The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-06-03
HELD INDIGNATION MEETING.
AUGUSTA CROWD WANTED TO At
TACK EDITOR WHITE.

A slanderous and Malignant Para
graph Had Been Printed In His
Paper Rejecting ON Young Whit
ney Who Was Killed by a Negro.
White Agreed 20 Sign Any Retrac-
tion wanted-He Was Held by the
Police for Protection.
Augusta. June Augusta has narrow
ly escaped more violence tonight, grows
ing out of publication concerning the
recent killing of Mr.. Alex Whitney and
the lynching of his murderer. William
Wilson.
This afternoon more than 200 white men
marched from an indignation meeting on
the river bank, a mile across town to
the Georgia Baptist Office. on Cambell
street, near Gwinnett, TO demand a re-
traction from the editor and tonight an
other party was organized 10 force Editor
White to leave town and to wreck his
printing office.
The indignation in the community arose
over a paragraph published in the Geor-
gia Baptist, UNCONVENTIONAL negro pa
per, published for years past by Rev. w.
]. White. II purported to have been
copied from another paper. the Bee. said
to be published in Washington city. 1t
was as follows: u
THE lynching of William Wilson, a pop
ular young mechanic, in Augusta few
days ago, Is another one of those damna-
bic sins for which the South must be held
responsible. Mr.. Wilson died upholding
the virtue of Miss Beatrice Jones, one OF
Georgia's most refined and highly respect
ed young ladies'. The white wretch who
offered the insult fell at the hands of this
young martyr and the unpleasant thought
that such brilliant career had to be sac
rificed for one portraying the worst type
of criminality is not only unfortunate. but
sad to the very extreme" The Bee
Caused Great Indignation.
This entire statement was so palpably
false that Il filled the friends of young
Whitney with Indignation. As soon as the
publication was discovered, II was rapidly
circulated. and when no more papers
could be had. the paragraph was copied
on a manifold typewriter and distributed.
An Indignation meeting was called on
the river platform at the compress not
far from the Whitney warehouse and
p -rhaps $50 people were there. The publi-
cation was denounced and 1t was propos-
ed to run Editor White ont OF town, to
wreck his newspaper office, and others
wanted to tar and feather him, or do him
other violence
The meeting decided upon the appolrt-
ment of a committee to walt upon White
and demand that he sign an apology and
repudiation of the article. In the mean
time, White had come UP town TO the
Herald and Chronicle Offices and stated
that he did not know the paragraph was
In his paper; that 1t was published with
out his knowledge or consent that ID was
absolutely false, and he was anxious 10
put card in both papers repudiating it
| and apologizing for its publication in his
| paper.
| Ignorant OF this, the committee followed
| by the crowd at the meeting, marched
| across town TO the Baptist office. No one
| was there when they arrived. DIR. BuTps.
a negro physician, was seen standing -
the sidewalk writing, and somebody in
the crowd got the idea he was taking
down their names. Some one demanded to
know what he was writing. and in n mo-
ment others thronged around. Just at this
moment a young mulatto man, Harper
pushed through the crowd to Burrus' side
| and exclaimed In a loud tone, Write
| what You please; keep on" In an instant
the crowd turned on Harper and he was
| in the midst of men, who were knoekieg
him down about as fast as he could get
up. He fought madly. but was overcome
and taken TO police headquarters
Ready to sign Anything.
By this time the crowd was informed
by Mr.. Henry Cohen that White was up
town, and had repudiated the article, and
was ready to sign anything they demand
ed, and could be seen at police headquar-
ters. The crowd then marched there, and
White assured the committee that he did
not know how the clipping got In his
paper, and he repudiated 1t entirely. lie
signed an article to be published in all
the city papers and in the next week S
issue Of the Georgia Baptist.
The crowd hung around for long time.
and 1t was deemed wisest to keep White
at police headquarters. He is still there.
Tonight a hundred or so young men
organized TO wreck the Georgia Baptist
office at the Central Railroad yand. ana
notify White to leave town, but a large
detachment of armed police officers was
sent 20 the protection OF Whites Office,
and home adjoining, and about 1890 the
crowd dIsintegrated.
II is thought there will be no more
trouble.