CHOLERA RIOTS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1298, 29 November 1911, Page 3

CHOLERA RIOTS.

* ——- IGNORANT ITALIANS OBJECT TO QUARANTINE. Sogni was recently the scene of- grave cholera riots, the origin of which was the same as that of the recoiil troubles 111 Calabria. The municipality took steps to. prevent the spread of cholera. A hospital was formed, in which there were fivo cholera patients, and in a quarantine establishment in connection with it were housed four persons who had been in contact with the cases. The idea spread among ignorant' people that the municipal authorities, the Government:, aud the Carabineers were in league to poison them, and had organised a slaughter of the innocents. A 1110b of threo hundred persons marched on the Town Hall, shouting for the release from hospital of their relations and friends. The attitude of the crowd became threatening, and soon the whole military forco of the towu, consisting of only five Carabineers, was overwhelmed after short resistance. The Carabineers were pelted with stones and injured, and deeming if futile to use their arms upou the mob. retired. and the-rioters, who by this lime numbered several thousands', battered down the door of the Town Hall, intending to sack and destroy the place, and murder those whom they imagined to be responsible for tho c|iolera.' The chief objects of their anger were the Mayor and his clerks, who, however, escaped by the roofs, aud succeeded in reaching the houses of friends, where thev barricaded themselves. In the meanwhile the Carabineers, notwithstanding the rough handling they had received, returned to face the rioters.- The women were particularly ferocious,'and oae of them seized a Carabineer by his tunic ant', threw him -to the ground. He-was disarmed, trampled upon, and wounded. He succeeded, however, in joining his companions, and they summoned reinforcements. Once they were masters of the situation, the mob broke into the Town Hail and threw all they could lav* their bands upon out of the windows. A woman seized the municipal flag and shouted, "To the hospital." Her cry was taken up immediately, and the mob surged through the town, crying. "Death to the doctors anc* nurses." The medical staff escaped. On reaching the lazarette, file rioters removed three of the patients suffering from cholera, as well as the persons in quarantine. They carried them in their arms in procession to their homes. The scene was ghastly in the extreme. Two of them were on the point of death, and they were raised shoulder high and almost thrown from one bearer to another in the crowd. ■ Troops sent from Romp subsequently occupied the town. Many arrests wero made, and order was re-established. Segni is on ancient city, an hour's railway journey from Rome. The place is still surrounded by tho ruins of walls erectod in the Middle Ages as a protection against, flic Saracens.