Wichita eagle., 1888-12-19

wentto Maury's house and when church
| meeting adjourned concealed themselves
in smokehouse and cotton houses Very
| soon after this posse of white men 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 SmokehouSe, where they found
| three negroes. These men were questioned
as to Maury's whereabouts, but they pre-
tended they could not tell where he could
| be found. While the whites were trying
! to obtain some information from them
man on the outside shouted, Here is
Maury; suppose you come arrest him"
The whites rushed in body from the
building. AS thsy emerged they were met
with volley from eight to ten muskets
and shotguns. William Vaughn was Sc
| rlously wounded by buckshot in the left
arm, neck and shoulders; another man
whose name was not revealed received
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 walls
received no injuries. The whites soon dis
covered that they were fighting at a great
disadvantage and moved around to the
north side OF the structure. Here they re-
celved another volley, resulting in the
instant death of Henry Maury, wounding
of his brother, j. f. Maury. in the arm
near the elbow. The whites now drew off
and firing ceased temporarily. ,Notwith-
standing their losses. however, the posse
determined to make another attack On the
cotton house. approaching it this time
from the south side. AS they came up to
the building they received a third volley,
the negroes apparently awaiting the order
to fire as they had done i'll the two
previous instances At this third vol
ley Seth Cobbey received twenty-five
buckshot in the breast and stomach, tear
ing the entire front part of his body away.
John Dewa. another Of the whites, was
probably mortally wounded by pistol
ball in the groin. The whites again drew
off for consultation, when it was decided
that another attack on the building with
their reduced force would be useless They
determined to wait for daylight and rein
forcements. While they were consulting
the negroes rushed out of the cotton house
to Maury's residence in a body and pro-
ceeded to fortify that building. The
whites went back to Wahalak. Yesterday
morning another force of fifty men was
raised and proceeded to Maury' residence.
The place was found entirely deserted,
even the bedding and furniture having
been removed. The whites burned 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 impossible to
find the negroes within five miles
of the scene of the trouble. White
people from adjoining towns poured into
Wahalak all day and joined in the search,
but as none of the negroes except Maury
was known nothing was accomplished.
One negro was seen lurking in the woods
and WAS fired upon by a party Of whites,
but instantly disappeared. When posse
from Meridian under the command Of Cap
tain Thomas Jameson reached Wahalak
they were told that their services were not
required. They say the whites through
kempler county are very sore and think
more trouble will occur. 1t is certain that
if any of negroes who fired on the whites
are caught they will be killed at once. The
feeling Is now, however, against the two
white men who are said to have organized
the negroes. Not single negro is known
to have received any Injuries. Two white
men besides those already reported were
wounded, but as their hurts are slight,
their names are not given for prudential
reasons. 1t does not appear that the
whites in attempting to make arrests were
acting under any legal authority, but they |
are sustained by the entire white popula- |
ton of kemper and adjoining counties |
1t is unlikely any proceedings will be |
taken against them.
ARMED MEN AFTER THE NEGROES
NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 1S-The Picayune |
special from Wahalak, Miss, says: The |
facts learned here differ only slightly from /
the account sent last night The funeral /
was attended by stern looking men. who /
rode into town today having assembled |
from all parts of the surrounding country /.
They camped last night among the hills, |
and searched all this morning for the ne
groes, but with no success.
9p. m.-The conductor of a south bound /
train, which has just passed, reports that /
twenty-five armed men from Macon got off /
his train at Shuaulak, five miles north of |
here, and will go out to the hills tomor-
row