The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1909-11-24
1.-THE BLACK HAND. /"
LINCOLN COUNTY FURNISHES YOUTH.
Full lMITATORS OF DESPISED AND
DREADED ITALIAN OUTLAWS.
Attempts Made to Extract Money from
Prominent BOgue ChittO and
NOrfieId Citizens.

Lincoln county is widely knowr
as one of the intelligent, growing
progressive counties of Mississippi
and the South. Along religious
and educational lines she has made
tremendous strides during the lasl
two decades. Her business mer
are among the most energetic,
wide-awake, enterprising and pro-
gressive that can be found in the
State. She has farmers who rank
in intelligence and practical
achievement with the best in Mis-
sissippi and the South, and the
great majority of her people are as
law-abiding and God fearing a cit
izenship as can be found in the
country. 1t is, therefore, the more
to be regretted that Lincoln county
also has within her bounds another
element of society which, as the
larger and better element has
adopted and striven for those
things which have proven best in
other communities and make fol
the advancement, uplifting and
betterment of all. has shown ar
equal aptitude for introducing and
putting into operation on Lincoln
county soil the criminal practices
and methods of the worst characters
of other countries and sections,
even down to the most cowardly
and despicable of crimes known tC
the lowest class Of Italian and Dagc
criminals-the Black Hand. /"
A practical demonstration of this
unweIcome fact was made evident
last Saturday, when two Lincoln
county school boys yet in theil
teens, native and TO the manner
born" were brought from Norfield
to Brookhaven by officers and lodg.
ed in Jail for writing Black HAND
letters and attempting to extort &
large sum of money from promi.
nent business men of Bogue Chittc
and Norfield.
The story which led to their ar.
rest is recited below:
On last Friday morning, B E.
Bristea. head Of the wen-known
B. e. Bfister Mercantile Co. and
Brister Lumber Co. of Bogue Chit
to, received through the mail q
letter postmarked at Norfield and
dated at Ruth, demanding of hin
$1,000 on pain of death. He was
told to place this sum under a pile
of sticks at the foot of certain
beech tree particularly described
close to the thirteen mile post on
the Brookhaven and Summit road
near the town Of Norfield and Mt,
Pleasant Church, and to place ii
there late Friday evening. In de-
fault of this, he was to suffer Ger.
tain death not later than sundowr
Saturday evening by assassination.
He was kindly given permission tc
tell his wife that he had received
such letter, but no one else. The
demand was made on the authority
of fifteen members of an alleged
organization, signed Black Hand
and a crudely drawn picture of {
dagger was set out on the page tx
the left of the signature.
When he received this letter Mr.
Brister was too long headed anc
too good a citizen not to do exactly
what he did do. He had no ides
who had sent him such a letter. but
that was exactly what he set about
in the quietest and most methodica
way to find out. Accordingly Fri
day evening near o'clock foune
him in his buggy with his wife
(whom be had been granted the
privilege of telling the secret vel
on has way to Norfield and the beech
tree on the side of the road where
he was to deposit the ST. 900 for the
Black Hand. He passed through
Nortield exactly at 5 o'clock. as be
had been instructed to do. He haC
no trouble finding the designated
tree. In fact SO particular were
his would be robbers that no mis-
take should be made here. thai
they had showed the outside barE
off of portion of the trunk of the
tree next to the roadside and carv
ed on the smoothed surface tht
legend, This is the tree.
Mr.. Brister didn't find the pill
Of sticks referred to in the letter
but at the root Of the tree ther,
were two chunks and under these
on the side next to the road wherl
they lay, he deposited a long manili
envelope in which he had CAREFUL.
incIosed a check on the Capita
State Bank at Jackson for 81 900 il
favor of Smith and Zeigler of Nes
Orleans. dated in 1901. and cancel
ed. with some sheets of paper Gu
Just the size of $100 bills
Mr.. Brister then returned to hi
buggy with his wife and drove d
toward Summit hundred yards 0
more and after turning round. O
his way back, he stopped his hugg
opposite the beech tree llttl
while to make observations. BE
fore he lett BogUe Chi1to Verse
Zachary a youth 81 is. who live
with his parents near Norheid ha
been noticed ia Bogue Claitt0. Ol
their way 10 Nortieid Mr. and Mr.
Briater HAD noticed this young lna
0n The road III 4 buggy il two .
three places. First he would Be i
front and then find some excuse 70
falling behind them until his con
duct became somewhat noticeable
tIt..IE-44Il[ & |sE