The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-11-13
MANY KILLED IN RACE RIOT
Negroes and Whites Clash at a Louisi'
ana Camp Meeting.
THE MILITIA ORDERED OUT

Posse Went to Raid Saloon Near Ball
town, La, and Were Fired Upon-The
Shots Returned and the Building Set
on FIre-Governors OF Mississippi and
Louisiana Take Action.
New Orleans, La. - The bloodiest
race war the South has known since
the early eighties began at Balltown.
Washington Parish, La. The hostili-
ties were opened by the negroes, and
in the first engagement three whites
and eleven negroes were killed. The
conflict ragged on the following day,
and the death roll was increased by
the killing of twenty more negroes.
The trouble began at q negro camp
meeting in progress at Live Oak
Church, three miles from Balltown.
There a pitched battle took place be-
tween q posse Of white men, gathered
by the constable Of the district to in
vestigate the report that one Crea Lott
was operating a restaurant at the
church without q license.
The battle was begun by the negroes
themselves. Lott, the negro who was
suspected Of violating the law, saw
the posse coming from a window in
bis store. He opened fire on the con-
stable and his men, and killed two of
the posse at the first shot, Joe Scals
and Charles Ellsworth.
Lott had time to fire but once. for
his fire was returned and lie sank to
the ground, riddled with bullets. A
negro preacher, Connolly by name,
rushed out of the building with a
1ouble-barreled shotgun, which he
leyelled at the whites. Before he
could pull the trigger he was killed.
The battle had by this time become
general. A number Of negroes were
concealed in Lofts place. and kept vol
leying at a body Of men under the
leadership of an officer. Another white.
man was killed. E. II. Thompson was
also wounded. The whites. fired the
building.
The negroes, as they came running
out with all kinds of weapons, We're
shot down. The whites wen q COM
plete victory. and the surviving ne
groes fled to the woods. When the end
came and the restaurant had Eeen
burned to ashes it was round thar eley-
en- negroes, all told, had been shot or
burned to death.
Three women who were in Lofts
were cremated. Two Of them were
charred beyond Identification. One Of
the women had child with her. The
child perished in the flames, too.
The conflict was continued on the
next day. Later Governor w. W.
Heard, of Louisiana received the fol-
lowing message by wire from Colum-
bla, Miss:
Terrible conflict !Balltown Parish.
between whites and blacks. Send
troops at once via Poplarville, Miss.
III. N. SIMMONS, Sheriff"
Upon receiving the message Govern
or Heard wired General Jorn Glynn,
Jr., notifying him Of the race war and
directing him to order out company
of fifty men for immediate service. A
few hours later the Governor received
telegram from Deputy Sheriff Bran
ton, of Marion County, Miss, to the
effect that be was just from the scene
Of the trouble, and that quiet had been
restored and that troops would not be
necessary.
Governor Longino, Of Mississippi, re-
ceived his first notification Of the riot
from Governor Heard. Later he re-
celved a telegram firm the Sheriff of
Marion County asking permission to
dispatch the Columbia Guards to the
scene. The Sheriff was authorized to
do so.
It was in Balltown that William
Morris, a negro, was burned at the
stake the other day for almost muir
dering the wife Of storekeeper. Since
this affair the camp meeting at Live
Oak began, and the negroes discussed
it until they were ready for anything.
1t was in all probability the fate Of
Morris which inflamed them to the
step they took in ambushing and open
ing fire on the constable's posse.
Morrls's crime, however, had nothing
to do with the organization Of the
posse, which was summoned legally
for the suppression Of the violation Of
law which was reported at the live
Oak Church.