Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1898-03-10
SOUTH CARoLINA's HORROR.
Additional Facts Show 1t TO Have Been
More Brutal Than at First
Supposed.
Washington "Postp Qnd).l

Supposed.
Washington "Post" Qnd).l
1t appears from last Sundays edition
of the Charleston "News and Courier, u
that the whole story Of the Lake City
atrocity was not told at first
"Lavinia Baker, the widow of the late
Postmaster Baker, of Lake City, with her
five children. arrived in Charleston Friday
night about II o'clock. The woman and
children had been offered shelter and at
tention by the Charleston Training School
for Colored Nurses, and the offer was
gladly accepted. The condition in which
these helpless beings arrived in Charleston
prove the tender of assistance had been
most timely Three members of the party
of six had fractured arms, which had
never been set, and would probably never
have healed if attention was not soon given
them. The boy, whose wound in the
abdomen had been thought The most
serious, may die from shattered arm,
which had remained unset for several days.
There are two children, Sarah and Mile,
and years old respectively, who es-
capped from the burning house, and out
through the leaden rain, unhurt. They
came with their mother, helpless and as
vet ignorant of the fearful tragedy In
which they played minor part. They
have no home, and are simply charges
assumed by the Hospital Association
along with Lavinia Baker and the three
wounded children.
"Upon the arrival of the six unfortu-
mates at the hospital Friday night, DIR.
McClennan, the president of the assocla-
ton, and others, did everything possible
to make them comfortable. They were
all fed and put to bed, and yesterday
morning DR.. McClennan made a careful
examination, finding, much to his sur
prise, that nothing had been done toward
relieving those suffering from fractured
arms.
81 have set three arms and extracted
one bullet" he said, when asked about
the condition of his patients at 2 o'clock
Yesterday. "The woman and the two
girls are in fair way to recover, but the
bows arm is in a very bad condition.
Both bones Of the foream were broken,
and it may have to cone Off His condi-
ton is serious"
DIR. McClennan then goes on to give a
description of the wounds received by the
various victims of this most appalling
barbarity -
"Lavinia Baker, So years old. Bone of
forearm broken by gunshot wound near
end of third bone.
"Cora Baker, IA years old. Gunshot
wound in right arm. A bullet was ex-
tracted from posterior surface of forearm,
near the wrist joint. Great inflammation
was noted.
wRosa Baker, Is years old. Lett arm
broken at middle third by missile entering
on posterior side about one and a half
inches above the elbow, and passing out
on anterior surface.
"Lincoln Douglas Baker; II years old.
Gunshot wound in abdomen. The ball
passed through, entering about one inch
above the navel, and making wound
about five inches long before passing to
poinc of exit. Peritoneum severely in
iured. Also both bones of right foream
broken at middle third. Very bad frac-
lures, the wound being three inches long.
This arm may have to be cut off. ,"
Thus, out of family of seven, the
father was murdered outright, hemother
and three children we're wounded, two Of
them very dangerously, and only two
escaped uninjured. And this infamv was
committed in an enlightened country at
the end of the nineteenth century, the
provocation being that the President of
the United States had, in the exercise of
his lawful authority, appointed post
master not to the liking of the white resi-
dents of Lake City No painted Apache
ever did anything half so wanton. No
cannibal in Darkest Africa ever acted upon
more fendish impulse.
But infamous as was the butchery itself,
what are we to think of the people of
Lake City who left those poor wounded
and dying negroes for days, and appar-
emily intended to leave them forever,
without help, without sympathy, without
Christian pity and succor? Is it possible
to reach any conclusion other than that
the massacre has the approval of the
community?