Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-15
New Orleans Negroes Working Under
Military Protection.
ARTILLERYMAN ACCIDENTALLY SHOT
Considerable Excitement Caused
for a Time.
TROUBLE NOT APPREHENDED

NEW ORLEANS, March 15.-If small
SQUADS of soldiers leaning against cotton
bales or basking in the early morning sun
shine on top of freight piles were missing
from the levee front this morning, no one
would have thought that New Orleans was
at the present time passing through one OF
the greatest labor crises it has ever had to
deal with.
The scene along the levee today is one of
bustling activity. Nearly every ship IN
port which came for the purpose Of re-
ceiving> cargoes of cotton is now being
loaded. In fact, it is not known that work
ships which are loading by stevedores en-
ploying colored labor which fact brought
on the trouble Of last Tuesday, are being
loaded as fast as men and machines can
store the cotton bales in their huge hulls
The negroes are moving about their work
with that low chant every southern negro
uses when his mind is occupied on his Ia
Dor. They have no fear now. They are
surrounded on all sides by military ana
they feel conteDted.
Nevertheless, whenever a small crowd
gathers around one of the vessels. Tor the
levee is now visited by hundreds or curl
Gus people, the negroes become little
nervous and glance suspiciously at the
whites and then at the soldiers. If the lat
ter APPEAR to be contented the darkieS re-
gain their compoSure.
There was a sigh of relief throughout the
city this morning when daylight came
People went to bed last night with IN un-
defined feeling of dread that before the
night had passed something unusual would
occur. What they most dreaded was fire.
Many were under the impression that the
strikers would change their method Of
warfare and would apply the torch.
Nothing, however, occurred to disturb
the peace of the city. The rioters remain
ed away from the leyee and last night pass
ed off without one exciting incident. The
their destination at O'Clock this morning.
They marched from their armories without
any incident worth mentioning. AS soon
as they had reached the various ships
white screwmen hung around the scene.
! but they were kept at a distance by the
presence of troops. The soldiers were tired
| out and were not in hurry to resume
anxiously awaited by 800 negroes. who
wanted to go to work, but who were afraid
as the soldiers made their appearance on
the wharf the negroes threw off their
coats and ten minutes later cotton was be-
Ing stored on thS English steamer En-
gineer.
No opposition as made by the dozen or
more white screwmeD who hung around.
Gov. Foster was interviewed this MORN
ing by an Associated Press reporter. He
the river until all signs of danger had
passed. When asked If he thought that a
settlement was near at hand, he said that
he could not tell.
There was movement on foot among
| those whose interests are directly endan-
gered by the recent trouble to settle the af-
| fair, but it would take several days before
anything definite could be done. The gov
ernor did not anticipate any more rioting.
Wallace Stevens, aged twenty-four years,
| member of battery B, Washington ar
| tillery. on guard at the Harrison line
wharf, has just been taken to the hospital
| badly shot. While Stevens was in the act
| of sitting down, his 3S caliber revolver fell
| from his belt. and striking the wharf ex-
| ploded. The bullet entered Stevens body
under the armpit, inflieting bad wound.
The report of the pistol attracted a large
| crowd to the scene- and it was all the po-
| lice could do to keep it back. All kinds
| Of rumors prevailed for awhile, and even
| the negro laborers, who were not twenty
| feet from Stevens when he shot himself,
wanted to quit work. not believing, at first,
| that the shooting was an accident.
| 1t was not until the wounded man was
removed from the levee that matters set
| tied down to their normal condition.
| The doctors do not think that Stevens
| wound will result fatally.