwin affair. In New Orleans the men
werf killed by mob openly in broad day
light; the men who did the killing were well
known; yet not the slightest attempt was
made to try or even To arr, st them and
they were treated more or less as heroes.
The Erwin killing was wholly unlike
the average Mississippi lynching and was
a cowardly assassination. The Italians
killed We're charged with no crime, but
Were ,hc victims Of long feud with
number Of persons in tn" ntiEhborhood.
There is no charg" Ut ~ glgcn"' or la x
OF energy on the part of III, local a4ihUr-
ties in invest 'ating the criine and s'Ck-
ing the assds5l!s
Erwin is a hamlet of three houses; a
grocery kept by. an Italian and liquor
saloon You will not fnd it on the map;
but It is on. Lake Washington, an old b d
Of the Mississippi. about tw,nty-tour miles
south Of Greenvile, Miss.
The country around Lake Washington.
which is regarded as the most fertile in
The famous iazoo delta, was s'tt!ed in
the early 3os,. one end OF The lake by
kyntuckians, the Other ny south a,o caro-,
the late Senator Wade Hampton. the ker-
shaws, and the Iurnbulls were among
tho l. cadcrs of the South Care lha colony;
and here in ante-bellum days the Southern
planter aristocracy reached its highest
The South Carolina planters built hand
some homes and were famous Tor their
hospta ality and entertainments, lh"y
, were utterly rooted out and destroyed
, by the civil war and reconstruction; the
| plantation mansions have fallen into rum:
! and the plantations are in the hands Of
| loan companies and syndicat"s. The land
! is leased out to negroes, and almost the
/ only whites are the st9rekee Frs. "no
| run sTall stor.s and sell u the negroes
/ Although ruined by tn" war. the Ken
, lucky planters regained their plantations,
and although impoverished, they preserve
| some Of the traditions OF the old Soulh.
! Sclian whose name is said to have been
! Vircenz, Skiotc, wh, was known TO all
as Na,chc1 \, GAUGE he CT m" frt m 'hat
town. did IRRITABLE pedI1!iem m npS NE n,'ar -
along Lake Washlng' on. ne mao Teh zen
| we'll and was supposed to be natura!Ized
| In fine, he had become very much Amen-
| cauized .
| father, Govani Skioto, and a younger
brother. These he boarded with n" Italian
dore I.!borto, VIII la he pedaled fruit in the
ncighhoring plantations.
| rr & T.,rn I,la Of rat
| and Courage and not easily daua'rd On
' the b'G plantations at the Kentucky end OF
tn. lake he was permitted to ply his ;rade
without hindrance, but tho X" per. OF the
! Of the lake objected TO him, as ne inter
fcred with them and got some of their
trade A feud WAS ,h. rctult, IN which
Natchoz held up his end Of the line Sue
! cessf,,iv.
/ His horse was mpounded for running
at large. bu. h. broke into the pound and
released ii. He WAS ordered of the place,
OF ono Of tn stor"knepars, but he turned
thrashing and thus cstah ishcd his right
to trespass. In number OF these en-
counters ha came out D'st. and was
quite proud Of his prow'ss and disposed
to b, boastful and asgr. ssiv";
Some of these mon with whom he he'd
ouarre led, overpowered him or. cay,
gave him a whipping and warned lin at
to come back there. He stayed away
for few weeks, but fna.lH made uG l!s
rlnd to return to the torhlddcn pace
and to get even with any ore who attempted
to interfere with him.
It was while hc was arrar sing for this
that the so-oall"c! lynchmG occurred. On
a dark and stormy night IN August. the
Russian who k"It the store at Erwin
and tie saloonkeeper We're awakeie,. in the
middle Of TIE night ty tie Gisti arRe OF
frearms coming from libeIto,s store.
| E,,.4 Nst,,,ay n,f<N
decd, lis father tyinr, The little lother
wounded in the leg and lAbeto signify
They saw nothir 2. heard nothing Of the
murferers; nor could the lta,lars fell tfem
ANYTHING They had tecn sleeping ir thc
gallery when the nurdsreis opened fire on
them. but who or how many the murGerers
we're, whence they came or anything about
them Ibcr,o old not know.
When the news Of the assassination was
sprnd the rext morning, intigr ston
preyailed. Erwin ard indeed all the Ken
lucky e.d OF tie Like have always Rad
a reputation for peace, quiet ard orose,r;
ard the plar,tsrs and people gshne,Hhy hnn,
There was rever ary suspicion thst tie
men had teen shot by a, yone il. that neigh
borhootl, es they were on good terms Witn y
ali. Suspicion poi ted to ne 9aIoilI a a
erd Of the lake. es Nate he2 had had trouble
with a nun,ber OF people there:
A special session of the Circuit Court
was called ard the Grrr d Jury WAS charge d
IN II yostirrte the crime-oven before the
Eelian Corsul had appeared on the sceree
under orders from his Government
W;se. careful ir vostigation WAS nnde. ar d
a large rumber Of the residents In the
Carolina district were examined on oath
Their examination disclosed nothing
Either tho assassin alton had beer 80 s' cretly
nlanned that few kI ew Of It, or the asse ssh. 4
added perjury to their crime.
Two regroes we're said to have seen
e.ome men on horseback on the right of the
Lillinp. but when they were ser.t Tor they
had disappeared, and they have Lever beer
. The Grand Jury discovered r.othing
! The matter he's been taken up sirce R'
; two sessions OF court, but rot fact hat
been brought to light. The People o.
Greenville raised a fund to investigate the
, crime ard Gov. Lorgino gave every as
sistance he could to the Investigation
! The Italian Consul from Vicks burg re-
: mnined on the sceEe some time anc
searcbed diligently for some clue, withou
frd;re aIy, ard the murder rcmais III
much mystery to-day as thousand othe
murders n this country.
!, The younger son recovered from NJ,
y wo,,nd ard Libfrto WIS rever seveIe!.
!, ;,,red. The Italian Cover meiit cCm
2 nlai, Ell to the Secretary OF State that TIN
sassa ssirs were not pu, ished. A repre
s..n, iv> of the State DeDaIt melt Nisite,