Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1898-10-25
RACE RIOT IS ON.
Whites and Blacks in Missis-
sippi Engage in Sangui-
nary Warfare.
One White Deputy Killed and
Nine Of the Negroes Re-
ported Dead.
POSSE STILL ON TIE HUNT
Forty Colored Men on the List
and Lynch Law Will Be
Administered.
Sheriff Appeals for Aid and
the Governor Starts for
the Scenc.
POSSE STILL ON TIE HUNT

FOREST, Mss. Oct. s4.-As the result
Of an atttmpt TO ;.crest a negro near
Harpersville, Scott county, one white
deputy was killed, three wounded, and
according to the la1(sv I. ports Line no-
grocs have been killed ly til. citizens Of
Harpersville anu neighl'orhooa and the
sheritf's posse combined. The pursuit
Of about 80 negroes, which had joined
the original offender with the avowed
determination to prevent his arrest and
capture and which ambushed the party
attempting the arrest, continues and 10y
morning the number Of fatalities will
undoubtedly have assumed large pro-
portions. The whole country is terribly
aroused and the she1if'O posse has been
reinforced with men from all the neigh
boring towns Governor McLaurin has
gone to the scene, which is about 10
miles north of Forest, the nearest rail
road point.
The trouble originated last Friday
when negro named Bill Burke had an
alteration with his employer, Charles
Freeman, white man, in which the
Negro Got the Best of the Difficulty.
The next night a crowd of white men
headed by Wallace Sibley, who was
deputized to arrest the man, 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 fusilade from
the negroes concealed in ambush 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 men of the crowd,
James Robinson, James Hamilton and
James Wells, were wounded. The
whites returned the fire, but We're un
able to do any execution as their assail
ants were concealed. There were not
more than eight men in the white
crowd and finding it impossible to rc
sist effectively they dispersed towards
Harpersville. During the night large
crowd Of whites gathered from tht
neighborhood. They Immediately went
to Burkes house and got from his
mother the names of all parties in the
crowd which had ambushed the men
the night before. In all there We're
about 40 negr>es, who had gathered to
Prevent the Arrest of Burke.
All of them had fled. Then the pursuit
and search for each Of the prescribed
men began. According to the state
ments of reliable citizens six negroes
were found and killed before the sheriff
arrived Sheriff Stevenson was wired
from Harpersville of the threatening
condition of affairs and he was asked to
get together posse and come at once to
Harpersville. Gathering together Il
posse of 20 or 30 men the sheriff started
at once for the place. When he arrived
in the afternoon he was joined by
crowds Of citizens, conservative csti
mate placing the number in the posse as
over 300. Immediately after leaving
the house where the first tragedy was
committed the negroes scattered through
the surrounding country. A reliable
telephone message received at late
hour states that three more negroes
have been caught and killed, making a
total Of nine to date, with about 40 more
20 be heard from.