The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-05-21

gwen himself up determined TO max,
use of the negro and at the point of
rifle they forced him to walk up to tin,
rear OF the house and fire it. AS soor
as the flames started the officers, eager
to get the inmates of the house, step
ped out Of their shelter in every d.rec-
tion. Again there was shot from the
house and this time Officer Edward
Crattree met death. An instant later
there was another shot and County
| Policeman Robert Ozburn 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 became general, citizens and Of
ficera firing together.
Gov. Gambler was advised by tele-
phone Of the rioting and ordered out
the Mill ia. Capt. w. w. Barker was
ordered to proceed with fifty men and
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 horseback and was
joined few minutes later by Sheriff
Nelms.
The desperate, Richardson, had bee
lost sight of. The house burned rap
idly ami number of inmates were
seen to run to the store, to woOdshed
and to barn in the next lot. Orders
were quickly given to fire these build
ings and IN few minutes several of
the buildings were burning.
w. II. Jackson, street Car cOnduc.
tor in uniform, was one Ot those at
tracted to the scene by the shooting.
AS he was nearing the house he was
shot in the right hip presumably by
Richardson. A negro cabman, driv-
ing spectator to the vicinity of the
roting was struck In the hand by a
bullet. Officer Spradlin, speeding to
the scene OH his bicycle, received n
wound in the arm.
a main sewer which runs through
this part of the city was utilized by
two of the negroes az a possible means
of escape, but to no avail. The crowd
had increased until at least 5000 peo-
pie, 1000 of whom were armed, sur
rounded the burning area.
Milton Rosby, negro, was seen to
emerge from the mouth of the sewer.
a shout went up and the fleeing negro
was s'~shoto''fead.'s- His body was sur.
rounded and was literally shot TO
pieces.
The crowd of enraged citizens had
scarcely finished this work when an
other negro was seen coming out of
the sewer. He, too, made run for
life and managed to get into the back
yard of one of the nelghboring 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, 1
was destroyed. The police were busy
arresting the few negroes found in the
vicinity. Two of them, Steve Nisbot
and Jim Singleton, believed to be
members of Richardson's gang, were
arrested. The police had great diff
Guilty in getting out of the crowd of
enraged people with The colored men.
A mob of 1000 surged around the pa
troll wagon and clamored for the lives
OF the prisoners. The officers throw
ing their men INTO the bottom of the
wagon, drew their rovolvers and forced
passage through the crowd, finally
lodging their prisoners in safety in the
county jail.
In less than an hour the block of
wooden houses was burned to the
ground and search of the ruins i'm
mediately followed. In woodshed in
the rear of Richardson's store was
found skull and near to it the steel
barrel of a rifle. 1t is believed that
the skull represents all that is left of
the negro who did the shooting.
This is the first affair of the kind
that has ever occurred in Atlanta. It,
was not in any sense race riot, but
was the result of n negro defying the
law. Notwithstanding that the entire
city was much wrought up over the
killing of the officers, order was re-
stored with wonderful promptness and
the passions of an enraged people were
remarkably restrained