The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-06-25
BOY CHOKED TO DEATH.
Corpse of Walter Lamana Put
In a Swamp.
HEAD SEVERED EROM BODY
Five Italians Placed Under Arrest, One
of Whom Makes a Confession, and
During Which Particulars Are Told
of Dreadful Deed.


in the interior of big swamp near
this city the headless body of Walter
Lamana, an Italian child between sew.
en- and eight years old, who was kid
mapped and held for $4,000 ransom two
weeks ago, was found by police and
vigilantes just before daybreak Sun
day He had been strangled to death,
according to the confession OF one OF
the several Italians held by the police.
The boys neck is supposed to have
been broken when he was strangled
causing the head to become separated
from the body when decomposition set
In. The head was found a short dis.
lance from the body
Five Italians, two of them women,
are under arrest charged with being
accomplices to the murder, and extra
details of police and deputies main
tanned order in the excited Italian
quarter of the city. All day Sunday
small crowds were dispersed prompt
ly by the police, despite whose precau-
tons report has gotten out summon.
ing mass meeting at Elk Place Sew
enty armed deputies were placed on
guard at the Orleans parish prison,
the strongest in the state, where three
of the prisoners are held. and some
apprehension was held over the safe
ty of the two prisoners taken to an
adjoining parish.
Seldom, since Malta lynchings, six
teen years ago, has New Orleans been
SO stirred with threats of violence as
Sunday, and some of the threats were
made by those who participated in the
disorders at that time The law and
order element is much stronger than
1t has been heretofore. A large mum.
Der of leading citizens of all national.
tiles and the city's leading commercial
leaders pledged themselves to prevent
violence.
The murdered boy was found near
st. Rose, about twenty miles from
New Orleans. A sweating process
wrung a confession from one of the
suspects, who was taken from his home
at st. Rose, and carried into the woods
by combined force Of the officials
and vig1lantes, who have had the
search In charge. This man, Ignacio
Campigoiano, was kept in the woods
an hour, when he confessed, charging
four Italians with the murder. He said
that about the time of a mass meeting
In New Orleans, more than week ago,
held for the purpose of prosecuting
search for the boy, these men, who
were in vacant house at st. Rose,
became frightened and consulted about
what to do with the child. The boy
was crying, begging to be taken home
to his parents, said Campigoiano. and
one of the quartette of kidnapers, he
said. came to him. carrying the body
In blanket, and after threatening him
with death If he told, took the body
into the swamp.
Campfgoiano, after relating this sto-
ry, led the police through two miles
of swamp, where the searchers some
times waded In water nearly waist
deep, and at other times crawled un,
der tangles of briers. In shallow pool
at the end of this search the body was
found in the blanket in clump of wild
cane.
Returning to the city, the police ar
rested Nicolina Gebbia. an Italian |
woman, who is alleged to have con-
fessed that she knew of the kidnapping
plot from the first from one of the
four kidnapers. whom she expected to
marry. Campigiciano said that these
four were Stefano Monfre, Tony Cen
dusa, Angelo Cacatari and an Italian |
named Incanterra. The police said |
they expected to capture these men
within two or three days The other |
prisoners directly implicated by the |
confession are Campigiciano's wife. |
Frank Gendusa and Leonardo Gebvia |
The funeral was held Sunday after |
noon without disorder.