The age-herald., 1899-03-17
Four Were Killed and Another
 Fatally Injured THEY WERE AWAITING TRIAL On Charge of Arson, and Were
 Under Guard. MOB RODE INTO THE LITTLE TOWN And Broke Down the Doors Where the Negroes Were Confined. THE LEADER COUNTED THREE And His Men Fired on the Miserable Wretches Who Were Tied With
 Ropes-Piteous Headings
 Were Unavailing.
And Broke Down the Doors Where the
 Negroes Were Confined.
THE LEADER COUNTED THREE

Palmetto Ga., March 16.-Twenty men, armed and masked, rode into this little town at an early hour this morning and put to death four negroes, fatally injured one, shot another and broke the arm of a seventh man. Two others who were of the crowd upon which the bullets were show cred miraculousy escaped. These unfor- tunatess were under guard of three men awaiting the hour of g o'clock, when they were to have a hearing before a justice of the peace on the charge of arson. William Cotton, Jr., the leader of the nine men, confessed some time ago that a conspiracy had been entered into which resulted in two incendiary fires here.
 The dead are:
 William Cotton, Jr.
 Harrison Hudson.
 Ed Brown.
 Henry Bingham.
 Another Fatally W ounded
 Fatally wounded-John Bigby.
 Wounded-John Jameson.
 Arm broken-George Tatum.
 Ison Brown and Glenn Watts, the other two members of the gang, escaped injury. After the inquest they were turned loose, and left on the train for Atlanta.
 The town is quiet tonight under the pro- lection of the Capital City Guards of Att lanta and a posse of seventy-five well-arm- ed citizens.
 The negroes were confined in the office of the Johnson warehouse, one-story stone building just across the track from the Atlanta and West Point depot They were arrested but yesterday, and tied to- gether with ropes, were passing the night under the protection of three guards sworn in for the purpose. Their preliminary trial was set for o'clock this morning.
 About l o'clock this morning twenty men. mounted and masked, rode up to the ware house and dismounted. Without waiting to announce themselves to the guards within, they easily forced the door of the ware house, and second later stood in the of- flee of the Johnson company, where the ne groes were lying on the floor around the ire. The guarus were covered by Win chesters, and, with hands up, were marched to one side of the little room and stood against the wall.
 Negroes Plead for Mercy
 The negroes, who were fir ghtened into si- lence by the bursting of the door, now realized their peril. Scream after scream went up from the victims as they saw the gleam of firearms in tue dim light from the fireplace. Their appeals tor mercy were unneeued. A short, neavy-set man, whose features were completely conceaieu by white handkerchief, acted as leader. He cursed the blacks into silence for mo- ment, and told his men to get ready. After looking at each negro, he commanded them to get up. The trembling, cry4ng wretches, tugging at their ropes in a vain effort to get away, obeyed the words of the mob's leader. A last appeal for mercy went un- needed, and the word "Fire!' rang out in the little room.
 The volley filled the room with fire and smoke and the negroes fell in a heap on the floor. The noise awakened the little town and as lights began to twinkle in windows here and there. a second volley sealed the doom of those who were for tunate enought to escape the murderous fire of the first charge. As the mob made ready to depart three or four men with pistols sent bullets into the prostrate forms on the floor, and inside of ten minutes after the masked crew had entered Johnson's warehouse on their murderous errand they had completed their work and were on their way to safety on the backs of fleet horses. Soon tho citizens began to arrive at the warehouse, being under the impress sion that the guards were being murdered by the negro prisoners.
 Citizens Placed Under Arms
 When the horror of the affair was pre- seuted Mayor Arnold telephoned Governor Candler' at Atlanta, of the occurrence and asked for some militia. He then deputized seventy-five citizens to preserve order and, arming them with rifles. placed them on duty in different part of the town.
 Daylight in the warehouse revealed a sickening scene. Blood covered the floor and the walls were indented with bullets from Winchesters and other arms. Wives and children of the negroes, to whom the news of the tragedy had spread on rapid wings knelt by the bodies of their dead and endeavored to console the wounded. The cries of the negro families filled the room and sent a shock through the hearers.
 Doctors bent over the wounded and ad- 1T .mfnistered to their wants at intervals until hpn, when friends of the injured came
 removed them to their homes. The
 a, whose bodies were horribly ruan2lAd>