The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-03-21

Henry Bingham, find that they came
to their death from gunshot or pistol
shot wounds from a crowd Of masked
men TO the jury unknown, a little after
midnight or on the morning OF the 18th
OF March, 1899.
ct. J. BULLARDx Foreman"
The town has been visited by two
incendiary fires since February LIST and
the citizens have been afraid to re-
build, owing TO the oft-repeated threats
of the negroes that they would do the
same thing again. The county author
tiles have been very active in their eff
forts to a%pprehend the incendiaries and
yesterday arrested nine negroes. Will
liam Cotton had confessed to DIR. H. L.
Johnson that he and eight companions
had conspired to burn the town and
loot the stores.
The burning part of the programme
was successfully carried out, but the
fire spread SO rapidly and the buildings
went up in flames so fast that they
were unable to obtain anything from
the stores. DR.. Johnson got the names
of the eight ~accomplices from Cotton
and on this evidence the warrants
We're sworn out.
The Capital City Guards of Atlanta,
fifty-five men, under command of Col
onel John S. Gambler, late Of the Third
Georgia volunteers, arrived at IL
o'clock and reported to Mayor Arnold.
The mayor distributed the men
throughout the little town and, togeth-
er with the citizens now doing duty as
deputy sheriffs, it is believed there IS
a force sufficient to quell n uprising
by the negroes.
From the best information obtainable
the mob did not exceed twenty men. |
They made no noise to announce their
coming and the dispatch with which
they got away from the scene of the
crime would seem to indicate that the
number employed in the work was
small The two negroes who have |
talked say the room was crowded, but
the office would not hold over thirty,
mob, prisoners and guards.
The doors of the warehouse were not
| trouble.
The town is quiet tonight. The only
| sign of life is the solitary patrol every
few PAGES, walking back and forth on
| his beat. The citizens apprehensivel for
the night have quoted down and place |
complete confidence in the ability of
the militia to preserve order.
PROMPT ACTION BY THE COVER
NOR.
Atlanta, Ca, March Ex-Governor
Gambler is very bitter in his d%enuncia- |
ton of the Palmetto lynching and
terms the killing an outrage. In an
interview today the governor said:
Il regard the outrage as simply in
e~xcusable. These men had been arrest |
ed, as I am informed. and proof was
at hand to convict them. They were
in the hands of the law. The law was
amply able to punish them and the in,
terposition of this mob of disguised
men was entirely unnecessary, since
with the proof in the hands of those
who had made the arrests conviction
and punishment were absolutely GER
tain.
Il offer the largest reward the law will
authorize for the apprehension of any
one or more of the perpetrators of
this dastardly deed, and l will try to
see to it that they are prosecuted to
the limit of the law. Such outrage
must stop in Georgia"
Later in the day the governor issued
the following p~roclamation:
Whereas, official information has
been received that on the night of
March 18th, 1899, an mob
foully murdered Henry Bingham, col
ored, Tip Hudson, colored, Ed Brown,
colored, and Bud Cotton, colored, while
said parties were incarcerated and we'll
guarded awaiting a commitment trial
upon the charge of arson, in the county
of Campbell. II
II have thought proper, therefore,
to issue this, my proclamation hereby
offering a rewar # $500 for the appre-
hension n df cry Of the first MEM
Der Iof said unknown mob and a fur
Their reverb of 800 OF each additional
pegsen so complicated, with evidence
, Suff1c1ent TO convict, 10 the Snerl1 OF
said county and state.
"And I do moreover charge and re-
quire all officers in this state, civil and
military, to be vigilant in ~endeavoring
to apprehend the said members of the
unknown mob in order that they may
be brought to trial for the offense with
which they stand charged. Given un-
der my hand and seal Of the state, this,
the 10th day of March, 1899.
GA. D. CANDLER,sG Governor"
Glenn Watts, one of the alleged in
cendiaries who escaped death at Pal
metto this morning arrived here to-
night. He said he did not know how
he came to be released. He was not
taken before any judge after the coro-
ner's inquest or was any formality
looking to his release taken. He was
simply told he could go and he don't
know who impaired this information
to him. He says he had nothing to do
with the burning of Palmetto in Feb
ruary and if Cotton made a confession
he (Watts) knew nothing of it. He still
maintains that there were bat twenty
men in the mob.
The public school is the hope of the
future. A very large majority of the
ohi1drop will no oduoofod in fho puhlic