Madison
Parish
Louisiana
News
Lawlessness.
—
A
lynching
that
took
place
at
Tallulah
in
July
acquired
international
significance
from
the
fact
that
the
five
men
lynched
were
Italians.
The
trouble
arose
about
some
goats
belonging
to
one
of
the
Italians.
The
goats
were
in
the
habit
of
sleeping
and
running
on
the
gallery
of
Dr.
J.
Ford
Hodge's
office
and
residence.
The
doctor
on
numerous
occasions
requested
Frank
Defatta
to
keep
his
goats
shut
up;
but
Defatta
would
not
do
it,
and
on
the
night
of
the
19th
Dr.
Hodge
shot
one
of
the
goats
on
his
gallery.
In
revenge
for
this
Defatta
with
four
other
Italians,
two
of
whom
were
his
brothers,
waylaid
the
doctor
on
the
evening
of
July
20
and
shot
and
mortally
wounded
him.
The
sheriff
arrested
the
men,
but
they
were
taken
from
him
by
a
mob
and
hanged
to
a
gallows
used
for
slaughtering
beeves.
A
dispatch
from
the
town
said
this
was
"
the
third
outrage
committed
by
this
same
class.
About
two
years
ago
Frank
Defatta
shot
and
killed
a
Negro
for
picking
up
a
watermelon
that
Frank
had
for
sale,
and
about
one
year
ago
Joe
Defatta
shot
and
killed
Pat
Mathews,
landing
keeper
at
Milliken's
Bend,
as
he
was
passing
his
store,
in
cold
blood
about
a
trivial
controversy
they
had
had
about
some
freight,
and
was
cleared
by
some
technicality
of
the
law.
They
had
frequently
made
their
boasts
that
they
would
do
as
they
pleased,
and
their
money
would
clear
them."
The
evidence
as
to
whether
the
men
had
been
naturalized
or
were
still
Italian
citizens
appeared
to
be
conflicting.
In
the
absence
of
the
Italian
minister,
the
charge
d'affaires,
Count
Vinchi,
made
investigation.
The
report
of
the
secretary
of
the
embassy
seems
to
have
asserted
that
there
were
no
mitigating
circumstances,
that
Dr.
Hodge
first
drew
a
weapon,
and
that
the
first
shot
fired
by
Defatta
was
in
defense
of
his
fallen
brother,
and
not
a
wanton
attack.
Describing
the
affair
in
detail,
the
report
points
out
that
some
time
after
the
first
two
men
were
lynched
the
mob
made
a
second
and
third
visit
to
the
jail,
whence
they
removed
and
lynched
the
three
other
Italians,
all
of
whom,
it
is
contended,
were
in
utter
ignorance
of
the
wounding
of
Dr.
Hodge.
Conceding
some
extenuating
circumstances
in
the
lynching
of
the
two
men
immediately
concerned.
Marquis
Romano
contends
that
the
lynching
of
the
other
three
was
a
thing
of
particular
atrocity.
The
Governor's
report
clashed
with
this
at
nearly
every
point.
A
man
suspected
of
cattle
stealing
and
other
offenses
was
hanged
by
a
posse
of
men
near
Wilson
on
Oct.
15.
[Source:
Appletons'
Annual
Cyclopaedia
and
Register
of
Important
Events,
Published
by
D.
Appleton.,
1900
-
Submitted
by
K.
Torp]
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