The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-19
PLACING THE BLAME.
DIR. LEE SAYS WHITE MEN AT WILL
MINGToN WERE on THE DE-
FENSIVE.

Negroes Armed and DrilIed-Nurses
Were Told They Had Children In
Their POwer-A system of COer-
ciOn Practiced to Force the Entire
COIOred Element Into Line for n
Conflict With the Whites-AIIeged
Criminal CareIessness In Delaying
Letter on which Much Depended
From the Baltimore Sun.
Wilmington, n. c., Nov. 15.-For months
preceding the recent outbreak here, the
negroes had been making preparation fol
the troubles that they felt would come
The white defensive organization was not
only justified by the criminal disorder that
the law as administered by negroes and
Republicans seemed powerless to repress,
but by the offensive organization of the
negroes.
The reports sent North from this point
before the outbreak, stated that armed
bands of negroes, numbering four and five
hundred, paraded aud drilled in the streets
at midnight. This is incorrect, not a sin
gle instance of the character occurred;
on the contrary, the negro preparations
were made with great secrecy, that pre-
sented a striking parallel to the wide
spread and concealed preparations which
preceded the Seuoy rebellion.
The negroes drilled in their society halls
and in unoccupied dwellings. No drums
beat, no bugle calls rang out In somber
silence, with subdued voices, the squads
learned the manual of arms and the first
lesson in the art of war. Gathering in the
gray dawn or The wan twilight, their dark
faces showed an anxiety that they could
not conceal from their leaders-false, per-
jured. unprincipled leaders-by whose CO.
ercion the mass of negroes were driven
to hateful drill, to preparations that they
loathed.
While the negro was willing to play SOL
der, he was not, as a race, anita gonistic
to the white race, to which he looked and
now looks for most that makes his life
happy. 1t was with the greatest difficulty
that the negroes could be kept in Mue
The whole machinery of coercion which
the negroes have perfected to a degree
little realized by even the Southern whites
was put in motion.
The preparations went@on. The whites
learned of the secret drills but they did
not learn of the difficulties under which
thee negroes labored. They obtained evil
dence that arms were being collected from
the negro families and We're being stored
at centers of proposed action. Over 800
guns were collected by one of the negroes,
and the whites have not yet discovered
their hiding pace.
These preparations being known, the
greatest apprehension existed. This was
increased by the talk of poison and the
torch in which negro women INDUCED,
and by the advice given by a leading negro
to the family nurses-"You have the chill
dren in your power; don't forget it if
trouble comes"
To the credit of the negro race let il
be said that such sugges lions were regard
ed by the mass of its members with dis
gust and reputation
The action of the great bulk of the ne
groes during the whole trouble conclu-
svely demonstrated that the leaders are
those upon whom the stain of blood lies.
1t also shows that the negro race is easily
susceptible to misguidance.
With the two organizations-the defen-
siVe one of the whites and the offensive
of the negroes-ready for action, ii requir-
ed but little to cause a collision. The oc-
currences that led to The actual conflict
are matters of historical episode, but the
been sent from Wilmington. This reason
places the matter in a new light. and by
il The whole of the bloodshed becomes di-
recuy attributable to a source hitherto I'M
suspected.
one of the sparks that caused the eXplo-
sion was the wanton firing upon a white
man by a half-craZed negro, but the 'lov-
ers of the negro race" endeavOr to excuse
the negro murderer by the assertion that
the whites were gathered for a riotous
purpose; that they were on their way
without provocation and without warning
20 the negroes; that murderous actions
were about to be taken. There statements
are false.
The Sun gave full account of the mass
meeting in which one thousand citizens
met and discussed the question of action
in the case of Manly, the writer of the
foul SANDER against women, that was the
first incident in the recent troubles At
this mass meeting, as stated in the Sun, a
SCI of resolutions was passed and ordered
referred to a committee OF representative
negroes who were satisfied to consider
such a document in a business-like way
The resolutions required that Manly
should leave and that his press and plant
should be shipped from the city. The res
olutions. which were published concluded
with the clause, ri the demand is agreed
TO within twelve hours, we counsel for
bearancc on the part Of all white men.
II the demand is refused or " no answer
is given within the time mentioned, then