The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-05-20

Inc Objects 10 WnoIn hlng mad gwen
himself up determined TO make use Of |
the negro and at the point of a rife |
they forced him to walk up TO the rear
OF the house and fire it. AS soon as the |
flames started, the officers. eager to get |
the inmates of the house stepped out of
their shelter in every direction. Again
there was shot from the house and
this time Officer Edward Crabtree met
death.
An instant later there was another
shot and County Policeman Robert Os-
borne fell dead.
The shooting had by this time at
tracted hundreds Of people and nearly
every man who came to the scene car
ried rifle. The shooting into the house
firing together.
Governor Gambler was advised by
| telephone of the rioting and ordered
| out the militia. Captain w. w. Barker
OF the Fifth regiment. was ordered to
| proceed with fifty men and a platoon
| gun to the scene of the shooting and
| cooperate with the city authorities and
the sheriff of Fulton county. Chief OF
Police Ball hurried to the scene on horse
back and was Joined a few minutes
| later by Sheriff j. W. Nelms
| The desperado, Richardson, had been
| lost sight of. The house burned rapid
| ly and a number of inmates were seen
| TO run to the store, to a woodshed and
to barn in the next lot. Orders were
quickly given to fire these buildings
and in a few minutes several of the
buildings were burning.
w. 7. Jackson, a street car conductor,
in uniform, was one of those attracted
to the scene by the shooting. AS he
was nearing the house he was shot in
the right hip, presumably by Richard
| son.
A negro cabman driving a spectator
| to the vicinity of the rioting, was struck
in the hand by bullet
| Call officer Spalding, speeding to the
scene on his bicycle received a wound
in the arm.
A main sewer which runs through this
part of the city was utilized by two of
the negroes as a possible means of es-
cape, but to no avail. The crowd had
increased until at least 5000 people,
| 1000 of whom were armed, surrounded
the burning erea.
| Milton ROSby, negro, was seen to
emerge from the mouth of the sewer.
A shout went up and the fleeing negro
was shot dead. His body was surround
ed and was literally shot to pieces.
| The crowd of enraged citizens had
l fn; H.;
other negro was seen coming out of the
| sewer. He too made a run for life and
managed to get into the back yard OF
one of the neighboring homes where he
was shot to death.
The fire which had been started by
the attacking party spread rapidly and
| soon the entire block of buildings, al
most wholly composed of negro houses
| was destroyed. The police We're busy
arresting the fugutives found in the
vicinity. Two of them, Steve Nisbo
and Jim Singleton, believed to be mem.
bers of Richardson's gang, were arrest
ed. The police had great difficulty il
getting out of the crow of enrageC
people with the colored men. 4
mob of 1000 surged around the patro
wagon and clamored for the lives of the
prisoners. The officers, throwing then
men into the bottom of the wagon, drew
their revolvers and forced a passagt
through the crowd, finally lodging thei
prisoners in safety in the Fulton jai
, on Butler stree.
I In less than an hour the block .
| hIrn tn n.
$ ground and a search of the ruins i'm
). | mediately followed. In a woodshed il
the rear of Richardson's store, wa
! | found a skull and near it the street bar
s rel of q rifle. 1t is believed that tn
0 skull represented all that is left of tn
negro who did the shooting.
= The police believe they have ARRESTED
d all the negroes directly concerned il
|. the shooting, but have orders by tn
: chief to bring into custody all suspicion
= characters found in the neighborhood.
8 The rioting caused the utmost excite
: ment not only in the little suburb o
q Pittsburg, where it occurred, but al
: over the city.
This is the fist affair Of the kin,
: that has ever occurred in Atlanta. 4
e was not in any sense a race riot, pu
! was the result of a negro defying tn
e law. The negroes who set upon forme
s Policeman Kerin last night as we'll a
those concerned in todays shooting
p were members Of that deplorabie ma
e iority Of the race known alike to blac
e and white as mo account negroes
and who evidently cherished a grudg
u against Kerlin for something he ha
q done while on the police force
" Notwithstanding that the entire cit
was much wrought up over the KILN
OF the officers order was restored wit
wonderful prcmptness and the pas
sions OF an enIaged people were re
markably restrained. Fifty enliste
" Of tho Stats. x,ailiEin d, TT.