The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-07-05
CAME NEAR BEING A RIOT.
hundreds of Negroes Surrounded
Mounted Sergeant Fleming.


Because of the threatening attitude of
several hundred negroes, on Henry street,
near East Broad Mounted Sergeant of
Police Walter Fleming was forced to per-
NIT prisoner to escape shortly after
o'clock yesterday afternoon. Had Sergt
Fleming lost his head or an extra squad
of patrolmen. with Supt. Reilly and De-
tective Murphy, been delayed, the result
would have been serious. The arrival of
the patrol wagon on the scene caused the
crowd to scatter, and but three arrests
were made.
Ed. Baker, Daniel Webster and John Ep-
stein are held at the police station, on
a charge of riotous conduct and Sergt
Fleming will appear against them in Po-
lice Court this morning. Baker is badly
bruised about the body and head and
claims that he was assaulted "only on
suspicion" by some member of the reserve
squad that arrived on the scene All of
the prisoners deny the charge OF rloting,
but admit that they were present during
the trouble. They reside in the neighbor-
hood and say that they did not leave
their houses. Baker made an effort 10
escape, and the officer who arrested him
had to jump six-foot fence.
The trouble started when Sergeant
Fleming, placed a drunken negro under
arrest, near Reppard. Snedecker and Com
panys mills. The man had been cursing
and paid no attention to the presence OF
the officers. That section of the city was
thronged with blacks who had attended
the baseball game and who were making
their way to Lovers Lane, only a block
away The negro resisted arrest and
jerked the officer about to the amuse-
ment of the other negroes.
Thinking to frighten the prisoner 10
submission the sergeant drew his revolver
and put 1t in his right hand. IL such a
thing was possible this made the negro
more profane and unruly. He jerked and
pulled until the door OF a house was
reached and then bolted on the inside
and slammed the door.
The crowd of blacks began muttering.
and the women on hand seemed TO be
stirring the men up. The officer saw
that there would be serious trouble unless
he acted wisely, and he made no effort
TO follow his prisoner in the place. With
the revolver in hand he backed from the
crowd to a buggy occupied by a white
man, and motioned to a small boy to tel
ephone to police headquarters.
When the message was received by
Desk Sergeant Lingg that Officer Fem
ing was IN the Lovers Lane precinct sur
rounded by negroes no delay was had in
preparing the patrol wagon for a record
breaking trip. Supt. Reilly and Detective
Murphy left for the scene with extra
arms, and officers passed on
the way out were ordered
to follow the wagon. As fast
too as the mounted men In the southern
section OF the city sent In their reports to
headquarters they were ordered to ride
TO the place as fast as they could go
When the muttering and riotous negroes
saw the patrol wagon and officers on
| horseback, they ran and. but three OF
! those who could be Identified were found
! A careful search was made for the man
| FIRST placed under arrest by the sergeant.
but he had made his escape from the
! house during the excitement and could
! not be located The negroes wero orderly
| enough during the stay OF the police The
] movement Of the police towards Lovers
| lane caused a great deal OF excitement.
/ and several hundred people followed on
/ foot. IN cabs and on bicycles.