The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1901-11-02
BLOODY RACE RIOT
ELEVEN PEOPLE KILLED IN A
BATTLE BETWEEN WHITES
AND NEGROES.
Believed Many Wounded Will Die
Without Medical Attention-Nine Of
Them Left Dead on the Ground and
Are Buried Without ceremony-one
White Man Killed and Another Fa.
tally Wounded.

Balltown, La, Oct. 30.-A race war
between the blacks and whites. which
started at a negro camp meeting at
Duncan's Chapel, Sunday afternoon,
has left trail Of blood up the Pearl
River valley. One white man is dead,
another is how dying with a bullet
hole through his stomach and a third
white man is badly wounded. Nine
negroes were killed in the bloody af-
fray-five men, three women and one
small child. A dozen or more negroes
escaped to the woods or swamps with
wounds that are believed to be certain
death in the brush away from medical
care. Many are perforated with lead.
No one is able to estimate the num-
ber of wounded negroes as they scat
tered to the four winds. Some are
known to have been shot but they
have not been found. The fierce con-
flict ragged for half an hour. Those
at distance say the firing sounded
like pitched battle between troops.
To the camp meeting negroes had
come from 200 miles, all up and down
the valley. On last Thursday the
meeting opened with several hundred
negroes encamped around the church,
In tents and in rudely constructed
shanties. 1t was to continue one
week. There they ate and slept and
held services in the chapel.
One day previous to the camp meet
ing, the negro, Bill Morris, had been
burned at the stake near Balltown for
an assault on Mrs. J. ]. Ball. Public
excitement was at high pitch.
A Terrible Scene of Slaughter.
There was trouble over a license
and Crear Lofts tent became the CEN
ter of contention. Some trouble oc.
CURED Saturday evening but no blood
shed. It came up again Sunday after
noon when Constable Boon and
posse rode up to Lofts tent with
warrant. Lott came out and is re-
ported to have shouted with an oath:
Zone niger has been burned, but
- - white man will be next"
Wade Walker, one of the constable's
posse, was struck over the head with
a Winchester, and then the slaughter
began. Lott retired into his tent,
shooting and fighting. A torrent of
lead was sent whizzing through the
tent and through the church, while
the negroes fed. Preacher Connolly
was shot while standing in his yard.
His daughter fell just inside the house.
The other negroes around Lofts place
kept up a steady rain of bullets. It
was death and blood and the shrieks
of the wounded and dying were heard
on every side. Lofts old mother-in-
law, his two daughters and a little
boy fell in a heap inside the shelter.
Lott was barricaded and the next
move was to fire the place, which they
did. When the fire forced him from
under cover he appeared in the door
way and 20 rifle balls went crashing
through him. Parker and Beverly,
both blacks, fell with him.
General Uprising Was Feared.
Washington Parish has never seen
such a slaughter. Joe Seal and
Charles Elliott and Edward Thomp-
son, the wounded whites, were carried
away to the house of F. P. Sones,
about three-quarters of mile through
the pine woods, which was hastily
converted into hospital. There Seal
died Monday and there Elliott now
lies dying. For "a hours it looked like
d general uprising 10 wipe out the
black race in Washington Parish. The
news spread like wildfre and over
1000 armed men had reached the
scene of the battle.
Sheriff Norman H. Simmons and j.
K. Johnson, clerk of the court of the
parish. arrived from Franklin Mon.
day morning and the feeling subsided.
The nine negroes who were left in
heap where they died, were later
piled into three unmarked graves, dug
near the charred remains of Lofts
PENTHOUSE. There was no ceremony.
At the same time prominent citizens
held conference which was attended
by Sheriff Simmons and a message
was sent to the negroes.
"Do you want any more?" was the
query.
mo-" came the reply.
This had quieting effect and peace
again reigned. The negroes have lef
the country. They carried all the
personal effects possible. The negroes
are cowed, and the whites believe
there will be no further trouble.