The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-10-11
TRYING TO BUY GUNS,
Wilmington Negroes Getting Ready for Trouble-The Dark
Scheme Detected.
Order Sent to a Greensboro Firm for Invent,
Five Winchester Rif1es---An Investigation
Resulted in Turning Down the Order.

For some days the rumor has been current that some of the negroes of
were trying to buy firearms in large quantities from dealers out
side of Wilmington, and the following letter received by the Odel Hard
ware Company of Greensboro O. September 2oh' is proof hat these rumors
are we'll based:
wilmington, n. C, September q, 1898.
prtve f1' of g s5 na Sixteen 'S shooters sas SO tw wa1 So $ an and NJ ss V So IS. ca You su nesd r OF l Ses
oheassy when ~ we w order your goods we will sd o Q a check or the amount
Care NJ. H MeAhlisTER.
1904 {. 5 Church"
This al the second inquiry sent out by Lee & McAniser. The drst was
sent to the Winchester Arms Company. of New Jersey. This etter as
promptly referred % the Odel Hardware Company, the state agents of the
Winchester Company. and the oden Hardware Company wrote asking Meal
lister to give particulars as to the number of guns desired, etc, and the
letter above printed is b reply from Lee, care of cAliter. Mr.. Charles
r. ireland. of the odell COMPANY. had lis suspicious aroused so he wrote
to W prominent Wilmington citizens, Mr. Worth and Mr.. jacob, and
IA informed by these gentlemen that the parties were negroes and doubt
less wanted the guns to arm negroes with N election day.
Mr.. Ireland Immediately wrote to MI. jacob, telling him that under n o
circumstances and for n 10 consideration would he fill the order of Lee or Nc
Alister.
Yesterday evening a telegram "a sent from Raleigh to Mr. Iredel
Meares' a prominent citizen of Wilmington, asking him o make a inves-
tigation and report as to who the partks-Lee and McAnister-are.
At 10 o'clock last night the following message "a received:
Have personally investigated the matt Sr" Wmsm Lee (: is is T. Supposed Dpa@F to o be
s ssss u iSs Committee m ss' %e Ali S%G is IS a m Hss #S living "=' at : "a address DR. saa%ss; *
So itseems that tn negroes Of Wilmington and perhaps other places in
eastern North Carolina are determined to retain control of affairs if it takes
Winchester ss-cahbre sixteen shooters o do it.
If there be any who doubt, every statement here printed, he "a write
to the oder Hardware Company, of Greensboro. O. to either Mr.. jacob Mr..
w. E. WORTH or to Mr. Iredel Meares, of Wilmington.
The above is from The Raleigh Post Of yesterday: The factth that the or
der for n alluded to above had been sen to the odel Hardware Com
pany vas known to The Messenger several days ago, but or prudential ca
son We made no publication of it at the request of some of the leaders of
the democratic party here. This order fr guns is but another evidence of
what the negro in his ignorance and folly hsb been led VI to under the "f-
sion" government that backens, dsgraces and debauches North Carolina
Not only has the political meat upon which the negro feeds under the
present POLITICAL condition induced bumpuousness and insolence, but as W re
observe o. his order for I'll TIL b e is prenaring for sediton and lot
The Lees and the McAliters, and the wraches with white skins who
aid, abet and conspire with them, may as we'll be forewarned that the peo-
pie of thss state and particularly of this section have made u their minds
not to longer tolerate the condition now existing n that while they de-
sire and only await the opportunity to peacefully undo it, they will use force
if it comes to that. The descendants of srs who we're the first o resist and
defy British tyranny at Brunswick, the kinsmen If the men who declared
themselves Independent and free in Mecklenburg, and the descendants of the
heroes of Kings Mountain, Guilford Court House and Moores Greek, need
not be expected to bear in patience very much longer a. intolHable state If
affairs, and when the time comes notice may as we'll be served that the sons
of Carolina will act