The Port Gibson reveille., 1907-06-20
STARTED BY AN
ADVERTISEMENT
STORY OF TEE LAMANA BOYS
ABDUCTION.
MANY ITALIANS ARE HELD
Body Formed With View to Kidding
Louisiana Of the ndesirableU Class
Of italian Immigrants by Depof-
tation.

" 1Ia4Aah Immigrants oy Depof-
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 in supplying the
public with news. The small begin
nings from which stories of national
Importance sometimes grow is a mat
ter Of perpetual wonderment to the
public. No better Illustration of this
fact could be asked than in the La
mana case, 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 T. 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. ThC
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 a grim PROPOSE
ton, 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 rascaIs who have long main
tanned uninterrupted a reign of ter
ror. Today it looms enormous in It's
proportions and its significance. Yet
1t all came from an cad" and an
observing newspaper man.
But for the advertisement the mat
ter might never have attracted the at
tentiOn ithas received from the people
and from the papers. But for the in
stant action of the press Of New Or
leans Mr.. Lamana might have paid
the price demanded for the liberty
of his child, or the father and mother
might have worked out their own sad
vigil in the shadow Of the stricken !
home.
Sunday night, after the boy had
been absent twenty-four hours, Mr..
Lamana went to the morning papers
IF the city with an advertisement. It z
vas not particularly strong publ ?
cation. Probably two-thirds of the [
readers Of the newspapers never saw
he advertisement, or even knew that o
t was inserted. The advertisement v
'ollows: l
BOY LOST-$5O reward for the 3
safe return Of my son, Walter, aged h
light years; light brown hair, brown I
yes, dressed in white waist, blue n
tripe, black dot; gray plaid Buster \
Brown pants; brown plaid cap; M L
hoes; last seen about 6 pm. June S n
not living $25 will be paid for re- tt
urn Of body. P. Lmana 624 st. Phil
p Street, New Orleans.
Anyone except a trained newsgath-
rer might have accepted the adver- B
named the price, sent it to C
he printer-and forgotten all about e(
he incident. However, when it was Iii
cad by a man trained in newspaper
-Ork, he instantly, became alive with h,
lterest. He "wanted to know" He Ia
earned little, and that sharpened tr
is appetite for more. He found b
nough to start the whole force Of hi
ewspaperdom working, with the re- ra
Ill that the people Of New Orleans WI
new that the little Lamana boy was
one, and that there were grave fears
Ia the "Black Hand" organization
ld a hand in his disappearance. tic
That was ALL There was no blowing WI
bugIes or sounding of brass trump nj
S to warn the men of the pencil J.
lat bold outrage had been commit Lc
d. 1t all came through a simple, ap- tr'
lrently innocuous advertisement not IS
g the loss of little boy However, its
served to sound a warning, from pl'
hich has been evolved the most sig
fcant movement in the history Of
e Italian people in the United Stats
Many interesting points have been MI
.veloped in the case but in all Of Bl