The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1898-10-27
or ASSASSINS.
Bloody Conflict Between Whites
and Blacks in Mississippi.
Whites Rally Prom Many Points within
Striking Dlstance-Nine OF the Ne
groes Reported 70 Have Been
hilicd-Cause Of Trouble.

ing to the latest report. nine negroes
have been killed by the citizens OF tbs
Harpersville neighborhood aud the
sheriff posse combined.
The pursuit Of about fifty negroes.
which had joined the original offender
with the avowed determination to pre-
vent his arrest and capture, and which
ambushed the party attempting to arr
rest, continues, and by morning tile
number Of fatalities viii undoubtedly
have assumed larger proportions.
GOV, McLaurin has gone to the scene,
which is about ten miles north of Forest,
the nearest railroad point.
The Troubles origin.
The trouble originated last Friday,
when a negro named Bill Burke had an
alteration with his employer, Charley
Freeman, a white man, in which the
negro got the best Of the difficulty.
That night a crowd Of white men went
to Burke's house TO arrest him. but he
was not there. The white men then
decided to 60 back the next night to
capture Burke, and the plan was not
concealed from the blacks, Headed b.
Wallace Sibley, o white man deputized
to arrest the man, the crowd went to
Burke's house, which is about a mile
from Harpersville.
When they arrived upon the scene and
called for Burke, they were greeted by
a fusiLade from negroes concealed in
ambush in the bushes surrounding the
house and in the house itself.
AssassIns Find Their Mark.
Wallace Sibley, the leader fell dead
at the first yolley, and three more white
members Of the crowd, Jim johnson,
Jim Hamilton and Jim Wells, were
wounded.
The whites returned the fire. but were
unable to do any execution, as their as
s]ailants We're all concealed.
There were not more than eight men
in the crowd, and finding it impossible
to resist effectively, dispersed toward
Harpersyille, 1t was not known at that
time that Sibley was injured, but upon
a return to the scene this morning he
was found dead in The yard.
When the crowd returned to Harpcrs-
vile the news spread like wildfre. Dur
ing the night a large crowd gathered
from the neighborhood. They imme-
diately went to Burlle's house and got
from his mother the names of all parties
IN the crowd which had ambushed the
men the night before.
Learned Their Game.
In all there were about forty negroes
who had gathered to prevent the arrest
Of Burke, and a list was made up al her
dictation.
Then the pursuit and search for each
of the prescribed durkies began.
According tothe statement of reliable
citizens six Of the negroes were found
and killed by the crowd Of armed and
determined citizens before the sheriff
arrived.
This morning the sheriff, j.. NJ, Steph-
enson. was wired from Harpersville Of
the threatening condition of affairs,
and he was asked to get together a
posse and come at once to Harpersyille.
Gathering together a posse Of twenty
or thirty men, the sheriff started at
once for the place. When he arrived
in the afternoon he was joined by
crowds Of citizens until a conservative
estimate places the number in the posse
as over 800 men.
A reliable telephone message received
a few moments ago states that three
more negroes have been found and
killed, making a total Of nine to date,
with about forty more to be heard from.
Aid From Far and Near.
The news Of the tragedy and its cons
tinualion, in the shape Of the new ne
groes reported dead at the hands Of the
outraged citizens, soon spread beyond
the narrow limits Of Scott county all
over Central Mississippi The east
bound passenger train tonight brought
reinforcements from even as far as
V~icksburg. At all the little towns along
the route g~rimlooking men boarded the
train. each one bearing his trusty shot
gun.
The governor and Congressman Henry
are naturally counseling moderation.
but IN tie excited state Of public mind
a general fear is expressed that the
POSSE will not regard the suggestion abb
%solutely. Their presence, however. will
undoubtedly have q good effect in re-
straining the number Of fatalities.
close and Deadly ylghtipg'
Parties who have recently arrived at
Forest state that the chase after the
negroes has been Of the most exciting
kind. Attimes several Of them have a.
tempted to make a stand together IN