The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-12-21
Supplement
MankatO Free Press.
SOUTHERN METHODS.

The negro riot" so-csiled, which has
just occurred in Mississippi doubtless
could much more appropriately be styled
a negro massacre. Indeed, it takes but
little reading between the lines of the
Associated press reports to show that the
affair has two sides to it. One telegram
gives the following account of the incl
dent from which the trouble originated;
Last Thursday son of G. +. Nlchol-
son, a prominent farmer of kemper
county, was driving along the road
when he met u negro desperate named
Maury driving in the opposite direction.
Young Nicholson's vehicle by accident
came in collision with that Of the negro,
who kept in the middle of the road, as
if determined to drive the boy out. The
negro cursed the youth, when old Mr..
Nicholson appeared and interfered. The
negro thereupon drew u revolver, but
instead of firing, closed with Nicholson
and Knocked HIM senseless with the pIs-
tol. The negro then fled. The follow
ing day Mr. Nicholson told his friends
of the assault, and on Saturday it Was
determined To organize posse and ar
rest the marauder.
OF course the negro concerned was a
"desperado," and it was only by ''acci-
dent" that the young sprig of Southern
chivalry ran into the negro's vehicle
1t Is so natural for Southerner 10 turn
out of the road for negro. We could
almost have stated without any knowi-
edge of the affair that the negro was the
only one that had firearms. These
Southern gentlemen never carry revol
ers. 1t is a triie strange the ''desper-
ado" didn't fire his revolver" but i:
seems he used it effectually. Well, Mr..
Nicholson 'told his friends" and the
posse was organized. 1t is not stated
why the proper authorities were not
notified and measures taken to lawfully
apprehend the negro, but it Is not to be
supposed for moment that there was
any intention to make the incident an
excuse for bloody onslaught and ter
rorization of innocent negroes such as
followed.
Not to make the story too one-sided,
it is stated that two white men melted
the negroes to resisting the 'posse"
who came swooping down upon them
under the pretense of hunting for
Maury, the negro desperado. 1t is Gig
nificant that the names of the white
men are not given, for the rather start
ling reason that they were to be "lynch-
edit caught" 1t seems that the posse"
wasn't so particular about the negroes,
for they shot them down by wholesale
whenever they got chance. Accord
ing to the facts" sent by press special
the force of some eighty white men were
first repulsed by some ten negroes who
had taken possession of Maury's house
to protect him from the "pcsse," but
the latter changed their position and
succeeded in killing Maury and his
brother. They then drew of, for the
negroes appeared to be getting the best
of them. They went back to Wahalak
and raised fifty more men and went
back to Maury's residence. The special
says:
The place was found fairly deserted,
even the bedding and furniture having
been removed. The whites buried the
buildings on the place, together with
those on the farm adjoining, and secured
the woods for the negroes, but could
find no trace of them. 1t was impossi-
BILE to find the negroes within five miles
of the scene of the trouble. White peo-
pie from the adjoining towns poured in
to Walahak all day and joined in the
search, but rs none of the negroes eX-
cept Maury we've known, they accom-
plished nothing. One negro was seen
lurking in the woods and was fired upon
by party of whites, but he instantly
disappeared.
Queer, indeed, he should instantly
disappear with fifty armed men after
him. The first reports of the battle said
that about $50 negroes had been killed,
but the later special, giving the FACTS"
says not single negro was injured $50
far as known" though it adds, at is GER
tain that if any of them are caught they
will be killed at once"
All of this thing sounds queer to have
occurred in a civilized community such
as the United States are supposed to be
made Of What would be thought Of the
organization of an armed mob OF fifty
men securing the.country precincts Of
this county terrorizlng and shooting on
sight every innocent freshman or Ger
man because, perchance, some hard
ened desperate of their nationality had
committed some misdeed? There are
laws to take care of criminals in Missis-
sippi az well as Minnesota, and until the
people of the former learn to resort to
legal measures, and quit making trifiIng
crimes an excuse for massacres of inno-
cent people, they are entitled to no
sympathy from the North in any I'M
fortunate political situation they may