The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-05-18
FOUR OFFICERS FALL IN A
CONFLICT WITH NEGROES
Two of the Negroes Shot to Death and the ingeader
Roasted i'm a Burning Building.
RATTLE FOLLOWS ATTEMPT TO ARREST

of officers who had been watching the
house all night, approached the place
and called upon these within 20 surren-
der The answer was VolleY OF SHOTS
and County Officer Battle dropped dead.
The attacked party retreated some dis
tance and from behind trees and tele-
graph and trolley poles commenced 1ir-
ing into the store. In a few minutes the
door of the house was thrown open and
Win King, negro ran out and gave
himself UP 90 the officers. Inside the
house Richardson had an unobstructcd
view in three directions. One block
away Policeman Tom Grant stepped from
his shelter to fire into the house.
shot from the beseiged house killed him
before he could fire.
The attacking party sent word to po-
lice headquarters and Chief of Police
Ball dispatched the reserves to the scene
il several patrol wagons.
The officers to whom King had given
himself up determined to make use of
the negro, and at the point of Il rifle 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 in
mates of the house, stepped out of their
shelter in every direction. Again there
was a shot from the house, and this time
Officer Edward Crabtree met death
An instant later there was another
shot and County Policeman Robert Os-
burn fell dead.
The shooting had by this time attracted
hundreds of people and nearly every
man who came to the scene carried q
rifle. The shooting into the house be-
came general, citizens and officers firing
together.
Governor Gambler was advised by tele-
phone 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 10 the
scene of the shooting and cooperate with
the city authorities and the sheriff of
Fulton county Chief of Police Ball hur-
ried to the scene on horse lack and was
joined a few minutes later by Sheriff
]. w. Nelms.
The desperate, Richardson, had been
lost sight of The house burned rapidly
and q number of inmates were seen TO
run to the store, to a wOodshed and to
a barn in the next lot. Orders were
quickly given to fire these buildings and
in few minutes several of the build
ings were burning.
w. r. Jackson, street car conGuc-
tor in uniform, wa one OF these attrac+-
ed to the scene by the shooting. As he
was nearing the house he was shot in
the right hip, presumably by Richard
Son.
negro cabman, driving spectator to
the vicinity of the riotng. was struck
in the hand by a bullet.
Call Officer Spradlin, 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 If es
cape, but to no avail The 'rCWd had
increased until not less than three thou
sand people, two thousands of whom We're
armed, surrounded the burning area.
Milton Rosby. a negro, was seen to
emerge from the mouth of the sewer.
shout won't up and the fleeing negro
was shot dead His body was surrounded
and was literally shot to pieces.
The crowd of eEraged citizens had
scarcely finished this work when another
negro was seen coming out of the sewer.
He too. made a run for life and man
aged to get into the back yard of one
of the neighboring homes where he was
hot to death
The fire which had been started by the
aitacking party spread rapidly and soon
the entire block of buildings almost
wholly composed of negro houses, was
cestroycd The police were busy arrest
ing the few negroes found in the vicinity.
Two of -hem. Steve Nisbot and Jim Sim
gIetor, believed to be members of Rich
slrdsou's gang. were arrested. The police
Tad great difficulty in getting out of the
crowd of enra ged people with the colored
ulen. \ mob of 1000 surged around the
l.ltroI wagon and clamored for the lives
of the prisoners. The officers, throwing
tl1eir men into the bottom of the wa
gccn, drew their revOlvers and forced
pc sage thr Jugh the crowd, finally lodg-
ing their prisoners in safety in che Full
ton county Jail on Butter street.
In less than an hour the block of
woodell houses was burned 20 the ground
and a search of the ruins immediately
followed. In a woodshed in the roar of
Richards yn's store was found SKULL md
near it the steel barrel of a rifle. 1T is
believed tft.lt the skull represented all
that is left of the negro who lid the
shooting
The police believe tEey lave arrested
all the negrues directly concerned in the
shooting but have been give orders by
the chief to bring into custody all suS-
picious characters found in the neighbor-
hood.
The rioting caused the utmost excite
ment not only in the little suburb OF
Pittsburg where it occurred but all over
the citr.
This is the first affair of the kind that
has ever occurred IN Atlanta. 1t was
not in any sense a race riot. but was the