Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1895-06-22
A MOB'S FURY.
COLORED TIN SHOT
DOWN.
Alleged Social Equality, the
Cause.
PHYSICIANS REFUSE TO ATTEND
THE WOUNDED COLORED nan
WHO ENTERTAINED A
NORTHERN WHITE
NAN.
Tuskegee Institute Closes It's Doors mp
on the Hunted UnfOl tunate.


Iruskegee, Ala, News, (white) June 10 ]
Last Saturday night about 10 O'Clock
the residents of Tuskeges " ere startled
by a wild hubbub in the n. Z. end of the
city-a furious barking of dogs was &c
cOmpanied by other sounds of q more
startling Rature-Suddenly four or Ave
pistol shots rang out on the air, follow
ed By agOnizsd screams of women. and
mans voice shriekiDg in pain. IT was
terrible to listen to "Helpl Helpl NV
God, they have killed him-On they have
killed himi" These words shrieked over
and over soon drew q crowd of men and
boys to the residence of Mr.. John Alex
ander where it was found that Mr.. Alex
ander had been accidently slot and was
supposed fatally wounded by a mob of
masked men who had entered his prem
Uses in puFsuit of Tom Harris, a notori-
Gus mOlatto man, Negro lawyer and
rather a 5edihous character, who had
against Mr.. Alfxander's orders taken
refuge within his heme from a pursuing
mob. Tom Harris is a very ambitious
and rather an idle Negro man, extremely
unpopular with bis own race on account
OF his airs of superiority, and having
little influence with them.
THE ExTEET CT HIS OFFENDING.
s far as known he has never been
guilty of any crime whatever, but his
impudeot utterances and insolent bear
! ing have made him very obnoxious to
the white people, and once before now
be has had to leave the city on pro
loDged stay. He purchased some years
ago a very comfortable home for his
Ifamily-the Hayden residence in the i'm
mediate vicinity of Mr.. AlexaDder's
home, and there his family reside. His
wife is considered q model colored WON
an, she is industrious, virtuous and
thoroughly orderly in every respect and
has eDdeavored to raise her large f. mi
ly OF children with propriety. His eld-
est son. Wylie. is a well-kDowD young
yellow man who has a butchers shop
here. Some two or three weeks ago
yankee preacher namad Kelley appeared
in this county.
| THE NORTHERNER's vIsIT.
He put up with respectable citiz ms at
Cross Keys and was told that he might
preach TO Negroes, but that in this part
of the country social equality was not
| tolerated. lie conducted himself ac-
cordinRly there, but coming to Tnske-
gee he was entertained at Tom II ArriH'
house, and it is said walked the streets
botwes n two of Harris daughters, hold
| ing an umbrella over them. 1t rs also
stated that he preached social quality,
add from the pulpit denounced certain
citizens OF this place, calling no names
but making such pointed remarks that
there could be no doubt of his meaning.
and that Tom Harris had given him the
dots.
LAwLEts CITIZENS ASSEMBLE.
A meeting OF citizsns was called in
which all rash suggestions were voted
down, but it was resolved that a com.
mittee of citiz ms should go to the house
of Tom Harris and order the yankee to
leave our city within six hours. This
was accordingly done. 1t was we'll and
good, and the matter should have end.
ed there. But Saturday night letter
was sent to Tom Harris saying that his
life was demanded, this letter was taken
home by Wiley at n late hour CORDIALLY
/ from the Post Office) aud the Negro
could scarcely have had time to have
made an escape after receiving it before
the arrival of the mob at his house. In.
stead. however. of Immediately retreat
ing from the neighborhood he took the
letter over Mr.. A'exander's and calling
from the front gate requested to see
him, Mr.. Alexander was at the time
seated on his front gallery with his
daughters.
ASKING ADVICE OF NRiGHBOR.
He stepped into the road and Tom
Harris told him of the letter and asked
his advice, directly looking down the
Imoonlit road claimed, There they are
now, coming to kill me- - and rushed IN
to Mr.. AIexander's front yard. Mr.. Al
Iexander seeing the approach of several
masked men, recognized the danger to
L. y 81
tempting to run Tom Harris out, at the
same time calling to the men not to
shoot for fear they might kill or fright
en- his daughters. The mob however,
not to be deferred from their purpose
rushed into the yard and one of them
putting his pistol within a foot of Har-
ris fred meaning of course to kill him.
ANoTHE GOT THE BULLET
The Negro Fquatted in time to avert
the shot which struck Mr.. Alexander
(who was immediately back of him try
ing to evict him from the premises hit
ting him in the throat, the ball ranging
toward the spinal column where it
lodged. Other shots followed ia imme-
date succession and Tom Harris was
wounded in the leg and fell as he was
running down the road, and it is said
the bone was shattered. The screams
of pain were from the wounded Negro
who called loudly for help, but no at
; tention was given him excepting by his
family who gathered around him
/, though in the crowd that rushed to the
scene were several medical men who pro-
ceeded to render Mr. Alexander all the
assistance in their power.
WOUNDED THE WRONG NAN.
1t was thought at first that Mr.. Alex
}, ander was mortally wounded. He il
g said to have borne himself with wonder
full GOODNESS and nerve, and though
: probing for the ball was unsuccessful h'
has rallied, to the surprise of all, anC
}, bids fair to recover. il he does il will b.
= due in large measure to the devoted at
tention he has received from our medi
= cal men, who, as well as every other cit
K izen of this community, feel the creates
7, sympathy for him in his suffering an
for his family in their anxiety and dif
= tress.
: NO WHITE DOCTOR WOULD ATTEND HIN
5, Failing to get any white doctor to a
tend his father, Wylie Harris took hiI
r over to the Normal School that nigh
m where however he was not received, fC
k Booker II. Washington, the president {
n the Negro school has ever cOnducte
IN himself aud his school in the most pr
TT dent and conservative manner, an
n learning that a mob was in pursuit
IA Harris he told him that he could not
I'd admitted there. What has become
is. "a arris we do not know. That he
r. painfully wounded Is certain, and aft
ce the Vindictive demonstration to whiS