Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1854-09-26
SATURDAY, SEPT. %, 1854.
OUTRAGEOUS PROCEEDINGS!

OUTRAGEOUS PROCEEDINGS!
Negro Decoyed and Beaten !-who il safes
One of the most villainous acts which has ever
taken place in our city, was perpetrated on Thurs
day evening last. The following are the partic-
ulars:-
A man by the name of Zenos Brott, who is en-
ployed about the Winslow House, as carpenter,
and a negro by the names Bush, who is employed
in the house as Porter, sat down to the table
together in the kitchen Of the hotel, where, it
seems Brott had asked permission to take his
meals, and where the servants generally dined,
when Brott objected to the negro eating at the
same table with him, and ordered him to leave,
or something to that effect. Bush, the negro,
stated that he had as good right there as Brott,
and that he should not leave until the proprietors
of the house ordered him to do so. Thereupon
Brott attempted to use violence, seizing chair
and making for Bush. Bush threw off his coat re-
marking that he was in a country where he could
act in a measure for himself-that he was no
slave, and that if Brott wished to strike him, he
might come at him. calling him by low nancy
he would defend himself.
After some further hard words had passed be-
tween the parties, the matter was dropped for the
time being, when few evenings after young
man called at the hotel and wished to procure the
services of Bush to convey a carpet-bag from his
boarding house, giving him an order for it. Bush
said he would do the errand, and at or near the
time designated e 1-2 O'Clock in the evening he
was on his way down St. Anthony street, when he
was accosted BY the young man who unfo;ded to
him certain secrets respecting HIMSELF doubtless
for the purpose of securing the confidence of
Bush. They had proceeded as far as the First
Presbyterian Church, when the young man met
several others, and after moments conversation,
the whole gang pitched upon Bush, and succeeded
in throwing rope with a slipping-noose over his
head, but which the negro contrived to throw off.
They threw the rope the second time his head,
at the same time striking him with a stone in the
left eye. At first Bush supposed they were merely
at play with him but he soon found out that they
were in earnest, and escaped from them, running
up st. Anthony-st., and seeking shelter in the
Auction Store of Moses & Cleland, under whose
counter he hid, asking protection of the proprie-
tors Of the store, who, we are glad to learn, did
everything they could to keep off the desperadoes.
While under the counter he was severely beaten
by one of the party, with wire-whip, and traces
of blood can be seen where he lay. So Infatuated
were his pursuers that the keepers of the store
were obliged to push them back with gun, until
finding it useless to protect the negro, they told
him he had better leave. The negro asked per-
mission to speak for himself when coming from
behind the counter to do so, he was struck on the
head with club, seized by the crowd, forced into
the street, his vest, in the pocket of which were
SIG or ST., was torn from him, as we'll as his
shirt; but in the scufle, he contrved to make his
escape, and succeeded in eluding his pursuers.-
a change of clothing, and returned to the Winslow
House, at O'Clock the next morning, where he
now is, much injured. The facts in the fore part
of this article we learn from the negro himself
the facts in the latter part from persons in the
Auction Store.
Now we wish to ask if such high-handed out
rage will be permitted to pass by unnoticed by
this community? No matter what the provoca-
ton, there is nothing to justify the act. If the
negro had been guilty of anything wrong, the
proper course would have been resort to the
law; but night assasinat:ons are species
of warfare an intelligent people should never
countenanee. Have our citizens forgotten the
murder of Clark and Hull last winter? Have they
forgotten other deeds which were committed under
the cover of night? 1t is time that these things
were stopped, and it behooves every good citizen
to come forward and maintain the supremacy OF
the law and the security of life and limb.