The herald., 1898-11-11


ished
No answer was received by the chairman
this morning and after waiting an hour the
citizens proceeded in body and demolished
the fixtures of the printing office. The
building was also fired and gutted. The
leaders say that this action was the work
of irresponsible parties, and as soon as the
fire was discovered the fire department was
called to extinguish it.
NEGROES TERRORIZED.
The burning of the printing office created
great commotion among the negroes of
the town. The rumor spread that the
whites were going to burn and murder in
the negro quarter. This rumor reached
the negro employees of cotton compress,
numbering 800 or 400, who quit work and
hung about the streets in manifest terror
Other parties congregated in the negro sec.
ton, and it was in one of these that the
first tragedy was enacted. The men were
standing on corner and were ordered to
disperse. They declined, and it is claimed
fired into the whites.
A fusillade was immediately opened up on
the men by the whites and three negroes
were killed. Two whites were wounded
slightly. One negro ran down the street
and, passing a residence, fired a rifle at
William Mayo, white, standing on the
veranda, shooting him through the left lung.
This negro was recognized, pursued and cap
tured, while hiding under bed. 1t is
said he confessed to the shooting. He was
riddled with shot by his captors and killed.
In the meantime the town was in state
OF great excitement. People rushed to the
streets from every direction, the local mill
tia company was ordered out and a battalion
of United States naval reserves proceeded
to the vicinity of the trouble with rapid
fire gun.
EIGHT NEGROES DEAD.
About o'clock some negroes in house
fired upon passing party OF white men.
The house was surrounded and four negroes
captured and taken to Jail. One negro
broke away and ran, but was shot down and
killed before he had proceeded half block.
During the afternoon there were other
affairs of this kind, and eight negroes were
killed during various times in the disturbed
sections. Their names at this time are un-
known.
AS the news of the riot spread through the
|neighboring cities they offered to send help,
but all such offers were declined, except
in the case of Fayetteville, from which town
came about 150 men. As night fell the
town was completely patrolled and guarded.
Very few negroes were on the streets, and
they were not allowed to congregate any
where.
The action of the citizens in organizing a
new municipal government is expected to
bring public order, and no rioting is expect
ed tonight.
1t developed later in the day that the ne
gro committee summoned last night had
agreed to use their good Offices to have the
press removed, although the editor had dis
appeared, and they had no authority on the
premises. This letter, instead of being de-
livered to the chairman of the committee of
twenty-five in person, was put in the mail
and did not reach him until three hours
after the expiration of the time limit which
had been fixed for the reception Of the
answer.
A crowd was formed tonight to take from
the Jail and lynch two negroes, Thomas Mil
Ter and Ira Bryant, who were arrested today
charged with making threats, and were re-
garded as dangerous characters. The mayor,
Colonel Waddell, promptly prohibited the
assembling of the crowd at the Jail, and he
himself headed guard of twenty-five men
with Winchesters to guard the prisoners.
Another negro was killed tonight at Tenth
and Mulberry streets. He was hailed by a
guard, but refused to halt, and was shot
by the guard. Three companies of state
militia will arrive during the night from
neghboring cities and aid in maintaining
order.