Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1902-05-21
EIGHT KILLED.
Bad Negroes Cause Trouble-Three Police.
men KiIled-One Negro Burned.


officers of the law to arrest negro out
laws, who had barricaded themselves in
q store, esulted to-day in the most fatal
riot in the history of the city. Eight
men were killed, Including three police
men, n white citizen and four negroes.
Six people, black and white, were
wounded. The most exciting scenes
prevailed at the place of the disturbance
and all available policemen, with the
military, had all they could do to pre-
vent general riot. An entire block of
buildings was burned before the conflict
was terminated.
The scene of the tragedy was on Nc
Daniel street. The county police first
attempted to raid the place alone where
the negroes had taken refuge, and later
the city police were called upon for aid.
Still later the military were ordered out.
In the barricaded store were three
negroes. 1t is believed there were at
first as many as five, and that two es-
capped before daylight. The store was a
small arsenal, in which were number
of Winchester rifles and n small Gatling
gun. 1t was a rendezvous for u gang of
thieves and murdcrcrs.
Aftcr the burned body Of Richardson
had been found an angry crowd of white
men seized it and bore it towards the
city. Chief Ball threw u Gordon of po-
lico across street at the city limits and
toon the body away from the crowd and
sent it to the city in wagon.
While tho procession was passing Will
Gregg, u negro, was heard to remark
that it was shame to kill negroes that
way, and he had no sooner spoken the
words than he was riddlcd with bullets
Governor Gambler ordered every mill
tiaman in Atlanta under arms aud to
remain at their company headquarters
until further orders.
The officers attempted to arrest five
negroes suspected of having beaten for
mcr Policeman S. A. Kcrin nearly to
death yesterday afternoon. The negroes
resisted arrest by intrenching them
selves in a house and tho fight ensued.
There arc outbuldings and barni and
sbrubbcry over tho entire neighborhood,
which provides such shelter that it was
possible to escape from house to house
and dodge between fences without being
detected. AS soon as information of the
fight between the negroes and the police
reached the city wagon loads of police
men, heavily armed, were hurried to tho
scene of action and Governor Gambler
ordered out u detachment of State
militia
While returning to his home on Nc
Pherson road yesterday afternoon, for
mer Policeman S. A. keriin was waylaid
by five negroes, with whom he had had
tro1blc while member of the force.
But for the timely arrival of trolley
car, which frightened his assalants
away, Kcrlin would have been killed A
sergeant stationed at Fort Mcpherson,
who heard cries for help, ran to the
place and found Kcrlin uncOncious.
At midnight County Policeman Golden
heard that kcrlin'S five assailants were
in house on Mcdaniel street, and he
FASTENED to the city and secured war
rant for their arrest from Justice Orr.
Policeman Golden was joined by Off
GERS Ozburn and Cheshire and accom-
panied by u number of Kcrlin's neigh
bors, including Owen Heard, the party
started for the hiding place Of the five
negroes, arriving at l.30 O'Clock this
morning.
The house was dark but as the off,
GERS approached the inmates opened fire
and Owen Heard fell to the ground. He
was borne out of range by his compan-
ions. The house was at once surrounded
by the posse and daylight was awaited
before making another advance. The
officers, however, had determined to make
the arrests unaided. The house in which
the negro Richardson was belonged to
Annie Milburn, also colored. Richard
son owned the store adjoining the house.
Hero he kept ammunition and guns,
and was, therefore, well prepared for
fight.
AtG o'clock this morning the group of
officers who had been watching the house
all night approached the place and called
upon those within to surrender. The
answer was volley of shots and County
Officer Battle dropped dead.
The attacked party retreatcd some dis
tancc and from behind trees and tclc-
graph and trolley poles commenced fir
ing into the store. In few minutes the
door OF tho house was throw.i open and
VIII King, negro, ran o"t and gave
himself up to the officers. Inside the
house Richardson had an unobstructed
view in three directions. One block
away Policeman Tom Grant stepped
from his shelter to fire into the house.
A shot from the bcsicgcd house killed
him before he could fire
The attacking party sent word to
police headquarters and Chief of Police
Ball dispatched tho reserves to the scene
in several patrol wagons.
The officers to whom King had given
himself up determined to make use of
the negro and at the point of 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 tho in
mates of the house, stepped out of their
shelter in every direction. Again there
was n shot from tho house and this ime
Officer Edward Crabtree met death.
An instant later there was another
shot and County Policeman Robert
Ozburn fell dead
The shooting had by this time attracted
hundreds Of people and nearly every man
who came to the scene carried a rifle.
The shooting into tho house became
general, citizens and officers firing To-
gethcr.
Governor Gambler was advised by tele
phone of the riot and ordered out tho
militia. Capt. w. w. Barker, of the 5th
regiment, 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.
The desperate, Richardson, had been
lost sight of. The house burned rapidly
and u number of inmates were seen to
run to the store, to a wood shed and to
barn in the next lot. Orders were
quickly given to fire these buildings and
in few minutes several of the buildings
were burning.
The crowd increased until at least
three thousand people, two thousand of
whom were armed, surrounded the burn
ing area.
Milton Rosby, negro, was seen to
shout went up and tho fleeing negro was
shot dead. Ills body was surrounded
and was literally shot to pieces.
A crowd of enragcd citizens had
scarcely finished this work when ano-
ther negro was seen coming out of the
sewer. IIc, too, made run for life and
managed to get into the back yard of one
of the ncighboring 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,
IncfrnUnI