The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-11-10
Negro Editors Plant at Will
mingtOn, N. c., Fired
After the Office Had Been
Wrecked by a Mob.
HAD BEEN NOTIFIED
To Take His Paper Out of the
Town.
He and His Friends Take Ref
uge in Flight.

Wilmington. N. c., Nov. 10.-The me-
groes not having compiled with the de-
mand of the business men, by 7:sO this
morning, 'the time fixed" a column OF
several armed men, whites, assembled
at the corner of Market and Fifth
streets and at $50 o'clock marched to
the office Of the Daily Record, the negro
newspaper and destroyed all material
found in the building. Those in COM
mand of the white men say they had
no intention of firing the building.
As soon as it was discovered that the
building was on fire the leaders sent for
fire engines and the flames were con-
fined to the Record building On the
south only twenty feet distant, is st.
Lulxes, one of the largest negro church,
es in the city and on the north within
twelve feet a frame building occupied
by negroes.
The Record building is a wreck, being
almost totally burned.
Excitement is intense, as it is feared
negroes will attempt to retaliate to-
night The streets are now full of arm
ed whites and at least one thousand
men will be on guard tonight The
column that moved to the Record office
was composed of the best citizens OF
Wilmington and even ministers were
either on march or guarding the city
with Winchesters.
Washington, Nov. 1O-A Star special
from Wilmington, N. c., says:
Events have moved quickly in WIZ
mington this morning and the white
people have made good their threats to
take vengeance upon the negro news
paper which published the editorial der
ogatory to white women. At 1880 o'clock
the negroes not having responded to
the demand for the removal of the press
of the Record, the negro newspaper, ex-
Representative WaddelI, the chairman
of the white committee of % repaired to
the light infantry armory where he was
to meet the citizens by appointment.
Eight o'clock was the last hour Of
grace for the negroes to reply and that
hour passed without an answer being
received. 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, shOtguns
and ammunition and the assem- blage in
cluded some of the most solid citizens Of
the town. At s: 30 o'clock the procession
headed by ex-RepresentatiVe WaddeQ
and the committee of % moved in the
direction of the Record printing shop
sion was Joined by armed citizens and
when the negro quarter 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
building, picket lines were thrown out
across the streets and squads Of men
sent to squares in the nelghborhood-
Leader Waddell with rifle on his shOul-
der, went to the door of the building
and knocked but there being no re-
G11O n
| The citizens surged into the place and
commenced the work of destruction The
| furniture was smashed and thrown into
| the street, the floors were gutted OF
| movables and the building was fired
| and destroyed.
| Some one turned in fire alarm and
when the engines responded the crowd
| discharged their weapons anda fusillade
| of gun and pistol shots, cheers and
! shouts filed the air. The affair was
soon over however and no one was hurJ
| The publishing house was destroyed but
| the neighboring property was saved.
| The cOlored editor, Manley, his broth
| er and their associates have fed and
| could not be found by the citizens. Al
! ter destroying the printing house, the
| marchers returned to the armOry where
| they had left a rapid fire machine gun
| mounted in a wagon ready to be dis
| patched to the scene if a battle should
| occur. The leaders Of the crowd said
/ subsequently that it was not the inten-
| ton to burn the Record building; that
/ it was the work of some rash person or
| an accident. and did not have the con-
| currence of the committee.
| Today's action of the whites was the
| sequaI of yesterdays meeting at the
| county court house and that of the
| committee of % in the afternoon, as Il
| 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 pubIica-
! ton of the Record. Last night was an
| anxious one for the citizens in the res
| idence section. At 8 o'clock a street car
| came into the business section and re-
| ported that the negroes had fired into it
| and that the passengers had returned
| the fire. A car loaded with armed men
was soon speeding 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 and on every corner. In
| the negro district thirty or forty youne
| negroes were assembled but they were
| not armed and not violent and the ell
| der men said they did not contemplate
! All night long the whites kept guard
| about the business and residence sec
| tions, but no incident occurred to dis
turb the night.
The negro Iaborers in the Champion
compress, more than 500, became ter
rorized about IL o'clock with the wild
rumors of trouble and rushed into the
| streets. They were finally somewhat
quieted and dispersed in small squads
to their homes.
At 11:30 a. m. serious trouble occurred
in the Fifth ward. Three white rner
and three negroes have been killed
Large companies OF armed citizen,
have gone to the scene The negroe,
are reported to have retreated, but arr