The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-06-03
WILMINGTON
REVOLUTION
CONTINUED from First Page.)

was two DAYS after the election. Every
where, the community had been criticised
and abused for not having driven Manly
from its confines and destroyed the press,
before this; but with marked conservat-
ism, it had faced that criticism and blded
its time when the act might be done Out
side of politics or a political campaign,
and as an act of the whole community.
During the campaign, movement a1ter
movement, looking to driving Manly out
and destroying his press was suppressed.
When the press was destroyed, though
it was not intended. the building was also
burned The. motive which inspired this
burning of the building was not an I'M
righteous one. 1t belonged to lodge OF
negro women who had endorsed the Rec
ord press and afforded it home after
the publication of it's insolent article.
AND YET THIS SAME SOCIETY WAS
REIMBURSED ITS LOSS IN FULL BY
A SUBSCRIPTION OF WHITE CITI-
ZENS
THE DAY OF THE REVOLUTION.
It was not unnatural that excitement
among the negroes followed. They cons
menced running in every direction and
congregating. Here, then, was shown
the splendid capacity of the white man
not only to manage himself but to man
age situation that was more danger
Gus to the negro than to the white man.
Everywhere within a certain zone of the
city, men, through this vigilance organi-
ZatiOn, were placed at the street corners.
1t had been surmised that in the case OF
excitement the negro would congregate
When congregated they incite each other
to deeds of passion and violence. The
vigilance organization resolved not to
permit him in the case of any excitement
occurring to assemble in numbers. The
organization could control the white men,
as events demonstrated. The easiest way
to control the negro would be by pre-
venting his congregation. The white men,
being assigned each to his particular post
of duty, were themselves prevented from
assembling in large numbers. In this
manner a serious clash would be pre-
vented. Events proved the wisdom OF
the plan. AS the negroes started in any
direction, not unnaturally in state of
excitement. they were stopped by armed
men who stood guard at every crossing
within the city, searched for firearms and
told that, if they would go to their work
or to their homes, they would be pro-
tected. The sheriff of the county, the
city officials and the police department
were absolutely helpless to cope with the
situation, and had abdicated. They were
nowhere in evidence. The .Iction of this
organization prevented general blood
shed. There would have been no blood
shed in this city, but for the action of
the negroes themselves. There were
large number of them employed in the
factories on tn northern outskirts of the
city. These men came into town, on one
Of the main streets, and collected in con-
siderable numbers at the corner of
Fourth and Harnett. Here there were
seven or eight men, armed with Win
chesters on guard. The negroes were told
that they could individually be escorted
TO their homes. This was done, usually,
by a negro being carried from one corner
to another, handed over to the next man,
and SO carried on until his home was
reached. But these negroes insisted upon
going through the city together. They
stood at this corner, mouthing and 1ab-
herring and talking, Tor some time. Then
that happened which will always happen
when lot of irresponsible half-savages
talk themselves into a fame of passion.
Some few of them in this party fired
upon the white guard The fire was
and three of them killed at this time.
CITY UNDER MILITARY RULE.
About II o'clock in the day the Cover
nor of the State, being advised of the
incOmpetency of the administration to
cope with the situation, ordered out the
military and naval reserves, under COM
mand of Colonel Walker Taylor, and di-
rected them to preserve the peace. The
military authorities were aided ana sup
ported by the splendid vigilance organi-
zation of the citizens.
Later in the day, when the new mayor
and board of aldermen went into office,
the commander of the military forces
subordnated his control to the civil au-
thorities, recognizing its power to control
the situation, with the support of the local
State Guard.
number of the negroes who were
wounded and met their death were killed
by the military authorities in attempting
their arrest and in the suppression of
lawlessness. All together there was not
over eight or ten of them killed. In
several instances it has been shown that
the negroes so killed were newcomers to
the city. There were, as is unfortunately
often the case, one or two of them
killed who were not directly concerned
in the trouble.
The town presented the appearance in
all quarters of the white man devoting
himself, during the entire day, to es-
corting negroes home in order to protect
them. There could have been no greater
spectacle of the splendid manhood of our
people than in this act of protecting the
weaker race. The town, except for an
occasional outbreak in the northern end
of the city, presented the appearance of
perfect quiet. Except that the stores
were closed and men armed with Win
chesters stood at the corners, the scene
could not have been more quiet.
To prevent any assault being made
upon certain negro politicians, there were
a number of them arrested by the vigil
lance organization and placed in Jail.
The reason of these arrests was simply
to protect them from being killed. We
did not want bloodShed. if it could be
avoided and every effort was made to
prevent it. That night the jail was
guarded all night long by the best citi-
zens of this town, aided by the military
and naval reserves, to check the indig-
nant feeling of the community. which