The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-19
CHASED WITH FIRE ARMS.
ELEVEN NEGROES REFUSE TO DO
SUNDAY work AT TYBEE.

grOes On-TrnnspOrtatiOn Given
Them to the City-They Put in a
Claim For Wages and Got Their
Money.
There came near being a small riot at
the government fertilization works Sun
day. growing out OF the fact that about
dozen Of the negro iaborers there did not
want to work on that day, and it is said
they did not want others to work
Eleven of the negroes. for whom John
Robinson appeared as spokesman. went to
the Office of the United States commits
sioner yesterday to make a complaint,
thinking something could be done for them
there on account of the fact that they
We're employed on government works
Robinson stated that the eleven men, in
Guiding himself, were brought from Mount
Pleasant, S. c., near Charleston, through
Mr.. f. A. D. Hancock, who is assisting in
the superintendent of the work. They
arrived in Savannah, they said, on Oct.
and went to work the next day, which
was Monday They have now been at
work two weeks.
Robinson said Superintendent Howard
came to the men Sunday and told them
they would have to go to work They re-
fused to work on Sunday, he said, unless
they were paid g a day, on account of
the fact that they had been hard at work
all the week, and wanted that as a day
of rest. When they refused to work they
said Mr.. Howard told them he would
make them work, and. according to the
story of the negroes, one of the white
men at the works armed himself with A
rife, another with a pistol, while Mr..
Howard himself picked up a heavy bar
of iron, and started in on them. The ne
groes assert that they were told either to
get to work or get off the place, and when
they saw the weapons, they pursued the
latter course. They then went over to
the Tybee railroad and took the train for
the city.
With Robinson were Summer Beckett
and William Jenkins, who told the same
story all of the men insisting that they
had been run off the works because they
would not work on Sunday. They have
been paid nothing for their services so
far, they state, and had had nothing to
about thirty-hve other men a the works
during week days, but most of them come
TO the city Saturday night and go down
Monday morning. There were about a
dozen others there, however, who consent
ed to go to work at their regular wages,
and did do so, and thereby hangs the 9th
er side of the story.
There was nothing the commissioner
could do in case of that kind, and they
We're told they would have to present their
case to magistrate. They started off
to magistrates office. with the intention
of securing laborers' liens for the services
they have performed.
Mr.. Hancock, when seen with regard to
the matter, said there was one important
detail which the negroes had forgotten to
state, and one which put the matter in an
entirely different light. The negroes he
said, began to threaten and intimidate
the dozen or more men who went to work
on Sunday, and even declared that they
would stone them unless they knocked
off
1T is true the men refused to work an
less they were paid 80 a day" Mr.. Han
cock said. Nothing was done to compel
them TO work, nor wo1ld they have been
molested in any manner had they not at
tempted to get the other men away from
their work by threat and intimidation.
even declaring they would stone them un-
reached
this point, Superintendent Howard in
forms me- the men there did arm them
selves, and told these obstreperous char
acters that they would have to leave the
place. They then stated that they wanted
TO come to Savannah, and we secured
transportation for them to the city.
The men have not been paid any
money, because we pay off only once a
month. Sometimes when men leave work
we pay them what is due them, but to
pay them on Sunday was out of the uues-
ton, for we had no money down there.
and there was no way of getting any. l
am inclined to have the leaders of the
crowd arrested for intimdating the other
workmen. That is the only reason they
were interfered with and made to leave
the works
The men told a story to the effect that
those in charge of the works were stand
ing with guns over the men who were
at work on Sunday This, Mr.. Hancock
states, is absolutely untrue. The only rea-
son that the superintendent and his fore
men armed themselves was to prevent
these men from interfering with those
who wanted to work
After leaving the commissioners office
the men went to the office of Justice Sam
uel Reynolds, where they stated their
case. They secured Mr.. Walter C. Har-
fridge as counsel, and made statement
TO him of the amounts they claimed to be
due them. A little later Mr. Crosby who
is in charge of the work for Messrs Ven
able Bros, appeared at Justice Reynolds
court and after hearing the statements
of the men, announced that he was will
ing to pay them half the amount they
claimed to be due them and that he
would pay the balance after he had made
an investigation of the matter and found
out how much really was due.
This was satisfactory to the men and
their counsel and a check for half the
amount was drawn. The amount had been
considerably reduced, however, since the
men admitted that they had obtained GER
tain credits at the commissary at the
works, and had in some Instances drawn
cash. Mr.. Crosby further agreed that the
men should go down to the
island to-day and do one DAYS
work while they are waiting for
the matter to be settled up Just as soon
as 1t can be determined what is coming
to the men they will be paid in full. Mr..
Crosby says he will make a full investiga-
ton of the matter and find out Just where
the fault really lies.
The difficulty, he stated. appears to be
one between the South Carolina and the
Georgia negroes. They have been at outs
to a certain extent ever since the Sou+b