The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-08
TRYING TOPLACE BLAME
COVERT BLAMES KRAFT AND KRATZ
CRITIClSES DURBIN.
Gen. McKee's Questions Show the
Whole Local Handling of the
Crisis Was Incompetent.
Staff Correspondence of the Journal.

EVANSVILLE, Ind, July Last Friday
afternoon Louis n. Massey, a patrolman,
tried to arrest Robert Lee, also known as
Lee Brown, a negro, who was drunk and
had been threatening to kill another negro.
A duel ensued in which Massey was fatally
and Lee probably fatally wounded. That
night Lee was arrested and lodged in the
county Jail. Massey died on Saturday.
Saturday afternoon there were rumors of
a forthcoming lynching. That night mob
of 100 to 80 assembled at the Jail and called
on Sheriff Kratz to turn over to them the
murderer. The sheriff refused. The mob
battered down the gate leading into the
jail yard, but it was not sufficiently aroused
and lacked the leadership to carry out its
plans.
AT o'clock Sunday morning the mob had
melted away from the vicinity of the Jail
and the sheriff at once removed the negro
to Vincennes for safekeeping.
Ali day Sunday threats of lynching the
negro were renewed, and that night small
crowds of the lawless element of the city
gathered in various places, paraded over the
city and broke into several hardware and
gun storcs-and appropriated all the weapons
and ammunition they could find. Several
negroes were fired on by the mob, and two
negro saloons, known as the toughest dives
in the city, were attacked and riddled with
bullets, but no one was seriously injured.
The Jail was again attacked, in spite of the
assurance of the sheriff that the negro had
been spirited away and of the assurances of
several committees which were permitted
to go through the Jail that they were un-
able to find the murderer. The mob insisted
that he hidden in the dungeon, and
nothing could shake the belief. However
beyond damaging the exterior of the jail
somewhat the mob did no damage.
KRATZ IN A PANIC.
Monday was circus day and large crowds
were expected in the city. Sheriff Kratz
grew panic stricken at the thought of what
he might be called on to contend with. and
urged Governor Durbin to send troops TO
his assistance. The Governor ordered out
the local company of the Indiana National
Guard, under command of Captain Blum,
with instructions to protect life and prop
erty and preserve order. At night the Gov
ernor ordered Col George w. Mccoy, of
the First Regiment, to proceed to this city
from Vincennes and take command of the
troops.
Early MONDAY evening the troops were
thrown around the Jail and courthouse,
while within the jail and courthouse were
stationed forty or fifty deputy sheriffs,
sworn in to meet the emergency. A crowd
gradually assembled in the vicinity of the
Jail. Not the slightest effort was made by
the local authorities TO prevent the gath
ering of the mob After it had grown to
alarming proportions several citizens went
out through the crowds and tried to per-
suade the people to disperse, but in vain.
The mob is an unreasoning and unreason-
able animal. The bulk of the crowd was
composed of people drawn there through
curiosity and many of them were women
and children. A few were there because
they were vicious minded. A few were
there because of their reckless nature.
Then some one began to revile the militia.
One taunt led to worse. Some one made
hostile movement that provoked another.
At the psychological moment one of the
vicious minded let fly a stone. telling a
soldier to the pavement, and one of his kind
fired pistol.
The soldiers had endured taunts, curses
and insults; they had yielded inch after
inch of ground to the mob, and at last were
them were youth untried in such crises.
They held Springfield rifles in their hands.
They were all human. When that stone
was hurled and the bullet from a pistol
whizzed by their heads they answered with
volley. Armed members OF the mob
paused a moment to return the fire, and
then the crowd broke for cover. Six dead
and over thirty wounded. one OF whom has
since died, were left on the street and side
walk. One of the killed was young girl
an innocent victim of her own and her IA
ther's curiosity.
ville's shame, the latest blot on Indiana's
escutcheon.
AN OFFICIAL CRIME.
This afternoon, from till O'Clock, twen-
ty-fiye of the representative business and
professional men Of Evansville held coun-
ell with Brigadier General Mckee at the
st. George Hotel. Mayor Covert was finally
brought into the meeting after two hours
had been spent In the effort TO locate him
General Mckee and the citizens spoke
frankly to the mayor. There was no minc-
ing of words. At the conclusion OF the con-
ference Frank B. Posey arose, and. pointing
his finger in the direction of the mayor.
said:
This is the situation that we must face.
There's no use trying to dodge 1t. We have
lad a terrible tragedy in our city that will
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