The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-24
FIERCE RACE WAR
IN MISSISSIPPI.
One White Man and Nine
Negroes Killed.
RETURNS STILL COMING IN
CITIZENS HUNTING A BAND OF
RETURNS STILL COMING II
CITIZENS HUNTING A BAND OF
ASSASSINS.
Have the Names OF Forty Colored
Men Who Started the Slaugh-
ter and Are Determined
to Capture Them.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

MEMPHIS, Oct. 23.-A special to the
Commercial Appeal from Forest, Miss,
saws: AS a result of an attempt to ar
rest a negro near Harpersville, Scott
County. in the eastern part of the
State. one white deputy was killed, three
wounded and according to the latest re-
port nine negroes have been killed by
the citizens of the Harpersville neigh
borhood and the Sheriff's posse COM
bined. The pursuit of about fifty ne
groes. which had joined the original Of
fender with the avowed determination
to prevent his arrest and capture, and
which ambushed the party attempting
the arrest, continues and by morning
the number of fatalities will undoubt-
eddy have assumed large proportions.
The whole country is terribly aroused
and the Sheriffs posse has been rein
forced with men from all the neighbor-
ing towns.
Governor McLaurin has gone to the
scene, which is about ten miles north
of Forest, the nearest railroad point.
The trouble originated last Friday,
when a negro named Burke had an al
tercation with his employer, Charles
Freeman, a white man, in which the
negro got the better of the difficulty.
The next night a crowd of white men,
headed by Wallace Sibley, went to
Burkes house. When they arrived
upon the scene and called for Burke
they were greeted with fusillade from
the negroes concealed In the bushes
surrounding the house and in the house
itself. Wallace Sibley, the leader, fell
dead at the first volley and three more
white members of the crowd, James
Johnson, James Hilton and James
Wells, were wounded. The whites re-
turned the fire. but were unable to do
auy execution, as their aSsailantS were
all concealed. There were not more
than eight men In the white crowd, and
finding it impossible to resist effectively
they dispersed toward Harpersville. It
was not known at that time that Sibley
was injured, but upon return to the
scene this morning he was found dead
in the yard. The wounded deputies
were able to get back to town.
This occurrence took place early in
the night When the crowd returned to
Harpervifle the news spread like wild
fire. During the night a large crowd
gathered They Immediately went to
Burke's house and got from his mother
the names of all the parties in the
crowd who had ambushed the whites
the night before In all there were
about forty negroes who had gathered
to prevent the arrest OF burke, ana a
list was made up at her dictation. All
of them had fed. Then the pursuit and
search for each of the prescribed dar-
kies began. According to the state
ment of reliable citizens, six negroes
were found and killed by the crowd Of
Armed and determined citizens before
the Sheriff arrived.
This morning Sheriff Stevenson was
wired of the condition of affairs and he
was asked to get together a posse and
come to Harpersville. Gathering a
posse of twenty men he started. He
was joined by crowd Of citizens num-
bering over 300 men. Immediately