Lancaster enterprise. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1891-1905, 1900-08-18
AFTER THE NEGROES.
Enraged by the killing of a
White Policeman,

the home Of Policeman Robert j.
Thorpe, Thirty seventh street and
Ninth avenue, to wreak ven.
geauce upon the negroes o + that
neigh borhood because one nf
their race had caused the police.
mans death. Thorpe was stabb.
ed and bruised Last Sunday nighl
by several negroes when he was
attempting to arrest a colored
woman. The man who in f1icted
most uf the injury is said to be
Arthur Harris, a negro who came.
here several weeks ago from
Washington. In few moments
the mng tonight swelled to 1900
people or moro. and as they be
came violent the negroes fled in
terror into anv hiding place they
could find. The police reserves
from four stations, numbering
400 in all, were called out.
The mob of white men, which
grew with great rapidity,. ragged
through the district and negroes,
regardless Of age or sex, were in
discriminately attacted. Scores
were injured. 1t took the COM
bined efforts Of the reserves with
as many more policemen on reg.
ular patrol dutv in the four pre-
cincts to restore order. Clubs
were used until the policemen
were almost exhausted. RevoIv-
ers we're emptied into the air
and in one or two instances fired
at the upper stories Of the negro
tenements from which the ne.
groes defensivelv fired bricks,
paving stones and other missiles.
The policeman's BODY was
brought to his home tonight in
Ninth avenue between Thirty.
sixth and Thirty seventh streets.
At once the house became 8 soft
OF shrine, and from all over the
vicinity men and women called
to pay their respects. Many car.
ried hansome floral offerings.
AS the night grew on the feel
ing against the negroes seemed
TO grow. The fact that many ga
looms roundabout were crowded
doubtless had It's influence on the
rising tide of anger.
A few minutes before II
o'clock an Irish woman nnder
the influence Of drink came out
at the place. She set up a howl
ond began to recite the virtues
of the dead policeman. She
said the negroes ought to be
killed. Just then young ne.
gro walked by. The white men
made rush for him and he was
quickly surrounded. He was
beaten and kicked and was res
cued with great difficulty. III
there had been a carefully ar.
ranged plot and this had been
the agreed signal the outbreak
could not have been more spon
taneous. Men and women pour
ed by the hundreds from the
neigh boring tenements. Negroes
were set upon wherever they
could be found and brutally
beaten. The blacks at first off.
cred resistance, but they were so
soon OutnImbered that they fled
without delay.
For the next hour the streets
were filled with a rioting, surg
ing mob. 1t was a scene on very
much the same order as that
which was witnessed few DAYS
ago in New Orleans. New York
has seldom had its equal. The
shouting of men, the shrieking
Of the women the lamentations
of the children, the shooting of
revolvers, the crashing of win.
dows--all made a perfect pande.
monium.
Chief Devery at his home
right in the heart of the battle
ground, but did not take charge
of the place at once.
He finally took personally
command.
The police said the negroes
were rapidly arming with re-
volvers and knives. They say
that nearly all the prisoners had
weapons of some sort. The po-
lice did a great deal of the club.
bing of negroes, some of whom
were roughly handled. Many
negroes were hauled into the
west Thirty Seventh streets sta.
ton for protection. None had
escaped without some kinds of
injurT, and some of them were
IL. -.A....- L. l. IE l.