Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1899-03-30
Lynchings by Wholesale Reported
from the County Of Little
River, in Arkansas.
WHITE MEN lMAveuRA1E The SLAUGHTER
black. Ran Down BY Mob. for Plot
A Murder Starts the Trouble -
whole Country Aroused and Exc
oiteMent Il Intense.

at the hands of an Infatuated white
population. Seven are known to have
been lynched, shot to death or slain in
some manner, and the work is not yet
done. The bodies of the victims of the
mob's vengeance are hanging to the
limbs of trees in various parts of the
county, strung up wherever overtaken,
while that of another who was shot to
death while trying to escape was
thrown into a creek and left there. The
country is in state of most intense ex-
element. White men are collecting in
mobs. heavily armed and determined;
negroes are fleeing for their lives, and
the community is in an uproar. The 'ex-
act number of negroes who have been
summarily dealt with or those who may
yet fall into the hands of the mob be-
fore order is restored may never be
known. Seven bodies have been found
and other victims are being hunted and
will meet a similar fate when run to
earth. The known dead to date are:
General Duckett, Edwin Goodwin, Adam
King, Joseph Jones, Benjamin Jones,
Moses Jones, unknown man. Joe
King and John johnson were also taken
in hand by mobs and whipped. They
were afterwarGf turned loose and have
disappeared.
Scene of the Trouble.
Little River county is in the extreme
southwest corner Of the state, bordered
on the west by the Indian territory and
on the south by Texas. The negro pop
ulation is large and has for long time
proved very troublesome to the whites.
Frequent murders have occurred and
thefts and fights have become common
affairs. One or two negroes have pre-
viously been severely dealt with when
the people found it necessary to take
the law into their own hands, but it
was not until Tuesday that the trouble
took on a very serious aspect. 1t then
developed that carefully-laid plans had
been made by number of negroes to
precipitate race war and that many
white men had been marked for vic
tins. 1t is learned that % negroes were
implicated in this plot, and the whites
are now bent on melting out summary
punishment to the entire coterie of con-
spirators.
Are Marked Men.
All implicated in the plot are known,
and small parties of white men, vary
ing in number from Is to 50, are scour-
ing the country for them. Wherever
one is found he is quickly strung up,
his body perforated with leaden mis-
siles to make sure of their work, and
the mob hastens on in quest of its next
victim. Some of them were found near
Richmond, and the work of dispatch
ing the first two or three was an easy
matter.
A Murder Starts the Trouble.
The disturbances grew out of the
lynching of negro named General
buckets, near Richmond, in that coun-
ty, on Tuesday. Last Saturday prom
inent planter named James Stockton
was murdered at his home near Rocky
Comfort by Duckett. The negro es-
capped at the time, but after remaining
in hiding in the swamps until Tuesday
he surrendered, saying he had nothing
to eat since his flight. He was taken
to Rocky Comfort. and soon after his
arrival there Sheriff Johnson and depu-
ties started with him for Richmond.
They were overtaken by 200 armed
men, who demanded the prisoner.
Duckett was taken to the place where
he had killed Stockton, and after max
ing confession he was lynched.