The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-04-14
RACE RIOTS m ILLINOIS
Eloody Conhfcts ~ Pana Between
Negro Miner and lDeputy sherifKs.
Five Persons Killed and several
wounded

wounded
Pana, Ills, April 1o-In a riot which
broke out at 1880 o'clock a m. on
Main street in front OF the telegraph
office between white and black miners,
In which deputy sherifs took part five
men and n woman were killed Eight
persons were wounded. several so seri-
ously that they will probably die. The
killed are: Xavier l. Roog. French
man, union Frank Coburn, white,
son Of ex-Sheriff Cobur,. Three un-
known negro miners and one negro wo-
man.
The trouble resulting in today's riot
began last night when 100 deputy sher-
ifs were called out into the Flatham
and Penwell mining district to protect
several families of negroes who were
eLdeavoring TO load household effects,
pl eparatory to leave for Iowa, and were
being prevented by negro guards armed
with rifles furnished by the Pana Coat
Company, who claimed the goods the
negroes were moving were company
property. The deputies guarded the
ACSLOcS Willie luts AOdNSu NuCh sOO0S
in wagons, conveyed them TO the rail
road car and packed them for ship
ment. The negroes, their wives and
children were then marched to union
miners hall, where they were fed and
cared for by white union miners and
given protection by a guard of fifty
deputy sheriffs, it being feared that ne
groes who did not wish them to leave
Dora mould ;n+arfara and ttn-1~. farri-
bly, to prevent their departure.
During the night, while deputies were
guarding the negroes in the Penwell
district, they were fired upon by un-
known persons, supposed to have been
negroes and private guards at the
Penwell mine, and fully 200 shots were
exchanged. The firing greatly terror
lied the residents of that section of the
city who appealed to Chief Deputy
Cheney for protection. Deputy Cheney
thereupon sent a special detail OF depu-
ii armed with Springfield rifles, who
patrolled all the streets and succeeded
in restoring quiet before daybreak.
Several negroes were arrested. charged
with incitirg riot, and today's rioting
began while they were on trial.
The attempted arrest of Henry Ste
phens, a negro miner, precipitated the
riot this mC rning. Stephens is a leader
amons the negro non-union miners. He
had been parading the streets armed
with revolver, defying arrest claiming
that no deputy sheriff could arrest him.
Sheriff Dawney, Chief Deputy Cheney
and a number of special deputies were
walking down Locust street, when
Stephens espied Downey and drawing
a revolver, approached from the rear
a fired directly at the sheriff, but
the ball missed it's intended victim.
The officers Immediately drew their re-
volvers and opened fire on Stephens, who
ran down Locust street shooting at
| every person he met. The fleeing ne
gro having emptied his revolver, close
ly pursued y a large force Of deputies,
ran into a department store. The Off
GERS pursued him, the entire Tenth of
the store up the rear stairs of the build
ing where he only surrendered after
six bullets had pierced his body. He
was not killed, however, and was taken
to Jail. Several shooting ARRAYS fol-
lowed the Stephens arrest, bu' at 3
o'clock the trouble seemed to be over.
Springfield, Ills, April 10-Three
companies of the Fifth Illinois infan-
try have b n ordered to Pana by Gov
ernor Tanner.