The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1895-09-24
A NEW EXPERIENCE.
Lun Phillips Notorious Dive Blown Ut
With Dynamite.


with Dynamite.
On last Friday night about IL o'clock
the citizens of our town we're startled
by terrific explosion, resembling the
discharge of large cannon. Many
who we're awakened by it drowsiIy
wondered whether it was the Fourth
of July, Christmas, or a big political
celebration about to be ushered in.
Night Waterman Willoughby and 9th
er citizens who we're up at the time, at
once conceived the thought that some.
body's iron safe in town had been
cracked with dynamite or powder and
began scurrying about to locate
the scene of the explosion. Instead of
a safe-robbery, il was soon discovered
that the notorious negro dive kept by
Lun Phillips, colored, on Monticello
street near Heuck's Opera House, had
been partly demolished by the explo-
sion of dynamite.
A LEADER reporter examined the
scene of the explosion next morning.
The house, which is a frame one, origi-
nally built for store, is divided by
partitions into three rooms. The dyn-
amite had been placed under the side
of the middle room, and the explosion
made complete wreck of the flooring
and all the furniture on that side, con-
sisting of bed, stove, etc. A looking
glass and some glassware and dishes
in other parts of the building we're
shattered.
No one was in the room, Phillips and
seven or eight other negroes, includ-
ing women and children, being in the
rear room at the time of the explosion.
Even at that late hour, one of the wom-
en- interviewed, says they were all sit
ting up. The room wrecked by the ex-
| plosion, she says, was reserved for
boarders, but none were occupying it
that night. The interior of the room
where the explosion occurred, looked
ilho d Dcdul SSdIu OyCionO hdu PoooCo
through it, but there was little outside
evidence of the wreck and only few
pieces of outside Notwithstanding
| torn off.
Really, the subject has very seri-
Gus side to it, 1t is the first time in
this community, or even in this imme-
date section, that dynamite has ever
| been resorted to, either as the weapon
of revenge or to remove an acknowl-
edged public nuisance. No good citi-
zen can afford to regard it With uncon-
Germ or publicly sanction such diaboli-
cal methods, which might easily result
in wholesale murder and destruction
of property. Yet such menace to law
and order and good morals has this
dive become, it is doubtful if there are
a half-d dozen good citizens in Brookha-
ven, white and colored, who would not
rejoice in its removal. The place is
noted as negro gambling den, blind
tiger and place of lewdness. Scarcely
court ever passes that Phillips is not
arraigned for gambling or selling whis-
ky, and it is of general repute that old
Brigham Young never had more wives
and concubines. At the last term OF
the United States Court at Jackson
and the Circuit Court of Lincoln, Phil
lips was convicted and imprisoned for
running blind tiger, and there is
abundant evidence that he has contin-
ued at this nefarious business on the
sly since his release, drawing around
his dive the filthiest human scum OF
both races there is in the community
THE LEADER doesn't approve the dyn-
amite method or any other midnight
method which seeks to cloak itself in
darkness; we distinctly condemn all
such proceedings, as all other good
citizens should; but we do say, with no
less emphasis, that this community
has had quite enough of Lun Phillips
and all of his sort, and if it is propos-
ed that he shall continue to run this
dive as heretofore, committee of our
best citizens should go in broad day
light and apply such remedy as in
their judgment the case demands.
Chris Larsen has the contract for