The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-05-20
Between ATLANTA POLICE AND
BAND OF NEGROES
FOUR ON EACH SIDE KILLED
The Police Attempt to Raid n Ne
gro Den to Capture a Desperate.
The Place Well Fortifed-The' Ne
gro Sharpskooters Open Fire on
the Police with Deadly Effect.
The House Burned-Great Excite
ment in the City-state Troops
Called Out 10 Patrol the City.

Atlanta. Ga, May 17.-Four white
men and three negroes dead; five white
men and one negro wounded. and an en-
tire block Of buildings destroyed is the
result of a conflict which began here
early this morning between police ard
blacks. Will Richardson. who is believ-
ed to have been half Indian and half
negro. the owner of a store on Mcdaniel
street in the suburbs Of Tittsburg, and
four other negroes brought on the trou-
BILE by resisting arrest and defying the
officers of Fulton county and Atlanta.
The dead are Ed Battle, a bailiff of
Fulton county; II. G. Osborne. police
man of Fulton county: Thomas Grant,
city policeman; Edward Crabtree. city
policeman: Will Richardson, the negro
Desperate who killed these men: Mil
ton Rosby. q negro who attempted to
escape from sewer: an unknown ma
gro. killed in a nearby yard.
The fight between the officers and the
negroes occurred in Pittsburg. a negro
| settlement directly south of the citv
limits on Mcdaniel street.
The officers attempted to arrest five
| negroes suspected of having beaten
former Policeman S. a. Kerlin nearly
to death yesterday afternoon. The ne
groeS resisted arrest by entrenchine
themselves IN house and then the
fight resulted. The vicinity is thickly
settled with small negro cabins. Their
| are outbuildings and barns and shrub
berry over the entire neighborhood which
| provides such shelter that it as posi-
| BILE to escape from house to house ana
| dodge between fences without being
| detected.
As soon as information of the fight
between the negroes and the police
reached the city. wagonloads of poffcs-
| men heavily armed were hurried to the
scene of action and Governor Gambler
ordered out a detachment of the state
| militia.
The shooting was followed by a
speech from Sheriff Nelms. of Fulton
county. advising calmness on the part
of the crowd. and the efforts of officers
thereafter were directed towards con-
| trolling the temper of the white men
who were walking the streets of the
suburbs with drawn weapons
While returning to his home on the
J Mcpherson road. yesterday Afternoon
former Policeman S. A. Kerlin. was
| waylaid by five negroes with whom ne
had trouble while a member of the
force: but for the timely arrival of 4
trolley car which frightened his assail.
ant away, Kerlin would have beer
killed. A sergeant stationed at For
Mcpherson who heard his cries fol
help. ran to the place and found Ker.
lin unconscious.
At midnight county policeman Gold
en- heard that Kerlin'S five assailant
were located in a house on Mechanic
street and he hastened to the city ant
secured a warrant for their arrest from
Justice Orr. Policeman Golden wa
joined by officers Osborne and Cheshire
and accompanied by number Of Ker
Inns neighbors, including Owen HearC
the party started for the hiding place
of the five negroes arriving at 1'2
| o'clock this morning.
The house in which the negro Rich
GERS approached the inmates opene'
fire and Owen Heard fell to the ground
He was borne out of range by his com
panions. The house was at once sur
rounded by the posse and daylight wa
awaited before making another ad
vance. The officers. however. havin
determined to make the arrests unaid
ed.
The house in which the negroe Rich
ardson was located belonged to Ami
Milburn, also colored. Richardson own
ed the store adjoining the house. Her
he kept ammunition and guns and wa
therefore well prepared for fight.
At o'clock this morning the grou
of officers who had been watching tn
house all night approached the plac
and called upon those within to slr
render. The answer was a Tolley {
shots, and county officer Battle droppe
dead. The attacking party retreate
some distance and from behind tree
and telegraph and trolley poles com
menced firing into the store. In a fe'
minutes the door of the house wa
thrown open and Will King. a negr'
ran out and gave himself up to tn
: officers. Inside the house Richardso
t had an unobstructed view in three d
rections. One block away Policema
9 Tom Grant. stepped from his sheltt
: to fire into the house. A shot from II
r besieged house killed him before I
could fire.
The attacking party sent word to pt
lice headquarters and Chief Of Polit