The Savannah morning news., 1901-10-30
A STORY OF BLOOD
WASHINGTON PARISH AFFAIR WAS
AWFUL.
TEN KILLED AND MORE DYING
CAMPMEETING TURNED INTO A
SLAUGHTER PEN.

Battle Ensued-Nine Negroes KILL
| ed, Including the Pastor of the
Church md His Daughter-Negro
Who started the Row, and His
Daughter Also KilIed-Whites
Gathered by Hundreds and a Gem
eraI Massacre Seemed Imminent,
hut Negroes Said They Had
| Enough.
New Orleans, Oct. ga special TO
the Picayune from Balltown, La. says
that the race war between the blacks
| and whites, which started at a negro
camp meeting at Duncan Chapel SUM
day, forms story of blood unequalled
in the history of the Peary river val
| ley
One white man is dead, another is
| dying with a bullet hole through his
stomach, and a third white man Is
badly injured.
bloody affray, five men, three women
and one small child. A dozen or per-
haps more negroes escaped to the
woods and swamps with wounds that
are believed to be certain death in the
brush away from medical care.
The dead. white:
Joseph Seal, son of Willis Seal, aged
S2, residence at varando. La.
Wounded, white: Clarence Thomas
Elliott, aged 26. fatally, now dying:
residence Varando, La; Edward
Thompson. aged As, shot through thigh
and fieshy portion Of the leg; residence
Varando
Dead colored: Rev. Alexander Con-
molly, so, pastor Duncan Chapel; Mary
Davis, 30, his daughter; Crear Lott, 46;
Julia Peters, Lofts daughter, "a; Mel
lon Peters, her child. aged 4; Amy
| Tony, rs, mother-in-law of Crear Lott;
Lewis Duncan, IS. son of Helen Dunn,
living in Poplarville; Thomas Parker,
"a; Kid Beverly. IS. turpentine work
er from Georgia.
No one is able to estimate the num-
Der of wounded negroes who escaped
the carnage behind the church They
scattered in all directions. Some are
known to have been shot, but they
have not been found.
The conflict ragged for half an hour.
| Those at a distance say the firing
sounded like battle between troops.
To the camp-meeting negroes haG
come from 200 miles. all up and down
the valley. Stephen Duncan of New
Orleans, for whom the chapel was
named, was present.
Was n Great Gathering.
| On last Thursday the meeting open
ed with several hundred negroes en-
camped around the church. in tents
and in rudely constructed shanties.
One day previous to the camp meet
ing. when the negro, Bill Morris, had
been burned at the stake near Ball
town for an assault on Mrs. J. j. Ball,
public feeling was at high pitch.
Under those conditions the negroes
| gathered at Live Oak There was trou-
| BILE over a license and Crear Lofts tent
! became the center Of contention. Some
trouble occurred Saturday evening. but
there was no bloodshed. 1t came up
again Sunday afternoon when Consta-
bic Boon and posse rode up to Lofts
tent with a warrant
Lott came out and is reported to have
shouted with an oath:
"One' negro has been buried, but a
- - white man will be next
Wade Walker, one of the constable,s
posse, was struck over the head with
Winchester, and then the slaughter
began. The blacks fed from the frail
wooden church. for it was no shelter
from the rain of bullets. Lott retired
into his tent, shooting and fighting.
John Seal received his death wound.
Three Women Killed.
Connolly, the preacher, was shot
while standing in his yard. His daugh-
ter fell just inside the house. The
other negroes around Lofts place kept
up steady rain of bullets.
Lofts old mother-in-law, his daueh-
ter and the little boy fell in a heap
inside the shelter. Sophie Lott saved
her life by concealing herself behind
the stove. Then she escaped and the
men did not harm her. They were af-
ter Crear Lott. He was barricaded and
the next move was to fire the place,
which they did. Then the fire forced
him from under cover and he appeared
in the doorway and twenty rife balls
went crashing through him. He fell
in heap, head foremost on the ground
Parker and Beverly, both negroes, fell
with him.
For twenty-four hours it looked as II
general uprising would wipe out the
negroes in Washington parish. Over l.
900 armed men yesterday were at the
scene Of the battle.
Yesterday afternoon the negroes who
were left in a heap where they had
died, were piled into their graves, dug
mar the charred remains of Lofts tent
house.
The negro preacher and his daughter
filled one Of the holes. the woman and
child another the men a third. At
the same time prominent citizens held
conference which was attended by
Sheriff Simmons and a message was
sent TO the negroes as follows:
do you want any more2'
NO" came the reply.
This had quieting effect and the
negroes left the country. II is believed
there will be no further trouble.
No Troops to BE sent.
New Orleans. Oct. 29-Gov Heard
to-day countermanded the Instructions |
10 Gen. Glynn TO send troops 20 Ball |
town. a company OF the Louisiana |
field artillery and a troop OF cavalry |
had been held In readiness all night |
and were about 10 start for the scene |
Of the trouble when the Governors tel |
egram came.
BHadreds HHnt for negro Murderer. |