Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-03-07
RACE TROUBLES AT MEMPHIS.
Attack by Negro Mob on Three Deputy
Sherifis on Saturday Night.

sherifs Saturday Night.
Trouble has been brewing for some time be-
tween the whites and blacks in the lower
quarter of Memphis, and attack on three
deputy sheriffs by mob Of negroes on Satur
day night threatens to bring matters to a crisis
aud bring on race war that will eliminate in
serious bloodshed.
The trouble was precipitated by an attempt
to arrest Will Stewart. a negro desperate, for
whom Judge Dubose had issued bench war
rant. Deputy Sheriffs Charles Cole, Robert
Harold and Avery Young found Stewart about
midnight in Calvin McDowelrs grocery store,
at the corner of Mississippi and Walker
avenues, surro unded by crowd of friends.
The negroes had been expecting the raid, and
were armed with WInchesters and shotguns.
OPENED FIRE on THE OFFICERS.
AT the appearance of the officers the negroes
opened fire and the three officers fell, all badly
wounded. They returned the fire, but none OF
the negroes were hurt. posse of deputy
sherifis who had been searching for Stewart
and who were in the immediate vicinity came
to the rescue and fifteen of the blacks were
placed under arrest.
The shooting caused the greatest excitement
In the nel2hborhoOd and fifteen minutes after
the first shot was fired every white man was
armed With Winchester. The wounded men.
| all OF whom were at first thought to be fatally
shot, were taken to the hospital Officer Cole
| is Ill dangerous condition. however, and will
hardly survive The others, it is now believed,
will recover
The police placed fourteen more negroes
under arrest yesterday charged with compii,ily
IL the shooting. Ii Oincer Cole should die
further trouble is expected, as the whites living
III the vicinity OF the shooting are thrsting Tor
revenge.
The negroes arrested include Calvin Nc
Dowell. manager of the co-ope rative store
where the shooting took place. and Tom Moss.
letter carrier, who are believed to have been
the ringleaders in the affair.
CAUSE OF THE TROUBLE.
The trouble resulted from the existence Of
nest OF turbulent and unruly negroes, living at
| or near the neighborhood of the Curve
where Mississippi avenue verges into the Her
notorious for the character of the negroes
residing there, and of late they have been more
turbulen Mt than over before.
n short time ago negro youth named Ar
mour Harris assaulted the child of Cornelus
Hurst, an express messenger. Hurst caught
Armour aud thrashed him. Others negroes in
| terfered and Hurst dubbed one of them. On
last Wednesday night the negroes assembled at
the Curve and were riotous. ". X. Barrett,
who runs grocery, tried TO calm them and was
set upon aud dubbed and shot at, several bull
lets passing through his clothes. The assault
occurred in the People Grocery" an estab-
lishmept owned by stock company Of negroes
and run by Calvin Mcdowell Mcdowell was
arrested Thursday ana gave bond Tor his APP
pearance at the criminal court.
Since then the negroes have been holding Sc
cret meetings and evidently preparing Tor
trouble. On saturday they boosted to the white
| residents that no deputy sheriff dare attempt to
| arrest them The white people were uneasy
and their families left their homes and moved
| into town.
Judge Dubose was appealed to and issued q
bench warrant for Armour Harris and VIII Stew
art and instructed the officers of the court to
| get assistance and arrest the negroes; also to
| suppress any riotous assembly around the
Curve. The three officers called on nine other
men, most OF them deputy sheriffs. and pro-
ceeded at III o clock Saturday night to the scene
OF the recent disturbance. Everything seemed
| quiet at the Curve, but when the posse entered
| Barretts store he told the me mbers to be care
rul when they entered the Peoples Grocery. as
| they might be ambushed. The officers thought
| Barrett was unnecessarily alarmed, but they
took the precauion to divide, and one party
| went to the back door of the negro grocery.
Perkins, Harold, Cole and Yerger OF the
posse went to the front door. Calvin Nc
! Dowell was pacing up and down the floor.
| Several other negroes were standing behind
the counter. Perkins asked Mcdowell ii Will
| Stewart there. He Is in the back ROOM"
| replied Mcdowell. Perkins entered the back
| room, leaving Cole, Harold and Yerger stand
| ing In the front door. As Perkins walked into
| the back room he was greeted with yolley OF
| shots. the other deputies at the same instant
entering the back door. These men supposed
that the fighting had begun in front and
| charged upon group of negroes who were
partly concealed by screen. The negroes
we're armed with shot9uns, but the officers
| closed In on them and used their pistols as
| clubs, having no idea that their comrades had
| been shot down. In minute the negroes in
| the back room had dropped their guns and
| He'd. No sooner had the negroes who were be-
| hind the counter in the front room heard the
posse enter from behind than they lifted shot
guns that they had concealed behind the
| counter and fired on the deputies in 'front.'
| EACH of the three officers was struck in the
| face or head.
| PROVIDING FOR TTIK FUTURE
| Late yesterday afternoon a meeting of citi-
| zens WAS held at the court house to decide upon
a plan OF action. After prolonged discussion
ii was decided to call upon all good citizens to
| tender their services to the sheriff to aid him
| in keeping the peace. That official accepted
| the offer and several hundred men were sworn
| in as deputy sheriffs. Every white man in town
| was a walking arsenal last night. and should
| the negroes renew the trouble the uprising
| would soon be put down. The police and
deputy sheriffs are arresting every suspicious
| character to be found, over forty having been
| lodged in Jail since noon yesterday. The
| Chickasaw Guards. tHibernia Rifles, Rouzier
| Zouaves and the Bluff City Artillery, number
| ing I 100 soldiers. are resting on their arms
| ready to respond to the call of the sheriff. The
| negroes were filing up on whisky and an out
i break vas feared before morning,