, 1898-10-24
ANOTHER RACE WAR
ONE WHITE MAN AND NINE NE
GROES ON THE DE ATH
ROLL.
Trouble Grows Out of an Attempt to
Arrest a Colored Man For Assault
His Friends Ambushed the Of
ficers and Killed One-CitiZens Or
wganize to Hunt Down Culprits.

Memphis, Tenn, Oct. ga special
to the CCmmercial-Appeal from Forest,
Miss, says:
AS the result of an attempt to arrest
a negro near Harpersville, Scott
county, in the eastern part of the state,
nine negroes have been killed by the
citizens Of Harpersville neighborhood
and the sheriff's posse combined.
The pursuit of about fifty negroes
who had Joined the original offender
with the avowed determination to pre-
vent his arrest and capture, and which
ambushed the party attempting the ar
rest, continues, and by morning the
number of fatalities will undoubtedly
have assumed larger proportions.
The whole country is terribly arous-
ed and the sherif's posse has beer re-
inforced with men from all the neigh
boring towns. Governor McLaurin has
gone to the scene. which is about ten
miles north OF Forest, the nearest rail-
road point.
The trouble originated last Friday,
when a negro named Burke mad an al
t~ercation with his employer. Charles
Freeman. a 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 a fusillade from the
negroes in ambush in the bushes sur
rounding the house and in the house
itself. Wallace sibley, the leader, fell
dead at the first volley. and three more
members Of the crowd. James Johnson,
James Hamilton and James Wells,
were wounded.
The whites returned the fire. but
were unable to do any execution. as
There were not more than eight men
in the white crowd, and finding it i'm
possible to resist effectively, they dis
persed towards Harpersville. 1t 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 with the
assistance OF their comrades
This occurrence took place early in
the night. When the crowd returned to
Harpersville the news spread like Wild
fire. During the night a large crowd
gathered from the neighborhood. They
Immediately went to Burke's house and
got from his mother the names OF all
the parties in the crowd which had am
pushed the men the night before. In
all there were about forty negroes who
had gathered to prevent the arrest OF
Burke, and a list was made up at her
dictation. All of them had fed. Then
the pursuit and search Of the proscrib-
ed darkies began. According to the
statements Of reliable citizens. six ne
groes were found and killed by the
crowd of armed and determined citi-
zens before the sheriff arrived.
This mornlg Sheriff ]. M. Stevenson
was wired OF the threatening condition
of affairs and he was asked to get to-
gether a posse and come at once to
Harpersville. Gathering together a
posse of twenty or thirty men. the sher-
if started at once. When he arrived in
the afternoon he was joined by crowds
OF citizens until a posse of over 300
men was secured.
Immediately after leaving the house
where the first tragedy was committed,
the negroes scattered through the sur
rounding country. The sheriff's pur-
suit has resolved itself into a chase of
the negroes implicated. and not a mob
which is keeping together, as was first
reported. A reliable telephone mes
sage received at a late hour tonight
states that three more negroes have
DScH louHA duu hlIICu, lldhlh6 a tOIdi
Of nine to date with about forty more
to be heard from. Sheriff Stevenson,
realizing the danger apprehended, i'm
mediaetly wired Governor McLaurin
at Brandon for aid in quelling a prob
able widespread disturbance.
Upon receipt Of his telegram the gov
ernor wired Adjutant General Henry at
Jackson to get together a company Of
the national guard and proceed to the
scene upon the first train. General
Henry Immediately responded that
there was no national guard company
obtainable, but that he would get to-
gether a company of armed mel and
render all necessary assistance.
In the meantime the governor pro-
cured a special train at Brandon and,
accompanied by a posse Of thirty men,
armed with shotguns. proceeded to For
est. Arriving here early in the evening
and finding that there was small danger
Of a riot assuming proportions beyond
the ability Of the posse on hand to keep
in bounds. he wired General Henry that
1t would be unnecessary for him to
bring his volunteers from Jackson.
The posse Is operating in the swamps