The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1889-09-04
NEGROES RETIRE.
Gov. Lowry Tells the Story Of the
Recent Race Trouble in
Mississippi.
The Military Take the Field to Pro-
tect the Blacks Against
Volunteers.
Conflicting Reports OF the Loss OF Life
The Rioters Dispersed and
PeSce Heigns.

NEW ORLEANS, Sept. S.-The Plea
yune's jackson. Miss, special says: In an
interview to-day Gov. Lowry made In sub
stance this answer TO general questions as
TO the state of affairs in LefiOre county.
"On arriving at Greenwood l found some
excitement among the people, not, as 1 be-
Iieve, from any fear Of bloOdshed between
the races in q conflict of arms. but rather
because OF the menaces OF the negroes
and their defiant attitude of two days be-
fore; and this was probably intensified by
the fact that the negroes, or at least quite a
number of them, were armed with Win
chester rifles. The inzccessibility Of Minter
City, the vicinity of the disturbance. renders
information from there very difhcuit. In
the meanwhile, three military companies
had arrived and quite number of yolun-
ieers from the surrounding counties of Car
rolIden and Grenada The volunteers
seemed determined 70 have matters their
own way. 1 feared II they went to the
state in which they were, they would do
harm instead of good After consultation
il was finally decided that the military IN
stead of the citizen volunteers should
be sent to Minter City 10 aid the
sheriff in enforcing the law" In conclusion
the governor said he had no fear of further
trouble. The Capital Light Guards, of
this city, arrived here from LefiDre county
AZ p. m. to-day. They report there were
275 armed negroes cOngregated near Winter
City, but they had been dispersed before
the arrival Of the military. There was q
large body of white men mounted and
armed who had dOcked there from various
points before the arrival of the troops.
These men had dispersed the negroes and
captured some of the leaders. Reports as
TO whether any negroes had been killed or
the number captured were very conflicting.
one negro was certainly killed by another
negro for refusing TO Join them. One man
told the officers he saw six dead negroes
Other reports place the number higher,
while some denied there have been any
killed except the negro killed by another
The troops captured ana turned over 70
the sheriff forty negroes. 1t was reported
that after the troops left one Of the negro
leaders was hanged. The sheriff, under
whose orders the troops were placed. nOti-
fed them that they were needed no longer,
and they took his receipt for the negroes
whom they had captured. and left by boat
A member Of the company told the CORE
spOndent 10 was impossible 10 get any reli
able Information as TO what really had
occurred: that il was certain that from 800
TO 400 had armed themselves and cOngre-
gated vOwtng vengeance against the whites
on Saturday, and il was certain that large
bodies of whites had dispersed them and
captured some; but no true account could
be obtained of the loss Of human life, IS
the violence occurred back of the river
several miles. The white people Of Shell
Mound deserted the place on Saturday and
sought refuge in safer quarters.