Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-05-21
CENTREYILLE,S LYNCHING.
Residents of the Town Did Not Take Par
In the Tragedy--The Mob Came from TIA

hesluents OF the Town Did Not Take Part
In the Tragedy--The Mob Came from the
Lower Section of Queen Anne's County.
CENTREvILLE, Nh, May 13.-While the
lynching OF the colored man, Asbury
Green, for felonious assault on Mrs.
Howard Tolson was the work of hastily
formed band Of citizens of Queen Anne's
county, it Is believed here that very few,
il any, residents Of Centreville were active
participants in the affair. 1t is well known
that the people of Centreville were rather
disposed to acquiesce in the sentence of
twenty-one years imprisonment imposed
by the court, and did all they could to
reconcile popular sentiment to that result
In spite of all this the belief prevails to q
considerable extent, among the culored
people especially, that the outbreak was due
IN good measure to the active efforts of some
Of the younger men of Centreville. This
is an entirely wrong impression. The
most careful Investigation of the matter
has been made, and not the slightest eyi-
dencc can be obtained to show that the
townspoople were engaged in the affair.
Though the participants were all
thoroughly disguised and masked, it would
have been possible still to recognize some
oil them by voice, manner or figure il they
had been citizens of the town. that no
individual has been so recognized seems to
be pretty conclusive proof that the mob
was composed of strangers. This is the
iact. They were mainly people from the
lower part of Queen Anne's and from
Kent Island, where the Tolsons live and
where the crime was committed.
On Monday night large number of
canoes came up the Corsica river to the
wharf at Centreville. This fact was com
mented upon at the time, but its full sig
nlhchnce was not appreciated. Ii is now
thought that the men who arrived in the
canoes were from that part of the county
south OF Centreville, During Monday
night a number of men came in with
teams also, and the vehicles. most Of them
at least, were left just out of town near the
Junction of the Easton and Queenstown
roads, close by the residence of Mr.. Wool
man j. Gibson, three-quarters of q mile
from Centreville, The owners of these
teams quietly entered the town and after
the fearful work had been done, quietly
dispersed. The people of Centreville were
Them saw the lynching, but 1t is not true
that they did it.
From the moment sentence was pro-
nounced on Green--imprisonme instead
OF death-the angry feelings of Mr. Toll
sons neighbors and friends were freely
expressed. The excitement was at n very
nigh pitch among them on Saturday during
the trial, especially when Mrs Tolson and
her mother were giving their testimony in
tears anu modification before a crowded
court room. The slightest thing would
nave sutiiced to cause an outbreak at that
moment. The verdict of guilty rendered
by the jury did much TO calm the excite
ment. The people of Centreville remained
calm throughout, but it must be stated
that ever since the i'll advised lynching
serious apprehensions of further trouble
as consequence of this affair have existed.
This uneasy feeling was caused by re-
ports that the negroes would retaliate. The |
colored people were. of course, excited, |
but they kept to themselves, in groups, |
giving no evidence that they contemplated |
the least violence. A strong patrol was on |
guard all Tuesday night. During the day |
the stores where firearms and ammunition |
are sold were thronged with purchasers,
who pretty well exhausted the sup
ply. The purchasers were mostly |
the better class of people, who |
do not habitually 60 armed or keep
firearms about their houses. Every pre-
caution was taken to insure the preserva-
ion of order and to protect the property
IF the town. The standpipe was kept
full of water, fires were Kept up in tile
water-works and the firemen were on the
alert. All the authorities and the more
experienced citizens exerted themselves to
illay excitement, and il is not considered
probable that any further trouble will
follow. There was not the slightest show
1f trouble all Tuesday night.