THE COW THAT CAUSED A DOUBLE MURDER
"One day while we were at work on the counterfeit money, Uncle Vincent
told me that he had been a cattle raiser in his home town. He was out
on a farm where he saw a yoke of oxen, which he wanted to purchase.
One of the men who owned the oxen, while arguing about the price, said
something offensive to Uncle. Without saying a word Uncle aimed his
rifle and shot the man in the chest, killing him instantly. The other
man ran away. He was overtaken by a rifle shot and knocked dead about
fifty paces away from the first man.
"With a double murder on his conscience Uncle Vincent cast about for a
get-away. As he was short of money he searched the first man that he
had murdered and took from him two hundred and fifty lire. Returning
to town Uncle wrote a long letter to his family notifying them of
what happened and took a train for Palermo. There he contracted with a
sail-boat man who landed him at Tunis in Africa. There he found means
to get his fare and went to Tokio, Japan. In Tokio he could not find
work, was forced to steal in order to live, and when he had
accumulated some money he went to Liverpool. He lived in Liverpool
about a year where he existed by theft the same as in Japan. In March,
1902, he left Liverpool for New Orleans. When in America, he said, he
did not lose heart because he knew many friends, _and they had to help
him_, he said. And he uttered these words with the saturnine
confidence of the established 'Black-Hander.'"