The Globe-republican., 1898-10-27
WHITES AND NEGROES FIGHT
Bloody Battle in the Swamps Near
Forest, Miss.
MEN KILLED ON BOTH SIDES.
Negroes Fire Upon Sherih's Deputies
From ADMINISTRATIVE Eastern Portion
Of the State Aroused and Armed
Governor McLaurin Hastens to Scene

FOREST, Miss, Oct. 24.-As the re-
suit of an attempt to arrest a negro
near Harpersville. Scott county, in the
eastern part of the state, one white
deputy was killed, three wounded and,
according to the latest report, nine
negroes have been killed by the cit
liens of the Harpersville neighborhood
and the shcriffs posse combined.
The pursuit of about fifty negroes,
who had joined the original offender
with the avowed determination to pre-
vent his arrest and capture, and who
ambushed the party making the ar
rest, continues. and the number of ia
talities will undoubtedly have assumed
larger proportions.
The whole country is terribly
aroused, and the sheriff's posse has
been reinforced with men from all the
peighboring towns.
Governor McLaurin has gone to the
scene, which is about ten miles north
Of Forest, the nearest railroad point.
The trouble originated last Friday,
when a negro named Bill Burke had an
alteration with his employer, Charles
Freeman, a white man, in which the
negro got the best of the difficulty.
The next night a crowd of white
men, headed by Wallace Sibley, who
was deputized to arrest the negro,
went to Burke's house, which is about
q mile from Harpersville.
When they arrived upon the scene
and called for Burke they were greeted
by fusilade from the negroes con-
cealed in ambush in the bushes sur
rounding the house and in the house
itself. Wallace Sibley. the leader, fell
dead at the first voiley, and three more
white members of the crowd, James
johnson, James Hamilton and James
Wells, were wounded.
The whites returned the fire, but
were unable to do any execution as
their assailants were all concealed.
There were not more than eight men
in the white crowd, and, finding it i'm
possible to resist effectively. they dis
persed toward Harpersville.
It was not known at that time that
Sibley was injured. but upon a return
to the scene he was found dead in the
yard.
The wounded deputies were able to
get back to town with the assistance
of their comrades. This occurrence
took place early in the night.
When the crowd returned no Har-
persville the news spread like wild
fire. During the night large crowd
gathered from the neighborhood.
They Immediately went. to Burke's
house and got from his mother the
names of all the parties in the crowd
which had ambushed the men the
night before.
In all there were about forty ne
groes who had gathered to prevent the
arrest Of Burke, and list was made
up at her dictation. All of them had
fed.
Then the pursuit and search for each
of the prescribed darkies began. Ac-
cording to the statements of reliable
citizens, six negroes were found and
killed by the crowd of armed and de-
termined citizens before the sheriff ar
rived.
When he arrived he was joined by
crowds of citizens, until conservative
estimate places the number in the
posse at over 300 men.
A reliable telephone message re-
ceived at late hour states that three
more negroes have been found and
killed, making a total of nine to date,
with about forty more to be heard
from:
The posse is operating in the
swamps, about mile from Harpers-
Vile, where most of the fugitives are
supposed to be concealed.