The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-11-27
THE STORY Of THE WILMINGTON,
NORTH CAROLINA, RACE RIOTS.
By COL. ALFRED M. WADDELL.
Leader in the Reform Movement and Now Revolutionary
Mayor of Wilmington.
Especial Correspondence of Golfers weekly)


jail. We placed the scoundrels in the
midst Of the square and marched them
to the railroad station. / bought and
! gave them tickets to Richmond, and tod
!. them to go and to never show up again
That bunch were all negroes. Then they
had taken other fellows that they sent
i They took them under guard to another
train-there were three whites i'll that
j party-and sent them off also.
;. Rumors fly here and there that the
/ negroes are arming. There is no truth
| in that. They are utterly cowed and
crushed and are not going to interfere
j with anybody.
{, | have sent messengers of both races
out into the surrounding woods, where,
it is said, fugitives are in hiding, beg
ging the people to come back to their
/ homes and to rest assured they will be
! protected i'll their persons and property.
+ A great many have come in, and | expect
more will come tonight.
The negroes here have always pro
fessed to have faith i'll me. When |
/ made the speech in the Opera House
they were astounded. One of the leaders
said:
My God. when so conservative a man
! as Colonel Waddell talks about filing
the river with dead niggers. | want to
get out of town"
Since this trouble many negroes have
come to me and said they are glad |
! have taken charge. / said:
/ "Never Il hair of your heads will be
! harmed. ! will dispense justice to you
as | would TO the first man in the com
munity. | will try to discharge my duty
honestly and impartially.'
/ No one knows better than ! that this
+ has been Il serious matter, but it has,
/ like all such affairs. its humorous side.
! After the crisis had passed, an old negro
/ came complaining to me about bis jack
/ knife which he wanted me = get back
! for him. 1t seems it had been taken
from him during the fracas. Tben
another negro came. complaining that
some cattle had been peDned up, and he
wanted them "tu'nd loose"
The pendulum swung from the most
tragic incidents to the most iriv al. [
have been bombarded with every kind
of petition and complaint, both for pro-
lection against imaginary trouble. and
for what / consider would be persecution
that spirit of cruelty that a revolution
always develops; people who wan, 10
crafty their luminosity and personal
spite.
As to the government we have estab-
lished. it is Il perfectly legal one. The
law. passed by the Republican Legisla-
! ture itself, has been complied with.
I frsI Il
establishment of the present city govern
ment. The old government had become
| satisfied of their inefficiency and utterly
| helpless imbecility, and believed if they
/ did not resign they would be run
out of town. Therefore they came for
ward, after consulting with men of our
city, and they said each one of them
wanted to resign-was anxious to do so
/ so. They wanted to get rid of the re-
| sponsibility. If our people would or
ganize they would be glad to resign and
! let us take the responsibility.
1t was not matter of coercion; the
old city government simply realized it
was not able to continue i'll control and
wished to be released from the weight
| Of responsibility. A change was impera-
| lively necessary. Men were needed who
could and would cope with existing con-
| ditions.
| In order to accomplish this legally a
meeting was held, and the old board of
! aldermen resigned by wards. One alder
man would resign; that would make a
vacancy; and then the mayor (who has
! escaped from here would ask if there
were any nominations for the vacancy;
!! and one of his own men would nominate
Il man he knew we wanted for the ward,
/ and so on, in succession. through each
ward in town. We really didn't have
| anything to do with it. They asked us
! whom we wanted. Successfully they re-
signed. and our men were elected The
room was as quiet as Il room in II private
/ house.
It became necessary TO elect IL mayor.
! Uunder the law which they made the
4 MAYOR could he elected either from their
own body or outside. They elected me
/ mayor We took the city and went
! right to work. There is not a flaw in
the legality of the government. 1t was
the result of revolution, but the forms
Of law were strictly complied with in
every respect
The ultimate outcome. of course, DO
! not know. There is no probability of
further violence. | cannot more graph
caly or briefly express my opinion on that
point than by repeating what / said 20
the Board of Aldermen when we were
arranging for the police. ! said: Gen
tlemen, | will patrol this city with six
women, so quiet and peaceful and orderly
is it. 1t is like Sunday I'LL the time
i But we went on and wanted to put
matters beyond the possibility of a doubt
i They have appointed IL police force three
times as large as | wanted il to be. so
that everybody may feel perfectly conf
dent and safe.
1t is a fact that Il large force of sol
diers and naval = reserves, armed with
rifles. bayonets and reyolvers, patrol the
streets in squads. | never called on the
Governor for any troops myself, but was
glad that the commanding officer of the
State Guard here notified him Of the sit
4 uation. | am using the State troops to co-