The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-09-18
THE CITY AND COUNTY GOVERN
MENT ADMINISTERED BY
NEGROES.
NEGRO CORONER DENIED A WHITE JURY
No Wonder That Bishop Petty Tells the Negros
Everywhere That Eastern North
Carolina is the Place for
the Negro"

ing the following story: In county
of Western North Carolina during a
term of the Superior Court the deputy
sheriff summoned 81 negro man to act
as juror. This being an unusual pro-
ceeding in this particular county, the
white men who had taken their places
in the box became incensed at the ac-
ton of the deputy, and expressed their
unWillingnesS to sit upon a jury with
a negro. Whether the negro was with
drawn or not is not stated, but it is
well known that the deputy received a
good round of abuse from at least
eleven indignant white men,"
This is strange to the people of New
bern, because 80 juries out Of 100 sitting
in court in Craven County are COM
posed of as many negroes as white
men. Furthermore, they are summon
ed by a negro deputy Sheriff Hahn,
upon receiving the nomination at the
Republican county convention, made a
speech in which he said mo white
men need apply for places as deputies
nor as clerks He has been as good
as his word, and all of his clerks and
deputies are negroes. If there should
be occasion to arrest the sheriff, a ne
gro man would do it, for we have ne
gro coroner. This same negro coroner,
Lassiter, some time ago displays his
bigness thusly: An aged white man
| from the country, trading in a city
store, dropped dead. His wife, sorrow
stricken, upon learning that an inquest
would be held, begged that a jury of
white men be summoned. Lassitter
said that he would attend to that, and
returned with full jury of negro men
to decide how the deceased came to his
death. This is how the negro INDUCES
| in petty and mean delights, without
| regard for the white persons feelings.
| The register of deeds is a negro man,
and of course all of his clerks are ne
groes, too. Being naturally incompe-
| tent, there must of necessity be more
of them than there would be if they
were white.
| The keeper of the county Jail, being
under the sheriff, is likewise a negro.
One of the county commissioners is a
negro man.
The county standard keeper is a ne
gro.
i The candidate and nominee of the
| Republican party for the position of
county treasurer is a negro saloon
! keeper.
one of the members of the county
board of education is a negro.
There are thirteen negro school COM
mitteemen in Craven County.
BY the way, the negroes in this coun-
! ty, according to the county supervis-
or's annual report, from July LIST, 1897,
| to July 1st 1885, have property valued
and assessed at $363321. The assessed
value of property of the whites is 81
/ 63S, 800, more than seven times the
value of the property of the negroes,
| but read: The total amount apportion-
! ed to the negroes during the year from
July 1st 1897 to July list, 1888, was
! $S571. "a; the total amount apportloned
/ to the whites during the same period
was Sc, 72035. The white people pay
more than seven times as much, and
draw back just a little more than half
j as much as the negroes. Yet we nave
negro men to select teachers Tor the
white schools. The negroes are not IN
| the majority on the school committee,
but their votes elect.
/ A negro township constable serves
! the papers for twenty-siX magistrates,
! which disgrace the law and justice Oy
! their ignorance and Partially Tues
F.! day, August 18th, one of the negro JUS
| tees of the peace was tried on war
rant sworn out by negro woman for
malpractice in office. A strong case
was made out against him, and other
negro magistrates will be tried for the
same offense. They have eXtorted out
rageous costs and illegal fees until men
have grown tired of this rascallty IN
office, and will prosecute the guilty
| officers At trials the negro magis-
| trates parade their authority to impress
| the Outstanding negroes. SO much for
the county.
The city government is largely adj
ministered by negro officers. In the
town council there are three negroes.
The city attorney, the legal adviser OF
the town authorities, is a negro lawyer.
He is also the Republican party's NOM
inee for solicitor. George h White
colored, at present member of Con-
gress, was at one time our solicitor
Four negro policemen and a negro
sergeant of police strut the streets OF
Newbern in blue uniforms.
Around all the public buildings negro
janitors, engineers, etc, are seen until
one cannot help admitting the truth of
the negro Bishop, Pettys, statement:
Eastern Carolina is the place for the
negro" 1t is true, he has more priVi-
leges here than elsewhere, and unless
the reins of government are taken from
him we ARE threatened with an influx
of negroes from all parts of the Union.
This is a plain statement of facts,
which can be verified. No comment is
made 1t is believed that the people
of Western North Carolina will realize
the evils of such conditions without
reading of any particular breaches OF
conduct and decency
The negro soldiers from Fort Macon
overrun the streets, crowd into public
carriages, drink until rowdy and are
met on every hand accompanied by
dirty negro wenches. The negro police
bother them not.
At Morehead City negro soldiers res
cue one another from the civil author
tiles. A crowd of them met a white
man and by threats of violence COM
PEELED him to show them to house or
ill-repute.
The War Department has been tele-
graphed of their dastardly conduct, and
ii lis hoped that they will be removed.
ROMULUS A. MUM.
Newbern. N. G.