The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-06-26
Governor Yates's Secretary Re-
ceived Notice That There Would
Be Lynching at Belleville.
LETTER HAS BEEN RECOVERED.
Negro Pastor Thomas Informed
Colonel Oglesby Two Days
Before Wyatt Was
Hanged.
REPUBLIC SPECIAL.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL.
Springfield Ill, June 25.-Colonel John D.
Oglesby. private secretary TO the Governor.
was in error when he rebuked the Rever-
end c. II. Thomas. pastor of the African
Methodist Episcopal Church at Belleville.
In speech in Chicago Mr.. Thomas said he
wrote to Governor Yates preceding the
Belleville lynchinG, warning the executive
of the condition of affairs existing there.
Colonel Oglesby in his communication de-
MED that a letter had been received at the
executive office from Thomas and demand
ed a retracton of the statements made con-
corning Governor Yates
But Thomas's letter. written June last
has turned up in the Attorney Generals Of
flee. and bears the file mark of the execu-
tive office. together with the date of its ar
rival. June 3. The letter was found upon
desk in the Attorney Generals Office. but
there was no other communication with it.
The original. bearing the executive file
mark. has been preserved.
Thomas's letter written on June .. pre-
coded the lynching of Wyatt. which did
not occur until the night of June G. by four
days Thomas had received an anonymous
communication warning him to leave Belle
Vile, and this. together with the other
warnings. induced his communication of
warning to Governor Yates The warning
to Thomas to leave Belleville, a copy of
which Is contained in his letter to Yates. is
as follows:
WARNING TO THOMAS.
st Louis. No: Charles Thomas Colored-You
nave now drawn the color line and are irving TO
force the nigEers on the white race You are
well aware that Niger was not born to equal
the whites So. being YOU want TO force matters
Will tell you plain. and YOU may take gospel
heed that IL you do rot leave BelIevile in two
weeks you will. with your bravados meet YOUR
place In line with other good niggera So YOU
may take this timely warning and 20 where the
ngsers have more rights than Beeville
This is no joke. but a plain warming so IL YOU
fail to go then take the result.
"a CITIZEN.
The original of this copy was mailed to me the
twenty-second day OF May. and the time for the
trouble to begin is June s.
REVEREND C. H THOMAS
Pastor OF A. NJ. E. Church
Since an investigation of the BellevilIe
lynching has commenced it is learned that
party of negroes at Thebes, Alexander
County. asked for protection as far back as
March Is last. On that date party Of white
men shot into railroad camp of negroes,
killing one negro and injuring another The
shooting, it was said, was the result of an
attempted assault upon a white girl by one
of the negroes in the camp. The negroes
were driven from the vicinity, and their
property confiscated.
Three letters bearing upon this Incident
1t is claimed now, were sent to the Execu-
tive office, asking for assistance in serving
warrants. The negroes said they co,ld
identify the men who did the shooting but
that they were unable to get the civil au-
thorities to serve the warrants necessary
to a legal prosecution. The negroes who
were concerned in the Thebes affair state
they received one reply from the Executive
office to their three letters.