The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-10-30
THE RIOT AT ASHPOLE
A STATEMENT OF THE FACTS FROM A
RESIDENT OF THE PLACE.
The Negroes Had Been threatening for Some
Time and the Attack Was Not Provoked
by The Whites.
TO the Editor:

catloh 10 stare the IactS just us tueS
are
The citizens of Ashpole and surround
ing country are as loyal and law abiding
men as North Carolina has, and none
regret this difficulty more than ourselves.
and when the public understand the
true cause of all this. no reasonable man
will condemn us or our deeds.
Our trouble began about the com
mencement of the present campaign.
On the day of our townships primary,
80 white men joined into and formed
White Government Union and pledged
their best efforts to see to it that all
Democrats be properly registered; that
all populists be cordially invited to come
back to the Democratic party and join
in a great fight for White Supremacy.
EVERY WORD and EVERY ACT
from that day to this has been perfectly
legitimate, so far as | know, and l have
been here all the time.
Our people in order to bring all the
white people together, have gone about
it quietly and orderly; have offered no
insult to any man nor for one moment
interfered with their rights or privileges.
When the negroes saw the determined
efforts Of the white men to beat them at
the ballot box, they began to show in
science and to make threats.
Some of the Fusion leaders of the
county learned that there was not a
TOWNSHIP who would support the
Fusion ticket, and the same lis true
and when they learned this fact some of
them became desperate and began max
ing infiammatory speeches to the negroes
and holding night meetings
One white man. a Fusion leader. came
to Ashpo,e Il few days ago and made one
Of the most degraded. insulting and in
hammatory speeches of this campaign to
Il crowd Of negroes, and from the hour
of that speech the negroes became more
and mores insulting. having been assured
by the said Fusion speaker that the
negroes could get all the backing they
might need. Their insults and threats
had thoroughly aroused our white people,
but we kept cool and hoped for a bright
er hour.
On the morning of October Goth, ut ,
a. M. when all good men are asleep,
one of these negro leaders, rs has been
testified to by 10 or II negroes since,
broke open the new and elegant store of
Mr.. III. G.. Stubbs, saturated part of it
with kerosene oil and then set the fatal
match.
Our pople all awoke from their slum-
Der, but only to see this elegant store
falling in the flames.
The day following this burning there
were many negroes in and around Ash
hnl fnh he N Al
directions. becoming holder and holder
in their threats. This negro who burned
the store Of Stubs was seen every even
ing urging the other negroes to be sure
and "be in Ashpole tonight"
One evening during these hot times,
negro man was violently cursing and
abusing white man, and with drawn
knife threatened to kill the white man
whom he was cursing and abusing.
Some of our young men went up to this
negro and told him they would have no
more of his cursng nor that he should
do any violence to the old man whom
he was abusing. An hour or SO later this
negro returned to Ashpole with Il gun
and paced the streets in very defiant
manner till after dark. That night tins
negro was taken out and thrashed. and
your correspondent would rs soon be-
lieve by his own color as the whites, as
this same negro led Il mob who unmercl-
fully whipped poor old inoffensive ne
gro a few nights previous to his own
thrashing.
On Saturday evening, October 22nd,
the long continued threats began to Gull
inmate. Large crowds of negroes began
to pour into Ashpole from every direc-
ton. Many of them armed and using
very abusive language on our streets.
Our white men saw that the time had
fully come for them to defend their
lives and their homes, and so they closed
M their places of business-every white
man came to the rescue. and a quick
consultation was held 0s to what course
to pursue. Many of our brave young
men were ready and anxious to fire into
the congregating negroes, but the older
men present begged them to take still
more insults rather than have bloodshed.
The fact that the white men did not
shoot them down right and left after so
many threats. goes to show that the
white people certainly did not want any
trouble.
Just before midnight the negroes
agreed to dispense. Soon all was quiet
and the white men detailed six young
men to guard the property of the town.
and the others returned to their homes
But the negro untrue to his promise
slipped round under cover of darkness
and fred into these guards wounding
three young men.
From that hour till this the white mer
of this community have not allowed ONE
WORD of impudence from ANY NE
GRO nor any gathering of negroes in
our vicinity, NOR WILL IT BE Toll
GRATED again under any circum-
stances.
Our lives have been threatened and the
vile threats have been attempted to be
executed, our property has been threat
ened and some of it reduced to ashes,
our wives and daughters have been
terribly frightened and be it known TO
all men that the white men of Ash
pole have borne more indignities than
white men should bear under any cir
cumstances. that this difficulty has been
forced upon them ABSOLUTELY
WITHOUT CAUSE and as we are
forced to guard our homes against negro
Intrusion, we are determined from this
hour to stand by our homes be the cost
what II may from, the intrusion of any