The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-06-08

FIVE and receive its ultimatum. Stern and
hard of face sat the twenty-five chosen
representatives of that world-conQuering
race OF men at one end OF the room. while
at the other end sat the thirty-five negroes.
anxious and fearful, realizing that their
day OF dominion had ended.
CASTOR rose and handed them a copy Of
the resolutions.
I'VE Will give you till 7:3O tomorrow
morning. as the leaders of your race, to
carry out these demands" he said gravely.
But we have no authority. sir" replied
the negro preacher to whom he handed
the paper.
Your authority is equal to ours-the au-
thority OF elemental manhood. If you can
not execute them in peace. We will do It
by force"
We must decline such responsibility IN
less" the negro started to argue the
question.
THE meeting stands adiourned!' quietly
announced CASTOR, taking up his hat and
leaving the room. followed by his COM
mittee.
AT 7:0 next morning no answer had been
received. Castor called for seventy-fve vol
unteers to execute the decree.
Within thirty minutes 500 men swung
into line at s o'clock and marched four
abreast to the office Of the negro paper.
1t was promptly burned to the ground. its
editor paid its cash value. and. with a rope
around his neck, escorted to the depot and
placed on a northbound train.
AS CASTOR handed him his ticket for
Washington he quietly said to him:
Il have saved your life this morning.
If you value IT.. never put your foot on the
soil OF this State again"
Thank you. sir. I'll not return
While this guard. under strict military
discipline. was executing this decree, a
mob Of q thousand armed negroes concealed
themselves in a hedge-row and fired on
49,
woundtng six. CASTOR formed his men in
line. returned the fire with deadly effect.
charged the mob. put them to flight. driving
them into the woods outside the city limits,
and placed the town under informal, but
strict. martial law. By 10 o'clock the resig-
nation OF every city and county officer was
In his hand, and the Mayor and Chief OF
Police were at his feet, begging for mercy.
He posted a notice over the county, warn
ing every negro and white associate that
no further insolence or ~criminality would
be tolerated.
A strange thing occurred that had
upset all calculations. Beginning at indie
pendence. a race fire had broken into re-
~sistless fury. and was sweeping along the
line Of all the counties on the South Caro-
lima border, and over the entire State with
incredible rapidly. Everywhere the white
men were arming themselves and parading
the streets and public roads. in cavalry or
NSAE IA S4HAA AAAo ~
Shirt movement was a spontaneous COM
bustion of racial power that
had been accommodating tor a generation.
The Democratic Executive was
called together in haste and made the most
frantic efforts to stop 1t. But there was no
head to It. 1t had no organization except
a local one, and It spread by a spark flying
from one county to another.
Mcleod laughed at the address of the
Democratic committee and swore CASTOR
was the organizer of the movement.
Mcleod determined to nip the movement
in the bud by putting CASTOR under a cloud
that would destroy his influence. He did
not dare to attack him for his part in the
revolution at Independence. He preferred
to belittle that affair as a local disturb
ance.
But at an election for Congressman to fill
a vacancy the Democratic candidate lad
won by a narrow margin in a campaign Of
great bitterness under Gaston's leadership.
Charges Of fraud were freely made on
both sides. Mcleod determined TO utilize
these charges, and by producing rerjured
witnesses before a packed court, place Gas
ton in jail without bail until the convention
had met.
He had every advantage in such a con-
spiracy. The United States Judge whom
he intended to utilize was a creature of his
own making, a trickster whose confirma-
ton had been twice defeated in the senate
by the members of his own party on his
shady record. But he had won the place at
last by hook and crook, and Mcleod owned
him body and SOU.
Accordingly CASTOR was arrested with a
warrant Mcleod had obtained from his
Judge. arraigned before him and committed
without bail He was charged with a fell