The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-07-31
THE CITY FOR A TIME IN THE HANDS
OF RI0T0US MODS
OFFICIALS ACTING PROMPTLY
To Put Down b Rioters-Special
Police and State G1ard on Duty-A
Crusade of the Lower Elements OF
Whites Against Negroes-Hoodlums
on the warpath-One Person Killed
and Several Observation-Disclosures
Now Have the situation Well In
Hand.

New Orleans, July 26.-Disorderly
scenes following the rioting Of last
night prevailed throughout the city to-
day and resulted in the swearing in
by the a OF 500 special policemen
and the ordering out of 1,500 state mill
tia, Governor Heard responding
promptly to appeal of Mayor
C~apdevielle for assistance in suppress
sing the existing lawlessness and in
preventing tonight a recurrence of
the violence Of last night. Throughout
the day, attacks We're made by ire
sponsible mobs of whites upon the
black element and the negroes before
night fall had been effectually chased
from the streets.
The effect OF the disorders was TO
put a practical stop to business in the
wholesale districts and on the levee
front. As this meant a serious Grip
ping of the trade of the port, the bus
mess element rallied in force and
hundreds of the most prominent men
of the city responded to the appeal of
the mayor for assistance in preserving
order.
A summary of the casualties grow
ing out of the disturbances last night
and today shows that one negro was
beaten to death; six were so badly
wounded that their lives are despaired
of and about a score of people, white
and black, male and female, have been
more or less seriously wounded.
In order to prevent the miscellaneous
distribution of arms, the mayor this
evening ordered the closing of gun
shops likely to supply the baser ele-
ments, and early in the day for the
better preservation of the public peace
issued orders to the public to close up
every saloon in the city. Colonel
Wood, who commanded the First
Louisiana regiment in the Spanish war,
was placed in command of the special
police.
The police have been practically
helpless during the disturbance. The
force consists of some 300 men, includ-
ing clerks and telegraph operators,
n this manifestly inadequate to the
preservation of a of a city of 310,-
900 people; but aside from this, the in
~dignation among the members of the
department owe the ruthless murder
of Captain Day and Patrolman Lamb
by the negro, Robert Charles, to some
extent made the police sympathetic
with the mobs in their pretended eff
forts to avenge the murders. The fact
| Tia lit ildS DC>l q SoClll-
ment on the part of the working peo-
pie against steamship agents n con-
tractors in the employment of negro
labor to the exclusion of whites on
public works and on the levee fronts,
also contributed somewhat, it is believ-
ed, to the dissemination of the police
to do their full duty.
Mayor Capdeviell was at Ocean
Springs last night when the mobs
swept over the city, but when he ar
rived at his office today he came with
a full determination to take hold of
the situation with a firm hand. He
found awaiting him a delegation of the
leading merchants of the city, who
said the interests of the community
and dts commercial welfare demanded
prompt and vigorous action.
About the same time Lieutenant
Governor Estopinel, who had witness
ed Tx scene of outrage upon negroes
on Canal street, Joined the conference
at the hotel. He at once advised a
conference with Governor Heard at
Baton Rouge. The long distance tele-
phone was used and the governor said
he would order out all available troops.
Without delay he sent messages to
Colonel Hodgson, commanding the
First brigade, in the absence of Zen
eral Glynn, and had him Immediately
order out the Washington artillery,
and the First regiment. At twilight
there were 1,0UU IIlSn tOuSTSSdUeQ III the
armorieS. AT the same time the mayor
in a proclamation appointed 500 spec
ial police. Before 6 p. m. 400 of the
representative citizens had been sworn
in. The mayor la requisition on the
leading hardware and ammunition es-
adjustments of the city and the spe-
Gals were heavily armed and sent to
various sections of the city.
HoodlumS prowled streets through
out the day and whenever they Spied
a negro assaulted him. In some cases
citizens rallied to the police and with
their assistance beat off the attascks.
Just after day light the
of one of the mob gathered at the
Spanish Fort railway station, whence
a large number of negro laborerS daily
leave for their work at Chalmette.
They saw a crowd of darkies approach
ing and started after them. Louis
Gapuyard got in thei way and receiv-
ed a bullet in the leg.
Later in the forenoon a negro empti-
ed his pistol into a downtown house
and wounded a child.
There is confined in the parish pris-
on Leonard Pierson, who was the man
with Charles when the latter short and
dangerously wounded Officer Mara be-
fore he murdered Captain Day and Pa
trolman Lamb. The mobs that have
been going around the city have been
anxious to get at Pierson If possible
and lynch him. Sheriff Klock assured
both the mayor and chief of police that
he had the Jail so well protected n
it would require h use of dynamite
to reach the culprit. Neither the sher-
if nor the chief of police whose head
QUARTERS are located in the building,
apprehended that any serious attempt
will be made to break into the Jail.
Mayor Capdevien and his assistants
made arrangements this afternoon for
transportation facilities which would
assist in moving of troops and spe-
cia1 police. The express companies
also assured h mayor that their wag-
n would be ready to respond to any
call which might be made upon them.
Late this afternoon Mayor Capde-
vielle issued a proclamation which had
an excellent effect. 1t called upon all
good citizens not en- rolled in the spe-