Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-02-24
DREW A PISTOL W.K. Vanderbilt Chased
 by a Mob. LATER ARRESTED His Chauffeur Also Placed in the Cooler = Mrs. Vanderbilt
 Taken to Best Hotel
 in Florence.

Florence, Feb 24.-The incident at Pon'tedera, IA miles from Pisa, yester- day. which involved the detention there of Mir and Mrs W. K. Wander bilt, jr, and their chauffeur turns out to have been much more serious than at first reported. The dispatches re- ceived yesterday evening from Ponte- dera simply announced that MT Van derbilt was detained there owing to an automobile accident Dy which a boy was injured, but not seriously. It now appears that Mir Vanderbilt and his chauffeur were mobbed, that the for mer drew revolver and that both Mir Vanderbilt and the chauffeur were arrested and taken to the. police sta ton. Mrs Vanderbilt was escorted to the best hotel in the place, where ac- cOrding to the latest advices, she was awaiting developments.
 The Vanderbilt automobile, it ap- pears, was not going at excessive speed, but when turning a sharp street corner in Pontedera it ran down a child, boy about five years old, and injured him about the head. Though the boy was not seriously hurt, his face was covered with blood. The au- tomObile, which was stopped as soon as its occupants noticed that an accl. dent had occurred, was soon surround ed by, crowd of excited persons who threateningly berated its occupants. In the midst of the excitement the re- port spread that the child was dead and the townspeople became so en- ragged that they attacked the chau1. feur. In fact matters reached very critical stage and Mir Vanderbilt, be lieving that the lives of the party were in danger drew revolver. But before he could use the weapon bev. eral men jumped into the automobile, ttisarmed Mir Vanderbilt and kicked and cuffed him.
 By this time the police had become aware that something unusual wal happening and party of gendarmei hurried to the scene to protect the au tomobilists. Owing to the fury of the people the officers took the Vanderbil, party into neighboring shop for safe ty. There they were immediately be sieged by the crowd, the most violent of the people urging their companions to take summary vengeance on thu travellers.
 As coincident the shop into whicf the vanderbiIts were taken was owned by relative of the injured boy, whicf did not tend to calm the feelings of ths mob.
 Eventually an officer of gendarmes with endorsements arrived on tht scene and after the townspeople hat somewhat calmed down, succeeded il rescuing the automobilists, who were taken to the police station, followed by a crowd of shouting people. The leaders protested vigorously against the alleged carelessness of the auto mobilists, and said that it was tint to put a stop to sucn incidents, involv ing loss of life, which were constantly increasing in number.
 Mir Vanderbilt and the chauffeur were detained at the police station, un der arrest, and Mrs Vanderbilt, who was shown every attention possible was escorted to the best hotel in Pon. tedera.
 Pontedera Is a small town of abou, 13.OOO inhabitants at the confluence oi the Era and Arno. where "a road through the beautiful valley of the Era to volterra diyerges.