The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1888-12-21
RACE TROUBLES IN MISSISSIPPI


Blacks, in Which Three White Men Are
Killed.
MERIDIAN, MISS, Dec. 17.-This morning
number Of kilograms were received here
stating that a riot had occurred at Waha-
LAX, Kemper county, fifty miles north of
Meridian, and that Holly Morton, of this
place, had been killed. A party of twenty
men was at once organized and left for the
scene on the regular passenger train. sub
sequently another party of forty was
raised and left on a special train. num-
ber of wild rumors were in circulation,
one to the effect that the posse from this
city had fight with the negroes and that
several of them had been wounded. These
rumors were set aside by the arrival of the
two posses on the regular mail train to-
night, whosreported that everything was
quiet, and that their presence was not
needed. They told the following story of
the riot: Last Thursday the son of Mr..
6. T. Nicholson, prominent farmer OF
Kemper county, was driving a wagon
along the road leading to Suqualak, when
he met a negro desperate driving a team
in the opposite direction. Young Nichol-
son accidentally brought his vehicle in col
lison with that Of the negro, who kept in
the middle of the road, as if determined to
uIIFe 1L16 DOy OuOs Inc negro began curS-
ing the youth, when Nicholson appeared
and interfered in the boys behalf. The
negro thereupon drew revolver, but in
stead of firing, closed with Nicholson and
brought the weapon down with his full
strength on the formers face. Nicholson
fell senseless to the ground, and when he
recovered the negro had left. The follow
ing day Mr.. Nicholson told his friends of
the assault, and on Saturday it was deter
mined to organize a posse and arrest
Maury. Information of this determination
of the whites reached the negroes in some
way. 1t is said that two white men gath
cred a party OF negroes together at
church Sunday night, and after harangu-
ing them, organized force of ten negroes
to resist any attempt to arrest Maury or
attack on his house. The whites are known
to the people of Wahalak, bRt their names
cannot be learned. 1t is their settled de-
termination to lynch them when found and
the people argue that when they are hung
it viii be the proper time to make their
names known. The negro force raised by
the white men went to Maury's house when
the church meeting adjourned and con-
| cealed themselves in the smokehouse and
| cottonhouses. Very soon thereafter the
/ posse of whites came up the road and
halted in front of Maury's place. A few
| of them walked up to his residence, but
| found it deserted. From the residence they
| went to the smOkehouse, where they found
| three negroes. These negroes were asked
| the whereab outs of MGury, but they pre-
| tended they could not tell where he could be
| found. While they were trying to exact
same information from the negroes, a man
on the outside shouted, "Here is MaurY
| suppose you come to arrest him."
The whites rushed in body from the
! building, and as they emerged were re-
ceived by a volley from eight or ten mus
| l1ets and shotguns.
| VIM. Vaughan was seriously wounded
| by buckshot in the left arm, neck and
| shoulders, and another man, whose name
! the whites will not reveal, received 9
| slight wound in the hand. This volley
came from the cotton house and was
| promptly returned by the whites, but the
| negroes being behind stout plank wall
| received no injury. The whites soon
| discovered that they were fighting at great
| disadvantage and moved around to the
| north side of the structure. Here they
| received another volley, resulting in the
instant death of Henry Maury, and the
| wounding of his brother, J. L. Maury, in
| the arm near the elbow. The whites now
| drew off and the firing ceased temporarily.
| Notwithstanding their losses, however, the
/ posse determined to make another alta OK
| on the cotton-hOuse, approaching it this
| up to the building they received a third
| vOlley, the negroes apparently waiting the
! order to fire, as they had done IN the two
! previous instances. At this third voiley
| Seth Cobb received twenty-five buckshot
| in the breast and stomach, tearing the
| entire front of his body from the neck to
| the navel away. John Dew, another OF
I the whites, was also wounded, perhaps
| fatally, by pistol ball in the groin.
! The whites again drew off for consulta-
ton, when it was determined that another
attack on the building with their reduced
| force would be useless, and they deter
| mined to wait for daylight and reinforce
| ments.
| While they were consulting the negroes
rushed from the cotton-house to Maury's
| residence in body. and proceeded tC
| fortify that building. The whites went
back to Wahalak yesterday morning.
Another force of fifty men more was
| raised and proceeded to Maury' s resid dence,
| The place was found entirely deserted
even the bedding ana furniture having
been removed. The whites burned the
three buildings on the place, together with
those on near farm, securing the woods
| for the negroes in vain. No trace of Tia en-
could be found. It was impossible 60 come
across negro in five miles of the scene OF
! trouble while people from the adjoining
towns began to pour into Rahalak all day
| and Joined in the search, but as none oi
the negroes were known except George
| MauTy, they accomplished nothing. One
NEGRO was seen lurking in the woods and
was fired upon by white man, but be not
| only disappeared when the pO So from Me-
ridian under command of Thomas Janiisou
| reached Wahalak, but they were told that
their services were not needed. They say
the whites throughout Kemper county are
very sore. and think more trouble will fol-
low. 1t is certain that if any of the ~
eroes who fired the whites caught
| they viii be killed at once. The feeling
however, is greatest against the two white
men who are said to have organized the
negroes. Not a single negro is known tc
have received any injury whatever. Two
white men beside those already reported
were wounded, but as their hurts are slight
their names are withheld for prudential
| reasons.
1t does not appear that the whites, in at.
tempting to make the arrest were acting
under any legal authority, but they are
sustained by the entire white population
of Kemper and the adjoining counties, and
it is unlikely that any proceedings will b'
taken against them.