Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1888-12-26
WHITE MEN SHOT.
Negroes at Waha1ak, Miss, Use the Rifle
Half Dozen Members of a Posse
Killed-A Number of White Men
Seeking to Arrest an Alleged Colored
Incendiary Fall Into an Ambush
Bloody Work Expected.

the 18th, said that in a riot there the
previous night, twelve white men and
100 negroes had been killed. Later ad-
vices are to the effect that no negroes
were killed, while the number of white
victims are variousfy reported. West
Point Miss, telegraphs as follows:
News reached here this morning of a
horrible tragedy enacted at the little
village of Wahalak, Miss, forty
miles south of this city, on the
Mobile & Ohio Railroad, last
night, where four white men were
killed outright and eight wounded,
three MORALLY, by volleygof lead from
the hands of a desperate mob OF ne
groes. Some two months ago a white
farmer living few miles from the vii
lage lost his Clubhouse, together with
eight or ten bales or cotton, by fire,
which was evidently the work of an in
cendiary. Suspicion was at once direct
ed to one or two negroes living in the
vicinity, with whom the farmer had had
some trouble. The officers had mean
while been searching for evidence
against the negroes.
AT a late hour last night, sufficient ev-
idence having been secured, one Of the
negroes was approached by An officer,
who demanded that he surrender. The
negro became furious and terribly as
saulted the officer, after which he made
his escape. This attack on an officer of
the law aroused the indignation of the
few white citizens In the neighborhood,
who organized themselves to capture,
not to mob, the fugitive. The woods in
the vicinity were secured, but without
result. Not a trace of him could
be found and it was decided by the
posse to act in body and surround his
premises. They had proceeded only q
few miles toward the negro's house
when from an ambush came deadly
volley. Fifty well-armed negroes COM
posed the mob. Alter every white man
had fallen to the ground the negroes dis
persed. The people have telegraphed
Tor aid. Seventy-tive well-armed men
left Meridian, Miss, at 10 O'Clock this
morning, for the scene of the tragedy.
West Point will furnish more help as
soon as the necessary advices can be
had.
Meridian, Miss. reports that advices
from the scene OF the riot are conflict
ing. 1t is now stated there that no
negroes were killed, but that twelve
white men lost their lives. A special
train left there at l P. NJ, bearing troops
for the scenes of the trouble
The following additional details have
been received by way of Macon, Miss !:
"The people here are excited over the
killing of Henry Maury, Cobb and
Vaughan, prominent white men in
Kemper County, by negroes, and the
wOund1ng of other whites, among the
number Tom Nicholson, who was shot in
the body and had an arm broken. No me-
groes were killed or wounded. Twenty
young men of this city have gone to the
scene OF the trouble, two of them being
recently from the North. The negroes
are said to be we'll armed and assembled
en- masse, and seem determined to fight
it out. W. B. Hare, resident of Noxu-
lee county, near the Kemper line, was
also killed. 1t is feared there will be
bloody work tonight, as the negroes are
concentrating. Nearly every town in
East Mississippi is sending aid to the
whites"
Another account of the origin of the
shooting is this; On Friday last q
negro and white boy got into a fight.
The white boys father attempted to
separate them when he was set upon
by the negro boy and his father and
terribly beaten. Yesterday the white
mau swore out a warrant IOr the negro's
arrest, and Constable Seth Cobb went
to the negro's house to execute it,
when he was attacked by number Of
negroes and beaten. He then sum-
moned posse of twelve men and went
yesterday evening to arrest the negro.
The posse were fired upon from am
bush and five were killed outright and
six wounded more or less seriously.
The news rapidly spread and the
negroes were strongly reinforced.
Wahalak telegraphed along the line for
help and Meridian responded with about
seventy-fve well-armed men. They
were joined at every station, and reach
ing Wahalak marched Immediately to
the scene of bloodshed. The negroes
were barricaded and refused to surren-
der or give up the dead whites. At
noon the forces were supposed to be
about equal, and what the result is no
one here knows. This afternoon news
was received that the belligerent ne
groes have retreated to the swamps.
Ben Maury, Seth Cobb, Tom Nichol-
son, Bill Vaughan, and Bill Hare, of the
posse, were killed, and Frank Maury,
Tom Giles, Bob Harper, L. Harker,
John Dew and Jeff Thomas were wound
ed. 1t is reported this evening that seven
of the negroes implicated were shot this
morning.
WAHALAK. Miss, Dec. 18.-No further
collision between the whites and blacks
has yet occurred, but as a party of
seventy-fve heavily armed men, led by
Capt. Frank Prince, has gone in pursuit
of the negroes, more bloodshed is ex-
pected. The blacks are said to be 200
strong and we'll armed. In the ARRAY
Sunday night but two men were killed
outright. They were Seth Cobb and M.
H. Maury. William Vaughan was shot
in the chest and arm, and will die.
After being shot he crawled on his
hands and knees to the house of Seth
Cobb, more than mile away, where
he remained till next day, when the
rescuing party went to recover the dead
and wounded. On his way to Cobb's
house Vaughan passed a negro cabin and
asked for drink of water, but the ne
gro refused his request. Vaughan is
widower and has several small chill
dren. John w. Drew is badly shot in
the groin, but the wound is not necessa-
rily fatal. J. L. Maury was terribly shot
in the shoulder and arm and will die.
g. T. Nicholson is shot in the breast
and wrist. VIM. Hare and Jeff Thomas
n No 81; -, +bo Io~Jo ut