Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-09-29
Continuation Of chapter K.

Ors in Miss Susan walkers colleBe, 10
meet the committee of twenty-five and re-
| ceive its ultimatum Stern and hard of
face sat the twenty-five chosen repre-
| sentatives of that world-conquering race
of men al 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 copy OF
| the resolutions.
1--WE give you till 1880 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 preached to whom he handed
the paper.
your authority is equal to ours-the
authority of elemental manhood If you
can not execute them in peace, we VIII
do it by force"
1--WE must decline such responsibility
unless'--the negro started TO argue the
question.
''The meeting stands adjourned" quietly
announced CASTOR, taking up his hat and
leaving the room, followed by his COM
mittee.
At 1880 next morning no answer had
been received. CASTOR called for seventy
five volunteers to execute the DEGREES
Within thirty minutes, five hundred men
swung into line at o'clock, and marched
four abreast to the office of the negro pa
per. 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 north bound
train.
AS CASTOR handed him his ticket for
Washington he quietly said to him:
81 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
5f-,fp1iv,a axar11ffOQ this decree. a
mob OF a thousand armed negroes con-
cealed themselves in a hedge-row and
fired on them from ambush, killing one
man and wounding six CASTOR formed
HIS men in line. returned the fre with
deadly effect. charged the mob, put them
to flight, driving them into the woods out
side the city limits. and placed the town
nnder informal but strict martial law.
BY 10 o'clock the resignation OF every city
and county officer was in his hand, ana
the mayor and chief of police were at his
feet begging for mercy.
He posted a notice over the county
warning every negro and white associate
that no further insolence or criminality
would be tolerated.
The county and municipal election was
but three days of and there was but one
ticket on the field. When the white men
elected were sworn in, the guards went 70
the woods and told the terrified and half
starving negroes they could return to
their homes, a competent police force was
organized, and the volunteer organization
disbanded. Negro refugees and their as
sociates once more filled the ear or the
national government with clamor Tor
the return Of the army to the south to up
hold negro power, but for the first time
since 1867. IL fell on deaf ears. The An
glo-Saxon race had been reunited. Hence
forth. he must stand or fall on his own
worth and pass under the law of the sur
vival of the fittest
This event made a tremendous impress
sion on the imagination Of the people. IL
increased the popularity and power OF
CASTOR, its intended victim.
The general was more than ever deter
mined to destroy Gaston's power In the
convention which was to meet in rev
weeks. He had his candidate for governor
we'll groomed and he had captured the
largest number of pledged delegates.
There were three other candidates, but
none of them apparently were backed by
CASTOR. The general was puzzled at his
methods and failed to discover his pro-
gram though he spent money with nber-
ality and exhausted every resource at his
command.
A strange thing had occurred that had
unset all calculations Beginning at In
dependence 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 rapidity. Everywhere the
white men were arming themselves and
parading the streets and public roads in
cavalry order dressed in scarlet shirts.
This Red Shirt movement was spontan-
eous combustion of infiammable racial
power that had been accommodating for
generation
The Democratic executive committee
| was called together in haste and made the
~ to toni
was no heed TO it. 1t had no organisation
| except a local one, and 1t spread by
| spark flying from one county to another
Mcleod laughed at the address of the
| Democratic committee and sWore Gastoh
| was the organizer of the movement. He
! determined to nip II in the bud oy puttlng
! Castor under a cloud that would destroy
| his influence He did not dare to attack
| him for his part In the revolution at In
| dependence. TIc preferred TO belittle that
affair as a local disturbance.
But at an election for congressman to
fll vacancy, the Democratic canoloaIe
/ had won by a narrow margin in cam
| paign of great bitterness under CASTOR
| leadership.
Charges of fraud were freely made or
! both sides. Mcleod determined to utilize
| these charges, and by producing per1ured
| witnesses before a packed court place
| Castor in jail without bail until the con-
| vention had met.
| He had every advantage in.such con-
| spiracv. The United States judge whom
/ he intended TO utilize was creature Of
\ his own making, a trickster whose con-
nrmation 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 soul.
| Accordingly CASTOR was arrested with
4 a warrant Mcleod had obtained from ms
Judge. arraigned before him and COM
/ mitted without bail. He was charged
! with a felony under the election laws
| taken to Asheville and placed in jail.
/ The audacity of this arrest and the We
| hemence with which Mcleod pressed his
/ charges created a profound sensation in
| the state 1t was rumored that the graN-
or charge Of murder lay back of the
charge of felony and would be pressed in
| due time A murder had been committed
in the district during the exciting cam
paign and no clue had ever been found to
| its perpetrator. Mcleod knew he had no
| evidence connecting CASTOR with this
| event, but he knew that he had henchmen
| who would swear to anything he told
| them and stick TO ii.
CHAPTER XXI.
THE HEART OF A WOMAN.
A week after Gaston's Imprisonment
| Sallie Worth arrived in New York from
| her last trip abroad. She had cut her "trip
| short and cabed her father of her re-
Hrr-T