SUMMER 2021 Italian American Digest PAGE 6
CLUB NEWS
The Social Injustice of 1899
On July 20th , 1899 , Giuseppe Di Fatta , Pasqual Di Fatta , Francesco Dit Fatta , Giovanni Cerami and Rosario
By Rose Brocato for the American Italian Research Library
whole incident to cover up what really happened .
These five men were the only Italians day Charles and Joe Di Fatta went to pay the doctor a visit and they got into a physical altercation . The town along
Historical Marker in Vicksburg , Mississippi over final burial location .
Fiduccia were murdered by a mob of citizens from Tallulah , Louisiana . All five men were immigrants from Cefalu , Sicily . No one was ever charged or punished for these murders in 1899 . In fact , the event triggered an international incident with Italy ; the fact that those men who performed the lynchings were never brought to justice caused anger and tension between Italy and the United States . President William Mckinley vowed to make the incident a priority and to bring the men responsible to justice . Lies were told about the in this small town of 250 people at the time . These men had come to America seeking a better life for their families . They had opened grocery stores . But rumors circulated that these men were from a class that was troublesome , not good . The men were involved in a confrontation with a local doctor by the name of J . Ford Hodge . One day , the doctor was frustrated about Frank Di Fatta ’ s goats coming on his property so he shot one of the goats . Frank was upset by this especially since the doctor didn ’ t even try to talk to him . The next with the sheriff stormed Di Fatta ’ s home and dragged Charles and Joe to jail . It was said that the doctor had been shot but the citizens used this as an excuse to proceed with the lynching . A crowd of citizens overpowered the sheriff and took Charles and Joe to be hanged at a nearby slaughterhouse . The other three Italians were caught and also hung by the angry citizens . Their bodies were thrown all together in a hole in a Potter ’ s field just to be forgotten .
On July 28th , 1899 , the Italian Society