The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-06-03

insults were committed al times ven it
was inpnssil Ie OF indentifieation or ar
rest or the offenders. and often not men
toned outside OF the home circle from
the modest shrinkage Of a woman in hav-
ing her name mentioned in such con-
nection The writer is cOnveTsant with
several instances of this sort which have
never been mentioned outside Of the in
innate circle of the ladies' acquaintances.
The city government was paralyzed with
ncompetency. The police were thorough
ly demoralized and respected by no class
Of citizens. The lawless deled them at
will. If attempting to make arrests
properly, they were often scoffed at and
resisted, as If without authority. They
as frequently succumbed to this resistance
as they succeeded in arresting violators
OF the law. 1t was the habit Of the
chief OF police. when negroes were ar
rested, to take straw bonds of negro poll
ticians, and one of these negro politicians
(who was afterwards run out of the city,
is said to have made a. business of Civ
ing such bonds, for a considerations
The county government was equally
demoralized in the administration of the
law. The sheriff was surrounded with
z
\criminal court were a travesty upon the
administration of the law The court
room was packed and jammed with ne
groes. They literally took possession of
the criminal court Negroes were crowd
ed upon the juries and frequented the
court house for that purpose. 1t was
impossible 10 convict a negro of any
offense when the negroes did not want
Il; ~
mington bar practically withdrew from
the criminal court. The court was run
by group of negro lawyers. incompetent
and insolent, and Judge Sutton seemed to
encourage their presence. Even the Popu-
list Solicitor, Mr. Richardson, not infre-
quently, in private conversation, COM
planned that it was difficult to convict
negro. There was perhaps no one cause
that contributed more to the demoral-
zation of this county and city than the
administration OF the law in the criminal
court Judge Sutton apparently was in
different to the seeming miscarriage of
justice and did command the respect of
either race.
AS the negro's power behind these Off
cials grew in strength it grew in inso-
lent self-assertion. He commenced to
ICSi littL Ht was III the Sduulc, lIe lclHo
were in his hands, and he was driving
and would drive the white man when and
where he pleased. Wilmington was be-
ing advertised as a negro tov-> and ne
groes were hocking to it from all sections.
This condition was going from bad to
worse, until it became a self-evident fact
that either the city had TO be turned
over to the negroes or taken possession
OF by the whites.
THE CAMPAIGN OF 1898.
Early in the campaign Of 1898 appeared
the article in the Daily Record a negro
newspaper then published in this city,
insulting 10 the white women OF the
State. The intense indignation felt in this
community would have led, at that time
to the destruction of the paper and the
expulsion of its editor, 51ad not the peo-
pie determined, through wise counsel
that their action, when taken, should be
devoid of even an appearance of political
purpose After the publication of this
article. the owner of the property where
the Record was published refused to allow
its editors to remain longer in his build
ing. The press was then removed to a
hall belonging to a negro woman's asso-
citation. It's editors announced that there
after they would edit negro paper from
a negro home" 1t was this building that
was afterwards destroyed. The confer