Evening star., 1906-02-24
WERE ATTACKED BY A MOB
Victim of Accident Reported in
Serious Condition.
VANDERBILT UNDER ARREST
Efforts to Secure Release From Pied
mont by Payment of Fine
The Shepard Case.

FLORENCE, February 2i-The incident
at Pontedera yesterday. which involved the
detention there of Mr.. and Mrs. w X.
Vanderbilt. tr., and their chauffeur, turns
ort TO have been much more serious
than at first reported. The dispatches re-
ceived yesterday evening from Pontedera
simply announced that Mr.. Vanderbilt was
detained there owing to an automobile ac-
Cident, by which a boy was injured but
not seriously 1t now appears that Mr..
Vanderbilt and his chauffeur were mobbed.
that the former drew a revolver, and that
both Mr. Vanderbilt and the chauffeur were
arrested and taken to the police station
Mrs. Vanderbilt was escorted to the best
hotel in the place, where, according to the
latest advices, she was awaiting develop
ments
The Vanderbilt automobile. It appears
was not going at excessive speed. but
when turning a sharp street corner in Pom
tedera 1t 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 auto
mobile which was stopped as soon as its
occupants noticed that an accident had oc-
CURED, was soon surrounded by crowd Of
excited people. who indignantly and threat
eningly berated Its occupants. In the
midst of the excitement the report spread
that the child was dead and the towns
people became SO enraged that they at
tackled the chauffeur.
Vanderbilt Drew a Gun.
In fact. matters reached a very critical
stage, and Mr. Vanderbilt believing that
the lives of the party were in danger, drew
a revolver. Before he could use the weapon
however several men jumped into the au-
tomoblle, disarmed Mr. Vanderbilt and
kicked and cuffed him.
BY this time the police had become
aware that something unusual was hap
pening, and a party of gendar7nes hurried
to the scere TO protect the automobiltsts
Owing to~e.le fury OF. the people the officers
took the Vanderbilt party into a neighbor-
ing shop for safety. There they We're i'm
mediately besieged by the crowd, the most
violent of the people urging their compan-
ions 10 take summary vengeance on the
travellers
As coincidence, the shop into which
the Vandernilts were taken was owned by
a relative Of the injured boy, which did
not tend to calm the feelings Of the mob.
Eventually an officer Of gendarmes with
rc-euforcements arrived on the scene, and
after the tOwnspeople had somewhat calm
ed down succeeded in rescUing the automo-
biists who were taken to the police sta
| tlon, followed by a crowd of shouting peo-
pie. The leaders protested vigorously
against the alleged Cdrelessness of the au-
tomobiiists, and said that il was time to
put Il stop 10 SAtu iilt4tltIltS, wing lOSS
of life. which were constantly increasing
in numbers.
Mr. Vanderbilt and the chauffeur were
detained at the police station under arrest,
and Mrs Vanderbilt. who was shown every
attention possible, was escorted to the best
hotel in Poutedera.
The Boys Condition.
This morning doctors visited Adolfo
Butlni. the boy who was injured by Mr.
VanderbiIts automobile, In order to ascer-
tain his condition. Grave complications, 1t
was announced may arise.
Through the American consular author
tiles Mr. Vanderbilt has secured a lawyer
who has applied for his clients provisional
release. which is always granted in similar
cases but which can be refused when the
offender is a foreigner, or when 1t is sus-
pected that he may flee from justice. If
the child does not die or is not permanent
ly disabled the punishment may be i'm
prisonment for three months and a fine of
500 IN addition to a fine for carrying a re-
volver without permission. But # is be-
lieved that considering the extenuating cir
cumstduces Mr.. Vanderbilt may be sem
qGH IN nay