The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1907-06-22
STARTED BY AN
ADVERTISEMENT
STORY OF THE LAMANA B0Y'e
ABDUCTION.
MANY ITALIANS ARE HELD
Body Formed With View to Kidding
Louisiana of the ndesirableU Class
of Italian Immigrants by Depor-
tation.

New Orleans.-One Of the most in
teresting and sometimes most surpris-
ing things in connection with import
ant subjects handled in newspapers
is the manner in which they are
brought to the attention of the men
Who spend lifetimes i'll supplying the
public with news. The small begin
nings from which stories Of national
importance sometimes grow is mat
ter Of perpetual wonderment to the
public. No better Illustration Of this
fact could be asked than in the La
mana ease, already one of the most
celebrated in the history Of Southern
Journalism.
For the past five days the papers of
New Orleans have been printing co..
umns of information cOncernig little
Walter L. Lamana, his abduction and
the events that have followed in its
train. The kidneping of the eight-year-
old Lamana boy has stirred New Or
leans to its depths. No event in years
has caused so much interest, so much
excitement or so much comment. Tht
recovery of the little boy has become
a state wide problem. The punish
ment of the malefactors who snatched
him from the home of his parents has
resolved itself into grim PROPOSE
tion, with tragedy ever lurking in the
background. All over the United
States anxious mothers and loving
fathers are watching the newspapers
in their home towns for the latest
news on the result of the search be-
ing conducted in this city. The La.
mana case has spread with the rapid
ity Of the telegraph. 1t is recognized
as the final rally of the law abiding
Italians of the country against the
cowardly rascals who have long main
tanned uninterrupted reign of ter
ror. Today it looms enormous IN Its
proportions and its significance. Yet
1t all came from an "ad" and ar
observing newspaper man.
But for the advertisement the mat
ter might never have attracted the at
tention ithas received from the peopl,
and from the papers. But for the III
slant action of the press of New Or
leans Mr.. Lamana might have pa''
the price demanded for the libert.
of his child, or the father and mothe
might have worked out their own sal
vigil in the shadow of the strickel
home.
Sunday night, after the boy ha
been absent twenty-four hours, MI
Lamana went to the morning paper
of the city with an advertisement.
was not a particularly strong publ
cation. Probably two-thirds Of tn
readers of the newspapers never sa'
the advertisement, or even knew ths
il was inserted. The advertisemer
follows:
BOY LOST-$50 reward for til
safe return of my son, Walter, age
eight years; light brown hair, brow
ewes, dressed in white waist, biz
stripe, black dot; gray plaid Bust'
Brown pants; brown plaid cap; 1
shoes; last seen about 6 pm. June
if not living $25 will be paid for r
turn of body. p. Lmana G24 st. Phi
ip Street, New Orleans.
Anyone except a trained newsgat
erer might have accepted the adve
tisement, named the price, sent it
the printer-and forgotten all abo
the incident. However, when it W
read by a man trained in newspap
work, he instantly became alive WI
interest. He wanted to know
learned a little, and that sharpen
his appetite for more. He fou
enough to start the whole force
transportation working, with the
sult that the people Of New Orlea
knew that the little Lamana boy W
gone. and that there were grave fes
tina. the "Black Hand organizati
had hand in his disappearance.
That was all. There was no blowi
Of bugles or sounding of brass trun
cts to warn the men of the pen
that a bold outrage had been comm
ted. 1t all came through simple,
parently innocuous advertisement II
ing the loss of little boy. Howev
il served to sound warning, fir
which has been evolved the most 5
nificant movement in. the history
the Italian people in the, Emitted Sta
Many interesting points have b
developed in the case but in all