The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-11-10
KILLING NEGROES.
Wilmington, N. G, in the
Hands Of Riotous
White Mob.
NEWSPAPER OFFICE BURNED
No Effort Made by Authorities
to Preserve Rights OF
Citizens.

VIII LIS A4@OA- 1913
have made good their threats to take
vengeance upon the negro newspaper
which published the editorial ~derogatory
to white women. At 1880 o'clock the me-
groes not having responded to the de-
mand for the removal Of the press of
the Record, (he negro newspaper, ex-
Representative Waddell, Chairman OF the
White Committee of Twenty-Five, repair
ed to the Light Infantry Armory, where
he was to meet the citizens by appoint
ment. Eight o'clock was the last hour OF
grace for the negroes to reply, and that
hour passed without an answer being re-
ceiyed. The citizens then waited half an
hour for reinforcements.
In the meantime armed men had begun
to gather in the wide street in front of
the armory. They carried rifles, shot
guns and ammunition, and the assemblage
included some of the most solid citizens
of the town. AT $50 o'clock the process
sion, headed by ex-Representative Wad-
dell and the Committee Of Twenty-Five,
moved in the direction of Seventh and
Num- streets, where the Record print
ing shop is located All along the line
of march the procession was Joined by
armed citizens, and when the negro quar-
ter was reached the negroes could be seen
a few blocks away running into their
houses.
When the crowd arrived in front of the
Record" office, a two-story frame build
ing, picket lines were thrown out across
the street and squads of men sent to
squares in the neighborhood. Leader
Waddell, with rifle on his shoulder, went
10 the door of the building and Knocked,
but there being no response the door was
soon burst open. The citizens surged in
to the place and commenced the work of
destruction. The furniture was smashed
and thrown into the street, the floors
were Quilted of m~oveables and the build
ing was fired and destroyed. Some one
turned in a fire alarm, and when the ell
gines responded the crowd discharged
their weapons and a fusilade of gun and
pistol shots, cheers and shouts filed the
air.
The affair was soon over, however, and
no one was hurt. The publishing house
was destroyed, but the neighboring prop
erty saved. The colored editor, Manly,
his brother and their associates have fed
and could not be found by the citizens.
After destroying the printing house the
marchers returned to the armory, where
they had left a rapid fire machine mount
ed in a wagon ready to be dispatched to
the scene if a battle should occur The
leaders of the crowd said subsequently
that it was not the intention to burn
the Record Building; that it was the
work of some rash persons or done by
accident. and did not lave the concur
renee of the Committee of Twenty-Five.
Today's action of the whites was the
sequel of yesterdays meeting at the
county court house and that of the Com
mittee of Twenty-Five in the afternoon
as a result of which the negroes were
given until this morning to return an
answer TO the demand for the removal
of the press and the cessation of the
publication of the Record"
Last night was an ominous one for the
citizens in the residence section. About
s o'clock a street car came into the bust
ness section and reported that the ne
groes had fired into it and that the pas
sengers had returned the fire. A car
loaded with armed men was soon speed
ing toward the scene of the trouble, but
the offenders escaped. The entire eastern
end of the town was aroused, and armed
men were on the street cars, on every
corner. and patrolling the dark streets.
In the negro district thirty or forty
young negroes were assembled but they
were not armed and not violent, and the
older men said that they did not contem-
plate trouble and sincerely hoped for
peace. All night the whites kept guard
about the business and resident sections.
but no incident occurred to disturb the
night.
AT 1880 O'clock the scene shifted to an
other section of the city. Scarcely a the
marchers disbanded at the armory before
word was passed along that the 300 or
400 negro laborers of the great cotton COM
press had knock off work and were as
sembling. The armed men hurried to the
river front and took positions at the head
of the streets leading to the docks. The
negroes gathered in groups of Is or 20
huddled together and apparently very
much excited. They were soon in a state
of panic. Their wives a hurried to
them with reports that the whites were
burning the negro quarters and were
shooting the people and begged their hus-
bands to come home, so the whole force
quit work.
The white leaders e~ndeavored to calm
the excited men, told them no harm was
intended, and advised them to return to
work. There was no violent talk nor
threats by the negroes. In all the dis
~turbances the local authorities made no
show of asserting themselves and not
a policeman is around. The preservation
of order is practically vested in the Com
mittee Of Twenty-Five, who are nov try-
Ing to restore order. quiet the situation
and hold in check the reckless element
among the whites. The rapid fire ma
chine gun OF a wagon, manned by d crew
armed with Winchesters. was brought
down in front of the postoffice, but on adj
vice of the leaders was halted there.
Soon after II O'Clock word was brought
that achievements were needed in the
negro section of Brooklyn. The men
were sent. Twenty minutes later news
came that there had been a collision be-
tween the whites and blacks n that
blood had been shed. As a result of the
trouble at Brooklyn it is believed that
the number of negroes who have been
killed will number four. A white man
named Mayo, who was shot in the stom-
ach, has since died. Another white man
was hurt The situation is quiet at the
scene OF the trouble now. The. negroes
hav gone to their houses. Squads Of
men are now halting all negroes on the
~k-~n< - ~ !, 4lx<, -