Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-12-18

IL was OrEanized by Two white Men
! Details Of the Affair.

Details OF the AFFAIR.
MERIDIAN, Miss, Dec ls-A number OF tale
grams were received here yesterday morning
stating that riot had occurred at wshslsk.
kemper county, 80 miles north of Meridian.
md that Holly Morton, Of this place, had been
killed. Twenty men at once LETT for the scene.
Subsequently another party Of forty LETT ON q
special train. A number Of Wild rnmors were
soon in circulation, but were set aside by the
return Of the posse last night They reported
that everything was quiet at wAhalAk and told
the following story;
Last Thursday a son Of @. r. Nicholson. q
prominent farmer Of kemper county, was
driving along the road when he met negro
desperate driving in the opposite direction.
Young Nicholson's vehicle by accident csme in
collision with that of the negro, who kept in
the middle OF the road as IL determined 90
drive the boy out. The negro cursed the
youth, when old Mr.. Nicholson appeared and
volver, but instead Of firing. closed with Nich-
olson and knocked him senseless with the pis-
toll The negro then fed, The following day
Mr.. Nicholson told his friends of the negro's
assault, and on Saturday il was determined TO
organize s1posse and arrest the marauder. In
formation of this determination of the whites
reached the negroes in some way. IL is said
that two white men gathered a party OF
negroes together at church Sunday night and
after haranguing them organized a force of ten
whites are known to the people of wahalak,
but their names cannot be learned. IL il the
settled determination TO lynch them when
found. The negro force raised by the two
white men went TO Maury's house when the
church meeting adjourned and concealed them
selves in the smoke-house and cotton houses.
Very soon after this the posse Of white men
came up and halted. -Four of them walked up
to the house but found it deserted. They then
went to the smoke-house where they found
TO Maury's whereabouts, but they pretended
they could not tell where he could be found
The whites were trying 20 gain some informa-
ton from them when 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
WERE MET WITH voIIEY
| from eight or ten muskets and shotguns VIM.
Vaughan was seriously wounded by buckshot
in the left arm, neck, and shoulders. and an
other man 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. re-
ceived no injury. The whites soon discovered
that they were fighting at a disadvantage, and
moved around to the north side of the struct-
ure. Here they received another volley re-
sulting in the instant death Of Henry Maury
and the wounding of his brother, j. f. Maury
IN the arm. The whites now drew of, and the
firing ceased temporarily. Notwithstanding
their losses. however, the posse determined TO
make another attack on the cotton-house. ap-
preaching this time from the south side. Az
they came up to the building
THEY RECEIVED A THIRD voILEY,
the negroes apparently awaiting the order 70
tire as they had done in the two previous in
stances. At the third volley Seth Cobb re-
ceired twenty-five buckshot in the breast and
stomach, tearing the entire front of his body
away. John Dew, another of the whites was
probably mortally wounded by pistol ball in
the groin. The whites again drew of for con-
sultation, when it was decided that another at
tack ON the building with their reduced force
would be useless, and they determined 10 wait
for daylight and reinforcements While thew
were consulting the negroes rushed from the
cotton-houses TO Maurys residence i'm a BODY
and proceeded to fortify that building and the
whites went back TO Wahalak Yesterday MORN
ing another force of fifty men was raised and
proceeded to Maury's residence. The place
was found entirely deserted, even the bedding
and furniture having been removed. The
whites burned the buildings on the place to-
gether with those on the farm adjoining. and
SECURED THE WOODS FOR THE NEGROES,
but could find no trace Of them. IL was inn
possible to find the negroes within 8 miles Of
the scene of the trouble. White people from
the adjoining towns poured into wahalak all
day and joined IN the search, but, as none Of
the negroes except Many was known they ac-
complshed nothing. One negro was seen lurk-
ing in the woods and was fred upon, but he
instantly disappeared. When the posse from
Meridian, under command of Capt Thomas
Jamison, reached Wahalak they were told that
their services were not required They say the
whites throughout Kemper county are very
sore and
THINK MORE TROUBLE WILL OCCUR.
1t Is certain that If any Of the negroes who
fired on the whites are caught they will be
killed at once. The feeling, however, is now
against the two white men who are said to
have organized the negroes. Not a single
negro Is known to have received any injury
Two white men besides those already re-
ported were wounded. but as their hurts are
slight, their names are not given for pruden-
tial reasons. 1t does not appear that the
whites, in attempting TO make the arrest were
acting on any legal authority, but they are
sustained by the entire white population of
kemper and the adjoining counties, and il is
unlikely that any proceedings will be taken