The times., 1897-04-26

Soon afterward and TWENTY-FIVE minutes
before any other new spaper reached here,
the city received the regular edition OF
! The Times, and thousands OF the papers
We're bought by the citizens as they
/ marched the streets with guns and levol-
vers at hand. This edition containednearly
| three columns, descriptive of the excite
| ment and the scenes, and everybody com
mended the activity and accuracy of The
| Times in so quickly and completely pub
! fishing the facts, as known then and in
| accomplishing beat upon its competit-
| ors locally in point OF detail and develop
ment.
| Alexandria, Va, April 25.-Not since the
| tragedy which was enacted on the day
when Capt. Ellsworth with his company
| of zouaves invaded Alexandria nearly
thirty-five years, agohas any eventcreated
such uncomfortable extremes of excite
| Saturday night, and even until lcng after
| daylight Sunday morning
To say that the people rose up in arms
| is not sufficient to convey more than n
| vague impression of what actually did
|
scription 1t was not without its bene-
fic1al results, for whatever plans the ne
| groes may have had, or whatever plot
! they intended to carry out to ayenge the
! lynching OF Mccoy, was effectuaily frus-
| trated. SO thoroughly frightened were
| the COlored inhabitants there need now
| be no fear Of any future trouble, and the
danger ofa race war isnow entirely averued
The town has not slept wei since the
| night of the lypchlng, and, during the
| early part or the evening, there Were
vague rumors flying about which caused
| people to suspect that something might
| happen. Various signs indicated
that trouble was brewing. The night was
warm, and people were out upon the
streets. Upon every corner there We're
groups OF men discussing the situation,
| each one Feeling in his bones the ap
proach of the storm.
| 1t was shortly before IL " hen the in
| formation came over the wires that the
| negroes up the country were organizing
| to march down upon the city and ayenge
| the lynching of Mccoy.
The news was contained in the follow
ing telegram, sent by Commonwealth IS At
torney Richard Johnson 10 Mayor honp-
son: "0ne hundred negroes organizing to
come to Alexandria for trouble; they are
armed: be ON guard
The mayer at once held a hasty consulta-
ton with Capt. Bryan and Major Cookie eli,
editor of the Alexandra Times, and it
was decided that in view Of the alarming
nature OF the situation to call cot the light
infantry. A few moments later Attorney
johnson sent tanothermessage saying, Have
you needed my instructions?"
The situation was becoming grave. Then
it was that the entire town was stirred TO
its depths by the sounding OF the general
alarm. Three times the old bell on the
town han struck seven. Everyone knew
It's meaning, 1t was the call to arms, the
signal for the assembling OF the militia
Almost simultaneously Internal Revenue
Collector Park Agnew, who is vice esd
dent OF the Mt. Vernon Electric Railway,
received a private telegram from the
operator at Four Mile Run, stating that Il
gang OF negro toughs had just passed that
place The news spread like wild fire.
Men rushed madly up and down the streets
while the women and children barIicaded
doors and windows and sought refuge in
their homes.
The colored population within the city
disappeared as If the earth had opened
and swallowed them. Had the county
negroes succeeded in invading the town
they might have come to their assistance,
but as it was few dared to more than peer
through doors and windows.
Capt. w A. Smoot anda number of other
citizens, mounted ON horses, at once set
out to scour the county in searcn of the
advance guard of the invaders. The Light
Infantry was not long in gathering at the
armory, and at once advanced in double
quick, under Capt. Bryan, to the main en-
trance to the town, where they were
placed on guard. Every approach to the
city was also carefully guarded by armed
citizens.
In fact, every male white person old
enough to carry gun had one or more
in his possession. The police turned in
their batons and did duty with double
barreled shotguns over their shoulders.
Old army veterans brought out their rusty
muskets, which had not seen service for
thirty years, and hobbled mp and down the
streets. Every hardware store in the city
threw open its doors, and every conceiva-
be firearm at once found a ready
purchaser From old-fashioned horse
pistols and flint lock guns to the most
approved patterns of Winchesters and
Smith & Wesson repeaters were every
where in evidence. Men emptied their
pockets in order to fill them with
cartridges.
The greater mass of people assembled st
the corner of Washington and King streets
within one block of the Confederate Monu-
ment, while groups of citizens marched up
and down the streets ready for an emer-
gency.
Alexandria never experienced such 8
night; not since the days OF the war has
there been anything akin to it. Martial
law practically prevailed and any COM
mand made by Mayor Thompson, Capt.
Bryan, Capt Webster, or Lieut. Smith was
unhestatingly obeyed. The excitement
reached a climax when, about l o'clock,
courier dashed at breakneck speed into
the center of the town, shouting as he rode
that there was riot at Mr. Lacey's resi-
dence, which is situated some distance
from the center of the city.
The ride OF Sheridan or Paul Revere was
not of more moment than that messenger
to the people of Alexandria. A thousand
armed men at once surrounded the house
There few struggling negroes had been
rather boisterous, but there was nothing
to iucite trouble.
Now and then a group of men might