Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-07-21
A NEGRO MOB.
HOundtng One of their Own Race
and Color on Account OTHER Frail-

One Of theIF Own Race
and Color on Account OtHer FFhtt-
ties.
That delightful locality, DeSoto street,
between Union and Monroe, was the
scene Of considerable excitement among
the negro population last night. 1t
seems that a brigbt-looking mulatto girl,
Mary Burton, has been the colored belle
of aristoeratic negro society in, the city
for some time. She is a school teacher
aud fine performer on the piano, having
graduated at the Fisk University. She
has been teaching school in this city and
also in Bolivar county, Mississippi, The
young black bucks Of aristocratic pre-
tentions have been paying her
considerable attention, and nightly
.serenading parties sang themselves
hoarse beneath the chamber win
dow of the belle, who resided with
her aunt on Turley street. Miss Mary,
as she is called by the negro bucks, was
a brilliant member Of de siety," and a
devout member of the Baptist Church,
where she displayed her talents by per-
forming on "de organ" Her black-and'
tan jealous admirers suspecting that she
lavished her affections upon a young
white man, Swallowed her footsteps
nightly. Last night they traced her into
a suspicious place, kept on DeSoto street
by a negro woman. On the signal being
given a crowd of young negroes sur
rounded the house, and an immense
amount of riotous conduct was INDUCED
in by the roughs. The girl becoming
frightened, escaped to al adjoining
house, where Sarah Williams resided.
Here she concealed herself from her pur-
suers until the police arrived, and they
arrested the girl, as well as Sarah Will
liams and another black woman. On the
way to the station house a large crowd
Of rulianly men and boys followed the
girl and bore lighted candles as if ex-
ulting in her shame and exposure. She
was locked up on a charge of being an
inmate Of a house Of i'll fame, and a for
felt of twenty-five dollars was demanded.
Her aunt, a corpulent old negro woman,
weighing several hundred pounds, went
to the station house, and it was agreed
that owing to the excitement among the
negroes it would be better to leave the
girl at the station-house all night. The
crowd of negroes surrounded the station.
house and acted in a very unruly man
ner, threatening to mob the girl should
she get out, etc. Our reporter talked
to several of the negroes, anC
they claimed that Miss Mary" haC
ruined "de siety'' and de Baptist Church
aud they were all ready to throw the frs
stone a the supposed Magdalen. ItwaI
a disgusting scene of negro preJudicI
and ignorance, displaying all the viles
and coarsest traits Of the negro nature
and most disgraceful in its exhibition
Out of the hundred or more negro me
that surrounded and bounded the unfoI
tunate girl, there was probably not on
of them one-half as reputable or as int
ligent as she. 1t was a %iisgraceful afai
and reflected severely upon the s~o-calle
!, advancement of the negro race towar
, prospective civilization,
This morning the Recorder, after heaI
ing the testimony, discharged from Gu.
|, tody the girl Mary Burton, and the tw
women, Mary Carter and Sarah William
: there being no proof that the two latte
kept houses of ill-fame, or that the gil
>. was an inmate OF such an establishment
| On being discharged a large crowd
negro roughs followed the girl and mad
no little noise and disturbance. Abou
y, fifty of the turbulent and rowdy negroC
: should have been arrested by the polio
as disturbers of the public peace.