The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-01-06
mob is usually the punishment. Nes

mob il usually the punishment. Neg
the whole population Of North Caro-
In a country population there being
city OF 30. ZOO inhabitants In the stacs~
When IL IL called that North Carolina
has the same area hat England has.
the comparative sparseness OF It's popu-
lation may be imagined Necessarily
the smaller farmers have often TO leave
their women folks unprotected while
they go to their fields. II Is difficult
for a northerner TO understand In what
a horror of that crime our people live
IN Brunswick county. adjoining Will
mington, q negro brute has just been
hanged by las for ravishing a woman.
There was a horrible ease OF the assault
and murder OF a little girl In the state
during the summer. Now. 10 vas not
merely the insult to our white women.
but the encouragement OF the negro
brutes that Manly's article gave, that
was 50 bitterly resented. So when the
first opportunity was given for n mass
meeting the resentment broke farth.
IL is admitted that the resolution with
regard TO the printing outfit was an er-
ror. But the execution OF the rcsolu-
tons was left TO a.committee OF TWEEN
ty-fve. who, by the practical ~abdication
Of the city government, became the only
recognized authority In Wilmington.
This committee conferred with some
representative negroes as { the carry
ing out Of the resolutions. The ne
groes got .danly out OF the way and
promised to remove the printing outfit.
but the message was not delivered until
aFfQr fhn TINA annninFGd There uaZ
not a policeman TO be seen on the
streets, not a representative of the law.
when the men marched 10 the Record"
Office. Breaking open the door. they
destroyed the outfit ,(for which due
preparation viii be madc,l and the
building caught fire. The fire was ex-
tinguished as 500 as possible. Thus
far this was the only lawlessness-the
breaking up of the printing Office.
But the city was in arms awaiting the
result. The negroes grew excited with
wild rumors. The first and chief con
fict occurred a mile away from the
Record" office. when q mob Of about
a hundred negroes wantonly opened
fire on a squad OF seven white men.
wounding one OF them. The white men
returned the fire. and in that and two
or three more collisions seven negroes
We're killed and thirteen wounded. three
white men being wounded.
While the riot was in progress the
mayor called the city council together.
h confessed their incompeteucy by
resigning. one by one, and electing their
successors from among the best peo-
pie Of the town. Then the mayor re-
signed, and the new board OF aldermen
elected the man who has just headed
the company hat destroyed the Rec
ord" property.
The truth is that a great deal more
was accomplished than was intended at
the outset-just as the United States
finds itself today with results achieved
which it did not contemplate al the be-
ginning Of the war with Spain.
The city has been quiet and orderly
ever since; business has resumed it's
normal conditions, and the families
that were sent away from the city by
scores for fear of impending trouble
have returned TO peaceful homes. III
ever a revolution was justified by the
results, this one has been: and SO
agrees every respectable white man in
the city, northern and southern, and
without regard TO national politics.
By A. J. McKelway. Editor North
Carolina Presbyterian" Charlotte n. G..
in The Outlook.