Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1902-05-23
SHOOTING AFFAIR.
blacks and Whites Murder One Another
in Georgia.

in Georgia.
ATLANTA, May 1S.-In an effort to dis
lodge VIII Richardson, a negro despera.
do from his store in Pittsburg, suburt
of this city, in which he had taken
refuge after assaulting and nearly
killing Former Policeman S. A. kerin
three policeman and one white
citizen met instant death yesterday
morning. Two negroes have been
killed, two white men and one negro are
wounded mortally.
Richardson, with several other
negroes, attacked Kerln Friday night
near his house in Pttsburg. The county
police found Richardson in a store at the
corner of Mcdaniel and Amy streets.
They called on him to surrender. He
fired on them, seriously wounding
George Heard, member of the posse.
The officers determined to watch for a
chance to catch the negro, and with this
object in view drew little closer to the
store in which Richardson was con-
cealed. Ell Battle was directly across
the street from the store. The sound of
a rifle was heard, and with a moan Bat
tie sank to the ground, shot dead.
a crowd began to gather by this time
and other county policemen came up.
1t was impossible to reach Battle be-
cause of the watchfulress of the negroes,
but it could be seen that he had been
killed almost Immediately. Shortly
after the first streaks of dawn County
Policeman Osborn was standing at the
| n nf A nd INIT tnh
| ing the house. The sound of Richard
sons rifle was heard and Osborn drop
ped to the ground with bullet IN his
head. He was killed instantly.
a fusillade was then fired at the store,
but it resulted in nothing. Then the
front door opened and closed again. A
negro was seen standing in front of the
store with doublebarreled shotgun in
his hands. Both barrels were cooked
and he was sighting around with the
evident intention of shooting his way to
liberty and then making a run for it.
Officers speedily covered him and he
surrendered. At the point of pistol he
was forced TO creep back to the store
and fire it. Directly after the smoke of
the fire began curling up the side of the
store City Policeman Tom Grant fell
He was standing near Mcdaniel street
in vacant lot. He had been shot in
the head.
Meantime, Chief of Police Ball, Sheriff
Nelms and other city and county
officials, accompanied by mob, arrived,
\ group of officers and citizens, among
them Policeman Crabtree, took posses
sion of a vacant house directly across
from the burning building. Only barn
was left intact and it was supposed that
Richardson was concealng himself
there.
Crabtree was standing in the doorway
of the house with his rifle IN his hands.
Suddenly Richardson was seen to rise
above the window sill in the second floor
of the barn. He pointed his gun at
Crabtree and fired. The bullet struck
Crabtree directly in the mouth, and he
fell backward dead.
Wright then Jumped for the rifle of
Crabtree. Immediately after he picked
it up another shot was heard and Wright
fell with singing sensation in his
shoulder. The bullet touched his collar.
bone.
1t was then about a. m. Wright left
the vacant house and his place was
taken by other officers. 1t was about
this time that Richardson Is believed to
have been either killed or so seriously
wounded that he could not escape from
the house.
When Grant was shot Covington
crawled up to where the dead officer lay
to render him assistance. He had Just
bent over the body of the officer when
the crowds saw him stand erect and fire
five shots in rapid succession into the
house. He saw that Grant was dead
and then walked back to where the
crowd was waiting. Immediately be-
fore Covington fired at Richardson, the
later landed bullet in his last man.
1t struck z. Il. Jackson, a street car
man, who was standing fully 200 yards
from where Richardson was concealed.
As the crowd stood watching, two
negroes jumped from the mouth of
sewer within % feet of where the
officers and citizens were gathered. One
was wounded and the other killed. AS
soon as it became evident that Richard
son was dead the burning house was ap-
preached and with poles the charred
trunk of the negro was withdrawn.