The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1888-12-20
MASSACRE MODIFIED.
The Walhala Riot Ras DIS Different in
the Second Report.
White Posse Cleaned Out Wlthou
Loss to the Negroes.
The Whole Country In Arms Looking
for the Murderers.
Two White Men at their Head
Threatened With Lynching.


Threatened With Lynching.
MERIDIAN, Miss, Dec. 1S.-A num-
Der of kilograms were received here
yesterday morning stating that riot
had occurred at Polatka, Kemper coun-
ty, fifty miles north of Meridian; that
Haliy Morton. of this place, had been
killed. A party of twenty men at once
organized and lett for the scene on the
regular passenger train. a number of
wild rumorS were soon in circulation to
effect that posse from this city had a
fight with negroes and that several had
been wounded. These rumors were set
aside by the arrival of the posse on the
regular mail train last night. They re-
ported everything quiet at POlatka and
their presence was not required. They
told the following story of the riot:
Last Thursday the son of Oh. Mich
olson, a prominent farmer of Kemper
county, was driving along the road
when he met negro desperate driving
in an opposite direction. Young Mich
olson's vehicle, by accident, came in
collision with that Of the negro, who
kept in the middle of the road as if de-
termined to drive the boy out. The
negro cursed the yOungster. when old
Mr.. Nicholson appeared and inter
fered. The negro thereupOn drew re-
volver, but instead of firing closed with
Nicholson and knocked him senseless
with the pistol. The negro fed.
The following day Mr.. Nicholson
told his friends of the negro's assault
on Saturday. twas determined to Or
ganiZe posse and arrest the marauder.
Information of this determination of
the whites reached the negroes in some
way. 1t is said that two white men
gathered party of negroes together
at church Sunday night, and after
haranguing- them, organized a force Of
ten of them to resist any attempt to ar
rest Maury, or an attack on his house.
These whites are known to the people
of Polatka, but their names cannot be
learned. 1t is their settled determine
tion to lynch them when found. The
people argue that when they are
| hanged it will be the proper time to
make their names known. The negro
force raised by the two white men went
| to Maury's house when the church
/ meeting adj ourned and concealed them
selves in the smoke house and cotton
] houses. Very soon after this posse
| of whites came up the road and halted
in front of Maury's house. Four of
them walked up to the house, but found
| it deserted. They then went to the
smoke house, where they found three
negroes. These men we're questioned
as to Maury's whereabouts, but they
pretended they could not tell where he
could be found. While the whites
| were trying to get some information
| from them, a man on the outside
| shouted: Here is Maury, suppose
| you come and arrest him."
The whites rushed in body from
| the building and as they emerged they
were met with a vollev from eight OF
ten muskets and shot guns. William
| Vaughan was seriously wounded by
buckshot in the left arm, neck and
| shoulders. Another man whose name
the whites will not reveal received
slight wound in the hand, This vol
| ley came from the cotton house and
was promptly returned by the whites
but the negroes being behind stone OF
plank walls, received no injury. The
whites soon discovered that they were
fighting at a great disadvantage anC
moved around to the north side of thu
structure. Here they received another
volley, resulting in the instant deatt
of Henry Maury and the WOunding o.
his brother, j. f. Maury, i'll the arm
near the elbow. The whites now drew
off and the firing ceased temporarily
Notwithstanding their losses, however
the posse determined to maxi
another attack on the cot
time from the south side as the,
came up to the building they received
third volley, the negroes apparently
awaiting an order to fire, as they hat
done in the two previous instances
at this third Volley Seth Cobb receives
twenty-five buckshot in the breast ant
stomach, tearing the entire front par
of his body away. John Dewy, anothe
of the whites, was probably MORTAL.
wounded by pistol ball iii the groin
The whites again drew off for consult
alton, when it was decided that anoth
er attack on the building with their re
duced force would be useless, and the
determined to wait for daylight ant
achievements. While they wer
| consulting the negroes rushed from tn
cotton house to Maury'S residence in
body, and proceeded to fortify tina
building.
} The whites went back to Polatk
yesterday morning and another fore
of fifty men was raised and proceeds
to Maury'S residence, but the plac
was found entirely deserted, even tn
, bedding and furniture having been re
moved. The whites burned the build
ings on the place, together with thoS
on the farm adjoining, and the
secured the woods for the noQroes, bu
could find no trace of them. It wa
; impossible to find any negroes within
, five miles of the scene of the trouble
The white people from adjoining town
poured into Polatka all day and joine
in the search, but as none of the ne
groes except Maury were known the
accomplished nothing. One negr
was seen lurking in the woods and wa
= fired upon by a party OF whites, but IL
stantly disappeared.
They say the whites throughout Ken
per county are very sore anu thin
: more trouble will occur. 1t is certai
q that if any negroes who fired o
! the whites are caught they will
killed at once. The feeling. howevel
is now against the two white men VIII
are said to have organizes
: the negroes. Not a singl
n negro is known to havd re
F ceiVed any injuries, Two whit
men besides those already reporte
r were found, but as their hurts a
; slight their names are not given fl
n prudential reasons. It does not al
. pear that the whites in attempting
. make the arrest were acting under ar
legal authority. but they are sustaint
by the entire white population of Ken
per and adjoining counties. It is u
n likely any proceedings VIII be take
! against them.
: SLAUGHTER OF RACES.
2 A Bloody Encounter Between Whites and BIsc