The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-09-12
NOT A RAzzER WAS DRAWN.
But a Revolver Was Pulled in the Live
lest Colored Convention Ever Held
in This State.
Special to the Jersey Citv Ne,os.

Special to the Jersey City Ne,os
TRENTON, Sept. IL, 1892.-The ColoreG
Mems State Committee went into session
at noon to arrange for the temporary or
ganization. Murreu wanted to be tenn
porary Chairman. and the ,Committee
was divided between him and Charles N.
Robinson of Camden.
Murrell said that the man who effe cted
the temporary organization would con
troll the convention. and as he controlled
majority of the delegates he would be
chairman or there would be no conven-
ton.
The town is full of the colored voters
this morning and that is the reason an
old citizen says that it is SO cloudy. They
began to arrive witch the first
train and kept coming up to
noon. The William H. Murreli
Association preceded by drum corps
and led by the doughty Colonel himself,
were among the first to arrive.
The drummers and f1fers were
exceedingly muscular and big lunged
and they made enough noise for
four times as many men. They were
soon followed by the Camden delegation,
also with drum corps, and after them
came the Essex delegation with q gorge
ously attired drum major, who had the
most consequential strut that has been
seen here in many day.
At noon the delegations began to march
to the Masonic Temple, the drum corps
trying to OUTBOUND and OUTFLOW one an
other. The colored citizens seem
to have discovered what the
object OF the convention is.
It is to select a leader of the colored
people in the State. Colonel Murrell aud
Dominic Sampson of Camden are the
leading delegates. Muirell says he does
someone sis spend'n a powful heap of
money for de Camden preacher" The
Sampson men in return contemporary
ask "Whose buy'n all dem new plug hats
for de Murrell SociathunW Both sides
caucussed until one o'clock.
1t was half past one o'clock when the
State Committee marched upon the plat
graph of Stephen Douglass. There were
then about two hundred dele
gates in the hall There was
another long delay, and Charles N. Rob-
inson called the Convent tion to order and
Jesse Lawson read the call. The Rev.
Joseph II. Morgan of Camden prayed
after first having been escorted to the
platform by committee, consisting of
the Revs. Sampson and Brown.
Amen had hardly been sounded when
the trouble began. A delegate moved
that the officers of the State Committee
be the temporary officers. A substitute
that Colonel Murrell be temporary Chair
man and j. E. Holcombe of Essex be Sec
retary was received with shout that
made the Murrell crowd happy.
There was much confusion and running
to take the vote. 1t was
started on the unit rule basis.
When it got down to Bergen
the Chairman yelled six for Colonel Muir
rell. This raised a great storm. and a
motion was made to let each
DELEGATE vote. - The Chairman de-
nothing was in order but roll call. Then
the storm broke out anew. A eavy
luuged delegate made great noisewith h
cries of appeal ana question of privilege
and it looked as though there would be a
ing how, if each delegate voted, the small
counties would be swamped by the big
ones. Then Murrell tried to speak
and it looked as though there would be
fight when Cosey and several others led
the Colonel to his seat. An uproar
up to the platform aud besieged
the Chairman. He refused to recede from
his position. Little groups gathered to-
gether and howled and shouted at each
other. 1t was plain Murrell was going TO
keep his threat and rule or ruin the con-
ventioD.
Murrell managed to get the platform
and quieted the storm and made a rous-
ing speech for the individual roll call. 1t
was very vigorous and carried the con-
vention by storm. Several delegates
tried to get the floor. The chairman
raped them to order. He said that noise
made no difference to him and ordered
the call to proceed under the unit rule.
Henry Hurlbert of Trenton made very
sensible speech for the individual votes.
again, but was howled down. Captain
Jordon, of Jersey City, sergeant-at-arms,
went to put the Colonel off the stage, and
Murrell dared him to touch him. The
captain was not frightened a bit
Jesse Lawson, the Secretary, jumped
up and said he haa paid for the hall. and
il they didn't take their seats and keep
quiet, he would call in the
police. This quieted things somewhat
compromise that all delegates have a
vote, except in Mercer and Camden,
where there were contesting delegates.
The Chairman refused to entertain the
motion. and the storm broke aut with
greater violence. Crowds gathered around
the platform, and there. before any one
knew how it happened, a lively scrap
broke out.
jackson. Chairman of the contesting
Mercer delegation, said something and a
movement was made toruu him out. He
showed fight and his friends gathered
around him, and many of the delegates
tried to separate the com batants.
The men sprang in among the light or
chestra chairs which few in spliaters in
all directions. The crowd surged
around the fighters and several blows
were struck but not a razor appeared,
blows were exchanged, coats We're torn
off. sleeves were rolled up and things
began to look lively when two policemen
and number of white men entered the
hall. One of the negroes had Il
revolver in his hand. He tried to
dispose of it, but uniformed policeman
seized him and started TO rush him out.
Several negroes sprang to the fellow
delegates assistance, but several officers
in plain clothes kept the crowd bacg and
the man was taken to the police station.
a vote was finally taken and Murrell
lost by vote of 122 to 214 The wonder
is where the 1856 votes came from.
POLITICIANS SUNDAY.