Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-12-19
Down from Ambush
a sHERIFF,s POSSE FIRED UPON
BY NEGROES.
FIVE KILLED OUTRIGHT.
The Country Up in Arms and Armed Nen
from All Sections Hurry to the scene
Tho Murderous Blacks ut Bay
In a swamp.

New ORLEANS, Dec. 1S-A special tc
The Picayune from West Point, Miss.
says: "News has resched here OF a hor-
rible tragedy enacted Sunday night of
the village of WahaIla, Miss, forty miles
south of West Point, OF the Mobile and
Ohio railroad. -Four white men were
killed outright and eight wounded, three
MORALLY The particulars of the shoot
Ing are given as follows: Some two
months g a white farmer living a few
miles from Wahalla lost his gin house,
together with eight or ten bales of cot
ton, by a fire which was evidently the
work of in~cendiaries. Suspicion pointed
to two negroes living in the vicinity, with
whom the farmer had had some trouble.
Sufficient evidence having been secured.
an officer attempted to arrest one of the
negroes. The negro resisted arrest and
succeeded In making his escape, after
having brutally assaulted the officer.
The whites In the neighborhood then or
ganized to capture the negro, and pro
ceeded toward the fellows house with
the intention of arresting him. Before
reaching the house, however, they were
fired on from am bush by fifty well
armed negroes, and every white man in
the party was shot down. THE horror
stricken peopls have telegraphed for aid.
Seyenty-fve armed men left Meridian,
Miss, for the scepa of thaStragedy. and
West Point viii fur nish more help.
NEW ORLEANS, ID &c. 1S.-A special to
the P%icayune from Macon, Miss, says
the people there are greatly excited
over the race troubles. The names of
the white men known to have been killed
are: Henry Mawry, Cobb, Vaughn and
w. b.. Hare. There were three or four
othe RS whose names are not learned.
Hare lived in Noxubee county, near the
Kemper line. 1t is said that no negroes
were killed. Tom Nicholson is the name
OF one of the whites wounded. He is
shot In the body, and one of bis arms
ia broken. Several other whites were
wounded, but no negroes. Twenty
young men have gone from Macon, and
nearly every town in eastern Mississippi
Is sending aid to the whites OF Kemper
county.
1t Is reported that the blacks are well
armed, and assembled III a large body.
apparently prepared for serious fighting.
The trouble lis said to nave originated in
the whipping of a white boy by two ne
gro men, about seven miles from Wa
halla. The reports. however, ere CON
flicting.
A Columbus, Miss, special says:
Persons arriving from Artesia bring
particulars of the fighting near Wahalla.
On Friday, a negro boy and a white bay
quarreled, and when the white boy,s
father tried to separate them the negro
attacked and beat the white man. The
latter swore out a warrant for the
negroes arrest and on Saturday Constable
Seth Cobb went to the negro's house to
execute IT, but was attacked and beaten
- sss:.: ses 9. negroes. I he constable !
a posse OF twelve men and
went again on Sunday to arrest the |
negro. The posse were fred upon from !
ambush, and five were killed outright
and six wounded. some seriously. The
spread rapidly. The negroes were
reinforced.
"A telegram was sent from Wahalla
for help, and seventy-fye armed men
sent from Meridian. Others Joined
them Mt every station, and on reaching
Wahalla the party marched directly for
the scene of disturbance. The negroes
We're barricaded, and refused to give up
the bodieeof the dead white men. Atnoon
the opposing forces were supposed to be
about equal, and d battle seemed immi-
News received later indicates
that the %beligerent blacks have retreated
to the swamps, where they show a bold
front.
Capt. Mcdowell, of the Columbus
Ritiemen, has telegraphed the sheriff of
kemper county, Offering assistance. but
reply has been, received. There is
much excitement here over the affair,
and new developments are a~nxiously
awaited. The list of killed is: Henry
Mawry, Seth Cobb, W.lliam Nicholson,
BIZ Vaughn, Bill Hare. Wounded:
Frank Mawry, Tom Giles, Bob Harper,
III, L. Harper, John Dew, JEFF Thomas.
NEW 0RLEANs.D Dec, 18.--The latest ad-
vices from Wahalla, Miss, the scene of
the recent trouble, says there is no
The cabins of the negroes have
been burned and their stock destroyed.
The negroes have fed to the swamps, or
are In hiding. The latest estimated are
white men killed and ten wounded. |
No mention is made of any negroes being
killed, butt 1t is likely that many were
Wahalia Is a small hamlet
and hard to reach. 1t is certain that a
large number of whites, well-armed and
desperate, are at the scene to aven &c the
death of their comrades, and later dis.
patches may show a bloody battle.
M2 l ~
1921 - IF