The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-12-24
And to Have Begun Carrying Out
Their Threats by Assassinating n
Brooks County Farmer.
SAME OLD STORY, HOWEVER
NOT A SINGLE WHITE MAN YET
KILLED IN THE ALLEGED RIOT.
Serious Trouble mt Augusta-Attempt
to Lynch a Prisoner-Negro Shot
and Hung in Louisiana.

QUITMAN, Ga, Dec 2s.-The lives Of
seven negroes have been taken in the last
twenty-four hours in revenge for that OF
one white man, and, unless all signs fail,
many more lives are in jeopardy.
I. Two bodies of determined men, between
four hundred and five hundred men in all,
every man being heavily armed and each
body about equal in numerical strength to
the other, separated by less than a mile
of country, and liable to clash at any min
ute-that is the spectacle presented here in
Brooks county tonight. One body is made
up of stern, determined white men, bent on
revenge for the brutal murder of one of the
best citizens of this county, the other is
made up of negroes, terror-stricken and
fearful lest they or their families be made
the objects of the same fate as has al
ready befallen seven of their number, and
ready to defend themselves from such fate
as we'll as they may be able What the
next twenty-four hours will bring forth. the
Lord alone knows. That there will be
open clash seems probable at this writing.
The authorities are powerless and prac-
tically no enorts have yet been made to
bring about peace, save by the relatives
of the man whose murder is the cause of
it all.
On Thursday Mr.. Joseph Isom, one of
Brooks county's most prosperous farmers
ar, best citizens, was murdered by a
party of negroes, and it leaked out that
the killing of Isom was a part OF plot
posse which few weeks ago arrested
Jesse Jeffreth for the killing of 7. Moul-
den. Isom was one of the most popular
men in the county. He lived ten miles
county where the negroes outnum-
bered the whites, and the killing Gre
ated a great deal of excitement. When it
developed that the same gang OF negroes
had sworn to kill other white men the
whites gathered together, as If by one ac-
cord, and the work of revenge began. OF
the seven who are dead. the names of
| only four could be obtained this afternoon.
KING TERROR RULES.
A reporter visited the scene late. this
evening. Every cross-road was found
| picketed with sentinels and every man in
| the county is armed to the teeth. When
| race war breaks out in Georgia King
| Terror usually rules whites as we'll as
blacks, and such is the case to-day. There
| are probably five hundred men under arms,
| covering an area of about five square
miles. About mile and a half from the
| home of the Isoms were about two hun
| dred whites, all well armed and breathing
| all sorts of vengeance. A mile further
was crowd of negroes of about the same
size, armed with winchester rifles, pistols,
axes, clubs and every available weapon,
/ waiting for the whites to attack them.
| They are entrenched in and around a lot
| of negro cabins in the midst of thin
grove. and the latest information is that
the whites are advancing on them from
two sides. Samuel Taylor, Eli Frazer,
Samuel Pike and Henry Sherard are four
negroes known to have been killed. The
county is comparatively sparsely settled
and the facilities for securing information
are very meagre. Pike is the negro who
killed Isom. He has been in hiding near
! where the trouble occurred.
When the reporter left the scene there
seemed every likelihood OF pitched battle
| tonight. Capt. e. Tillman. father-n-law of
Isom. was however. doing everything in
his power to restrain the whites. He had
sent hurried messengers all over the county.
summoning to his aid conservative men, In
the hope that they would prevent further
bloodshed. 1t will be impossible to know
tonight how well they succeeded.
HOW THE NEGROES WERE KILLED.
Details of the killing of the seven ne
groes are meagre. Taylor, Frazer. Pike
and Sherard were together about sunset last
night. They were regarded as four of the
ringleaders of the conspiracy to kill and
burn. and were being especially sought for
A half dozen whites, one of whom is said to
have been Isom's brother-in-law came upon
them suddenly and ordered them to submit
TO arrest One OF the negfoes answered
with a shot that struck one of the whites,
and four blacks were shot down in their
tracks. The other three were caught, one
| at time. Many OF Isoms neighbors who
are in the crowd viii not listen to any
peaceful talk. They declare that for the
sakes of their wives and children and for
their own safety they must stamp out the
gang that has sworn to murder. and to-
night that spirit seems - bs the predom-