The Bourbon news., 1899-03-21
WORK OF A MOB.
They Attack Jail in Georgia and Fire
on Nine Negro Inmates.
-Four Were Instantly Killed and the Others
Wounded-Troops Asked of Gov.
Candler-The Governor Offers
Rewards for the Leaders.

| PALMETTO, Ga, March ia mob Of
masked men stormed the little house
doing service as Jail here at an early
hour Thursday morning, and shot nine
Negroes. Four were killed outright,
and the other five are badly wounded.
The mob rode into the town about ]
| o'clock. The little house which is be-
/ ing used as a Jail since the fire was
near the center of the town. The
| guard was called on to turn over the
nine negroes held there for trial on
the charge of arson. He refused and
awakened his assistants. They were
| quickly .overpowered, however, and
with rush the whitecaps made for
the prisoners, who had been awak-
ened by the noise outside. They be-
down quickly.
Gov. Gambler was called on for troops
about 4 o'clock to allay the apprehen-
sion here and put down any uprising.
The Capital City guards, under COM
mand of Col. John s. Gambler, who laid
aside his judicial duties in Atlanta for
the day, arrived at IL o'clock and re-
ported to Mayor Arnold. They were
put on patrol duty in different parts of
the town, and together with the rs
armed citizens constitute a force suffi-
cient to quell any disturbance. The
citizens are decidedly nervous over the
affair and apprehensive of an uprising
of Negroes Thursday night in an effort
to have revenge.
At noon friends of the wounded ar
rived at the warehouse and were given
those injured. Glen Watts, one of
those who had put in the morning
groaning loudly, was carefully carried
to wagon and taken home. Upon his
arrival there it was found that he did
not bear a scratch. Isham Brown, an
other of the supposedly wounded Ne
groes, who had remained all morning
on the bloody warehouse floor, was
not hurt, and made an attempt to get
away on reaching the cabin of his
friends. John Bigby is badly wound
| 0u dnO Cdu uOG TSCONoI
The four dead Negroes lie in John
sons warehouse. Beside them, groan-
ing in agony, are five of their race, all
victims of an assault made by white
men OF this neighborhood at an early
hour Thursday morning. This little
city has had two incendiary fires,
which have almost destroyed it, since
January 1.
Mayor Arnold has summoned a guard
of IS citizens to patrol the streets and
warehouses, and every citizen seen on
the streets is armed with a gun. The
situation is believed to be practically
under control owing to the good work
of Mayor Arnold.
The mob was composed of $50 men.
Where they came from is a mystery SO
far as the people of the town know.
1 That some of the people of Palmetto,
but not the better class. were in the
mob goes without saying. Every face
was masked, and when the warehouse
was reached, the special guard of five
men were covered without a word. In
a minute the mob was in theEbig ware
house, and the fusilade opened. The
frightened Negroes, sent up yell after
yell. begging for mercy, but it had no
effect on the mob. When its work was
finished the masked mob turned and
quickly disappeared.
Two fires of incendiary origin Aave
occurred here this year, one on Feb
ruary % and the other five days later.
Fourteen business houses, in all were
destroyed.
Nine Negroes were arrested on sus'
picion and taken to Johnson's, ware.
house to await preliminary trial, which
was to have taken place Thursday
morning. Wednesday the leader of
the gang, Bud Cotton, is said to have
made written confession of the guilt
of himself and associates. He was the
first to die in the mob's bloody werk.'
The Negroes of this community have
threatened in the past week to burn
Fairburn, the county seat, and tits re-
ported that the mob came largely from
that town. ,.,
= ATLANTA, Ga, March 17.-Gov., Allen
D. Chandler Thursday issued a procla-
nation offering a reward of $500, '.for
the apprehension and delivery of the
first member of the mob and a further
reward of 500 for each additional per-
son implicatedp in the killing of the
four Negroes at Palmetto Thursday
morning.
Engineer and Fireman Badly ScaIded.
WATERLOO, Ind, March 17.-Engi-
neer James Winney and Fireman Bert