Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-04-06
IN A TURMOIL
rs JoNesBoRo, THE COUNTY
SEAT OF cRAieHEAp, ARK
A Gang Of White Caps Who Propose to Pu.
rily the Moral Atmosphere at Inc
Bottom Of tho Trouble

Jonesboro. Ark, April 5.--Jonesboro
the seat Of Craighead county, Ark. -
in a turmoil Of excitement
The town Ia sixty-seven miles from
Memphis. and contains n little over 3OuO
people. Il Is located at the base OF the
succession Of hills known rs Crowleys
Ridge, and Is the crossing point OF the
Kansas City and the Cotton Belt lines
of railway.
Some time ago there was organized u
band Of white Caps composed OF resi-
dents Of Jonesboro and vicinity, whose
avowcd purpose it was 10 purify public
and private morals. The organization
was secret one, but recent develop
ments seem to indicate that its members
are about as lawless 0s the people whose
lives Il intended 10 regulate AT 10
o'clock Saturday night a tragedy WIS
enacted, resulting In the death Of two
men. one OF them farmer, living near
JonesborO and the other a leader of the
mob of white Caps"
George Black, farmer Of Spanish
origin. some time ago received a notice
from an unknown source saying that
trouble would follow " he rented land 10
n certain negro. He paid no attention 20
the notice and the trouble came at about
10 o'clock Saturday night. when gang
of ruilians visited ks house, few miles
distant from the town, and called him TO
tic NNNAs ANhu MS ItANeNi 10 come out
of the house, the gang broke into the
building. As the leader of the party "a
man named w. j. Metcalf entered the
house with q drawn revolver In his hand,
the Spaniard hrod upon him with mus
ket and Metcalf fell mortaly wounded.
Tho gang picked up their wounded COM
rade and carried him away. Black then
| left the house, but before he had gone
| many feet from his door he received n
bullet wound from one In the crowd of
| White Caps. Metcalfs wounds were of
| so serious nature that he could not be
| moved without conveyance and his
companions left him lying In the farm
| house yard. IL was thought by the White
| Caps that they had killed Black. but
| after they had disappeared he succeeded
In crawling a distance Of about half a
mile TO the house of a neighbor. He was
! afterwQrd brought TO Jonesboro. where
he died on Sunday afternoon.
Sheriff broadway at once took the
matter in hand. Metcalf died without
making any statement which would dis
| close the identity of his comrades. and
since all the raiders were masked tbeir
| victim could furnish no informaion of
| yalue. During yesterday. however. the
/ Sherlu came into possession of KNOWLEDGE
| which warranted him In nrrestiup Geo.
| Counts, Burris Ray, George Burrows
Jim Bail Antonio Hensen. Charles Hen.
sen, hel Payne and Leo. ]. Ware One
OF the Hensens made full confession,
IN which he implicated the Others. All
| the parties are well-knOwn residents of
Jonesboro and its vicinity aud Ware Is
an attorney of some prominence. who
was nj one time mayor OF the town.
Great excitement still prevails, and
many rumors are In circulation as Ia
Other, events likely 70 follow the sensa-
li i.ial tragedy of Saturday night, but
| GtiZIeens OF Jonesboro say that In ali
| likelihood the trouble Is over. and TINT
the White Cap organization will be prop-
erly handled by the usual process of