The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-03-14
LAwLEss NEGRO raoops
Tenth Immunes Contfnus Their
Riotous Conductive Shooting An
fair at Griffin. IL Sides Of the
Case

3Gx
Riotous Conduct-The Shooting An
fair at Grifin, Ga-Both sides of the
= Case
Raleigh, y. c., March 9.-The tour
of the Tenth immunes through this
state was marked by drunken rioting
and shooting at people, houses and cat
tie along the railroad. During the few
| minutes the train stopped here, there
was drinking and disorder among the
round or into the air. All along the
route their conduct was the same.
A dispatch from Henderson tonight,
I! says: THE Tenth immune, negro troops,
passed today over the Seaboard Air
Line. They shot al private houses and
school children. Several men were
wounded The officers Of the regiment
men"
Similar reports come from other
| points etween here and Weldon.
| Colonel Charles l.. Jones, command
ing officer of the regiment, was seen by
a representative of the Associated Press
Immediately upon the arrival of his
rain here, as he had telegraphed ahead
in the morning that he desired to max
a statement in regard to the shooting
affair at Griffin, GA. He said:
I'VE struck Griffin, Ga, about 5
o'clock yesterday afternoon. I don't
think there were more than a dozen re-
volvers in the hands of the men. When
we pulled out of Vineville, there was
some shooting in the air from the
train. The men were full OF good
spirits and had no intention TO harm
any one. No shots were fired when
We went into the town of Griffin. I
was surprised to find men lined up on
either side of the depot. About fifty
what the trouble was, and was told
hat the first section had been disorder
ly and that the citizens wanted to pro-
tect themselves.
II told my men to be quiet and they
were obedient and there was no disor-
der. The train stopped about five
minutes The train had pulled out
about 200 Yards when some of the men
in the forward part of the train fired
some shots.
THE militia then fired into the rear
EAR. George L. Agree, the man who
was standing on the platform vas shot.
One ball passed through his leg, an
other through his thigh and still an
other bullet passed through his body.
AS the officers car passed a body Of the
! militia, a volley was fired into it, not
withstanding the fact that -four ladies
were at the windows. l was standing
on the platform Of my car. The wife
of one of the captains, who was seated
by the window, had a narrow escape.
An iron brace prevented another bullet
from crashing into the car.
up to $3.50 o'clock when l left Ma
con yesterday afternoon not one of the
depredatiOns of the white or negro
troops at that town had been COM
mitted by the Tenth immunes.
"The action Of the militia in Griffin
was the most cowardly that 1 nave ever
! seen human beings guilty of. Had
they fired into the car from which the
one shot was fired, it would have been
bad enough, but to fire a volley into
| a car, when the officer who had charge
Of the men who fired the volley knew
| there were aides in the car who were
unable to protect themselves, and who
had not been guilty of any breach Of
law, was beneath men,"
Griffin, Ga, March 9.-Mayor Davis
and Lieutenant Daniel, of the Griffin
rifles, made statements today in reply
to the letter of Colonel Withrow, of the
Tenth immunes, to Governor Gambler
asserting that his men had been fired
upon yesterday by the state militia at
Griffin and demanding safe conduct to
the state line. Mayor Davis says:
when the re~prehensible conduct of
the soldiers on the first section of. the
train was reported to me and the citi-
zens appealed for protection from the
mex section which was due here in
about an hour, | at once ~telephoned
Governor Gambler and asked him to or
der out the Griffin rifles. He promised
to advise me in twenty minutes Wheth-
er he would do so or not, but the second
section was approaching the city and
Immediate actlOn was necessary. n
by the power vested in me as mayor, /
ordered the Rifles out. My authority
for DING so is found in article 8, sec
ttion ITO of the Civil Code of this state.
The Rifles and all those whom l dep
utized to meet the train, were on hand
and acted in a manner that was above
reproach. AS long as I am mayo of
Griffin / shall use all the means in my
power to protect the life and property
of her citizens"
In his statement Lieutenant Dan
iels says: Il received the following or
der from the
Commander Griffin Rif1es:-Owing
to imminent danger of riot at the train
of colored troops just mustered out in
Macon, while passing through Griffin,
which will be in a few minutes, bring
our command to the passenger de-
pot at once and receive orders from
chief police for preserving order.
w D. DAVIS, Mayor
The above order was issued to me
under authority of section ITO, Code
OF Georgia. / responded to the order
as was my duty and reported as in
structed to the chief of police at the
depot. I lined my command up and
down the railroad track about twenty
feet from the train of negroes, arms
at order. The chief of police ordered
half my company about 200 yards west
of the depot. Upon the departure>ot
the train the negro troops fired several
volleys directly at the citizens and mil.
itary. This fire was not returned by
my men, but the citizens did return the
fire. / a given positive orders to my
men not to fire and they most posi-
tiyoly did potv