The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-12
STORY AS TOLD BY ToLBERT.
HE ASKS AN INVEsTIGA ALTON BY
FEDERAL AUTHORITIES.

The Congressional Candidate Says
That Election Manager EtherIdee
Was Not Shot by Negroes, But by
His Own Democratic Friends.
when the Shooting Begun at
Phenix the Negroes Fled and Left
T. p. TOIbert as a Target.
Washington. Nov. 11-R. R. Tolbert,
whose father and brother were shot in
the recent race war at Phenix, S. c.,
was at the department of justice to-day
to secure an investigation of the riot by
the federal authorities. He was accom-
panied by some of the Republican poll
ticans Of the state.
The elder Tolbert is now in the state
penitentary for safety from popular vio-
lience.
Mr.. Tolbert says that the true facts Of
the roting have not been given. The facts
are he said, as follows: Il was nominat-
ed for Congress by the Republicans of
my district. For the purpose of making
a contest before the House, my brother
T. p. Tolbert, agreed to be present at the
polling place at Phenix for the purpose
of witnessing the afidavits of colored men
who were rejected as voters because of
their inability to comply with the re-
quirements of the constitution.
"My brother took no part in the man
agement of the polling place, which was
in the hands of the Democrats. He sim
ply sat on the piazza of Mr.. Luke's house
x.rft,, ~
depositlng these affidavits in a box prepar-
ed for the purpose.
'Mr. Etheridge, the white man who
was killed, was an election manager at
a precinct two miles away. He left his
own precinct, and with a party of men
went to Phenix. He walked up with his
party to where my brother was sitting at
a table, and deliberately kicked over the
table and box in which the certificates
were. Then he assaulted my brother.
"In short while the Democratic voters,
who were in the same house, rushed out
and commenced shooting into the crowd
The negroes fled. My brother, who is
probably dead by now, told me that Eth
eridge was killed by shots from his own
friends. My brother did not have a wea-
pom on his person."
Mr.. Tolbert said he was at Abbeville,
twenty-five miles away from the shooting.
His father j. r. Tolbert, was at Verdery,
another precinct. When the elder Tolbert
learned of the riot he started for the scene
in his buggy, accompanied by a 1O-year-
old nephew Before he reached the scene
he was met by a mob, which riddled the
buggy with bullets, and wounded him and
the little boy number of times It Is
said the boy was killed by the shots. T.
p. Toibert, who was first shot by the mob
was aided TO his home some distance away,
and was pursued by the mob. While lying
in bed in dying condition the mob at
tempted to make him give the name of the
person who Killed Etherldge. He said he
could not, because Etheridge had been
killed by the Democrats themselves.
On finding his father so badly wounded
r. r. TOlbert procured a doctor, who at
tended to the wounds of the senior Toll
bert. After placing his family in a safe
place Mr.. Tolbert came to this city Mr.
Toibert states that his brother said that
so far as he could see, no shots were fired
by the negroes a Phenix. They fed as
soon as the shooting commenced, leaving
T. p. Tolbert as the target for the mob
to shoot at