Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1898-10-29
WAR OF The RACES
IN MISSISSIPPI
One White Man Is Killed and Sev-
eral Wounded in the Bat
tie With Negroes.
NINE OF The C0L0RED MEN KILLED
Attempt to Arrest a Negro Causes
the Whole Country to
Arm Itself.
NINE OF The COLORED MEN KILLED
FURTHER TROUBLE is EXPECTED
the scene of the Trouble and
Armed Men Are After
the Negroes.

Foster, Miss, Oct. 25.-As the re-
suit Of an attempt to arrest n negro
near Harpersville, Scott county, in
the east part of the state, one white
deputy was killed, three wounded and
according to the latest reports nine
negroes have been killed by the citi-
gems Of Harpcrsville and neighborhood
and the sheriff's posse combined. The
pursuit of about fifty negroes which
had joined the original offender with
the avOwed determination to prevent
his arrest and capture, and which am
pushed the party attempting the ar
rest continues, and by this morning
the number of fatalities will undoubt-
edly have assumed larger proportions,
The whole country is terribly aroused
and the sherif's posse has been rein
forced with men from all the neigh
boring towns. Gov. McLaurin has
gone TO the scene, which is about ten
miles north Of Forest, the nearest
railroad point. The trouble originated
last Friday, when IA negro named Bill
Burke had an alteration with his I'm
ployer, Charles Freeman, "a white
iib III " lN b'El' h'b nv ''pN
Of the difficulty. The next night n
crowd Of white men, headed by Wal
lace Sibley, went to Burke's house, II
mile from Harpersville. When they
arrived upon the scene and called for
Burke they were greeted by a fusiladc
from the negroes concealed in the
bushes surrounding the house and in
the house itself. Wallace Sibley fell
dead at the first "oilcy and three more
white members of the crowd-James
Johnson, James Hamilton and James
Wclls-were wounded. The whites
returned the fire, but were unable to
do any execution, rs their assaiiants
were all concealed. There was not
more than eight men i'm the white
crowd, and finding il impossible to re-
sist effectively they dispersed toward
Iiarpersville.
Aroused tie Country.
When the whites returned to IIar-
persyille the news spread like wild
fire. During the night a large crowd
went TO Burke's house and got from
his mother the names Of forty negroes
who had ambushed the men the night
before. Then the pursuit and search
for each of the prescribed darlies be-
gan. Yesterday morning Sheriff Ste
venson Of Harpcrsville gathered to-
gether n posse of twenty or thirty
men and started at once for the place.
When he arrived in the afternoon he
was joined by 300 citizens.
A telephone message received at n
late hour last night states that nine
negroes have been found and killed,
with about forty more to be heard
from. Sheriff Stevenson, realizing the
danger, Immediately wired Governor
McLaurin, at Brandon, Of aid. Upon
receipt Of this telegram the governor
wired Adjutant General Henry, at
Jackson, to get together a company of
the national guard and proceed to the
scene on the first train. General Hen
Immediately responded that there
was no national guard company OBJ
tainable, but that he would get to-
a company Of armed men and
all necessary assistance. In
he meantime the governor procured
/, special train at Brandon and accom-
by n posse of thirty men, armed
With shotguns, proceeded to Forest.
Arriving here early in the evening and
hiding that there was small danger Of
he riot assuming proportions beyond
he ability Of the posse on hand TO
lceD in bounds, he wired General Hen
" that it would be unnecessary for
Tim TO bring his volunteers to llar-
,crsville.
The posse is operating in the
wamps about II mile from HarpsYille, |
where most of the fugitives are sup
To he concealed.