The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1898-10-29
A BLOODY RACE WAR.
Negroes and Whites Have a Des-
perate Battle in Scott County,
Mississippi.


MEMPHIS, Tenn, October PA special
dispatch to the Commercial Appeal from For
| est, Mississippi, says; 'sAs the result of an
attempt to arrest negro near Harpersville,
Scott county, in the eastern central part of
Mississippi, one white deputy was killed,
| three wounded, and, according to the latest
report nine negroes have heen killed by the
citizens of HarpersvilIe and neighborhood
combined with the sheriff IS posse.
The pursuit of about fifty negroes who had
joined the original offender with an avowed
determination to prevent his arrest and cap
ture and who ambushed the party attempting
his arrest is still in progress, and by morning
the number of fatalities will undoubtedly have
! assumed larger proportions. The whole
country is aroused and the sheriff's posse
has been reinforced with men from all the
| neighboring towns.
The tronble originated on Friday, when
| negro named William Burke had an alterca-
ton with his employer, Charles Freeman, an
old white man, and the negro assaulted Free
man.
Saturday night a crowd of white men,
headed by Wallace Sibley, who was depu-
ized to arrest the man, went to Burke's
house, about u mile from Harpersville.
When they called for Burke they were
greeted by fusilade from negroes concealed
in ambush in bushes surrounding 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 un
able to do any harm, as their assailants were
all concealed. There were not more than
eight men in the posse, aud, finding it impos
III ,g4an honk N
Harpersville The wounded deputies were
able to get back to town with the assistance
of their comrades. Sibley's death was mol
known until his body was found this morning
near Burke's house.
When the posse returned to Harpersvllle,
the news spread quickly, and during the
night large crowd gathered from theneigh-
borhood. They went 10 Burke's house aud
from his mother Obtained the names of all ne
groes who had ambushed Sibley and his men.
In all there were about forty. They had fled
and pursuit was begun.
According to statements of reliable citizens,
six negroes had been found and killed by the
crowd of armed and determined citizens be-
| fore Sheriff j. NJ. Stevenson arrived from his
| home at Morton, ten miles away. The sheriff
had been informed of the threatening condi-
| ton of affairs and asked to get together a
posse and come at once.
When he arrived in the afternoon with 20
| or 80 men the sheriff was joined by crowds
of citizens until there were more than three
| hundred men.
After leaving Burke's house the negroes
| had scattered through the surrounding coun
| try The sheriff s pursuit has resolved itself
/ into chase of the negroes.
New ORLEANS, October PA special
! dispatch to the Picayune from Forest, Missls-
| sippi, says:
Eleven dead negroes, one dead white man
| and one wounded negro and three wounded
white men is the result up to tonight of the
bloody war being waged between the whites
and blacks at Harpersville, Scott county.
Several negroes have been captured and
lodged in Jail at Forest, today, but others es.
caped into the swamps. Large crowds of
white men are in close pursuit, and more
names are hourly expected to be added to the
death list
Sheriff Stephenson and his posse had
| fight with mob of whites, who made des
perate attempt to lynch the negro prisoners
soon after the party left Harpersville for For
est. The sheriff and his aides formed cir
Gle about the negroes and with drawn revSl
| vers forced their way through the mob.
WHITES AND NEGROES SHOOT.
WILMINGTON, N. c., October pa spe
cial dispatch to the Star from Lumberton, N.
c.. SAYS: A few nights ago Stubb's store, at
| Ashpole, eleven miles southwest of Lumber
ton. was robbed and burned. Circumstances
pointed to negroes as guilty of the crime. 1t
| was expected that several negroes would be
arrested, but they heard of the plan, and de-
termined to resist arrest and threatened to
burn the town. About one hundred of them
assembled in the village after dark and the
| whites kept watch. Late in the night the ne
groes began shooting The fire was returned
by the few white men assembled. About
fifty shots were fired, but no one was injured.
Finally the whites forced the negroes to
leave town. but at o'clock this morning
some of the negroes crept back and shot
three whites stationed as guard.
A hundred whites with bloodhounds
started in pursuit, and four negroes were run
down and brought to bay by the bloodhounds,
which are thoroughly trained.
The negroes are now confined in box cars
at Ashpole and heavily guarded. 1t is uncer-
tain what their fate may be, but it is feared
that their attempt to assassinate the guards
will so exasperate the whites as to cause fur
Their and more serious trouble.
The guard was composed of eight or ten
men. who were standing around fire in the
open air, thus becoming easy targets for the
negroes who fired on them under cover of
darkness and then fed
RACE WAR is IMMINENT.
ATLANTA, GA, October pa special dis
patch to the Constitution from Raleigh, n.
c., says:
The bitterness between whites and blacks
increases as the election day draws near and
serious trouble is feared. The present Gov
ernor, Republican, was elected by fusion
two years ago. He will hold Office two years
longer, but the struggle this fall is for the
Legislature. Governors in North Carolina
hold Office for four years. The Governor has
no veto power.
The Democrats say there are, approx
mately, 1000 negro offce-holders in North
Carolina and express their determination to
end this state of affairs. The foremost Dem
ocratic speaker in the State, Charles B. Ay-
colt, addressing a great audience here last
night, expressed in few words the central
idea of his party by saying white men
will not submit to further negro domination
in North Carolina
Hanover county, in which Wilmington, the
largest place in the State, is situated, is the
focus of politics for the present. The whites
Of the State are watching the result. The
Republican postmaster, Chadbourn, i'll a let
ter to Senator Pritchard, which he also gave
to the press, says race conflict is imminent
there; that property owners are determined
to put an end at once and forever to negro
rule, and that the feeling rises above any pol
tics He in view of this impending crisis,
urges Senator Pritchard, as the head of the
Republican party in North Carolina, to lei
: the property owners have full control in New
Hanover county and Wilmington.
He says there are ten negro policemen,
forty six negro magistrates and many negroes
| in the other various departments. His letter
has created profound sensation.
CARD FROM REPUBLICANS.
A number of leading Republicans from the
North now in business at Newbem and in
that section, publish card announcing that
they will vote the Democratic ticket, State
county and congressional. They say: ''For
the past two years we have Witnessed the
fruits of a Republican administration in North
Carolina. 1t has resulted in condition
which is sufficient to call forth protest from
every self-respecting white man. We firmly
believe in Anglo-Saxon supremacy, and will
therefore, vote to abolish the present dis
graceful state of public affairs in North Caro-
lima, and we earnestly appeal to all Republi
cans who believe in white supremacy to unite
/