The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-26
WILMINGT0N'S MOB SPIRIT
READY TO BURST OUT At ANY
TIME-OFFICIALS COWED.

Gov. Hum and Other On,csals Decide That
no Nothing Is the Beat folicy--Resi.
dents Arm Memselyes Generally
Negro Batting Has Begun-Clash
with . Negro Rand Late at Night
WILMINGTON, DEL. June 25.--With no
mobe as distinct entities in existence to-
.rht the streets are Allied with the material
c.t Of which mobs are made at an instant g
sstce. 1t is not too much to say that the
question Of whether there ID to be peace
or riot, with death and destruction in it's
wake, hangs upon the mere chance Of such
street incident az in normal conditions
would hardly cause a ripple Of excitement
The police are hard at work keeping the
crowds moving on the streets and breaking
up the constantly forming groups all along
the sidewalks. A fight involving q negro
and a white man, such as IL liable to occur
inthe slums almost any time might be sufi-
Gent to stir up tempest that would end
no An G'e outbreak Of negro Batting is now the
vital danger point. The negroes them
selves are stirred up to the point where
they would no doubt make a savage re-
sistance. All day long they have been
arming themselves. The pawnshops and
hardware st ores have been doing . land
office business in revolves. 1t is next to
a certainty that every grown-up negro
has got knife, revolver or razor
slowed away somewhere handy on his
person.
The hoodlum element among the whites
az we'll as among white men OF char
acter and standing In the community. is
likewise more or less completely equipped.
The crowds along the streets. although
omwardly good-nAtured and orderly. are
plainly under high tension.
The vast majority Of them do not want
trouble They are only out to see II any
trouble Is coming. They are ready to
meet il il 1t comes their way, and in arming
themselves doubtless think they have only
done 90 to meet such emergencies Of self
defence as may arise.
Meantime there are rlmors constantly
flying Of fights with negroes at various
places, OF negroes banded together, armed
with clubs and marching aggressively
somewhere. A trihing runaway about
O'Clock tonight brought nearly 1000 per-
sons on run from blocks away from where
the disturbance took place. The arrest
OF Z man who refused to obey police
mans order to move collected crowd
OF hundreds in . twinkling.
The demon stration Of the mob's power
in forcing the authorities to release
Corwell on bail last night has had its
effect In giving assurance to the hood
lum element Yet, in tive light OF what
has been learned to-day, It is certain that
that action on tile part Of tie Attorney-Gen-
. er.f h al sAat prevented bloodshed.
The police were practically besieged
IN the City Hall. They were reviled and in
suited to their faces until they we're keyed
up to fighting pitch. Policemen armed
With rifes wore stationed at the windows
behind the closed doors and at places where
they could have attacked the mob on botf
tanks. They were under instructions tc
shoot, and to shoot to kill. Several timet
matters wore up to crisis where a bloody
.eliE n seemed inevitable.
Had not the Coroners jury rendered the
meaningless verdict It did. had the word
got to the mob that Corwell was to be
held, It Is a certainty that some demon.
stration toward violent rescue would have
heen made. At the first serious move OF
thi. kind, there would have been fusil-
lade, the consequence Of which would have
been frightfu. ending no man can tell
where, for the police force in its entirety
could not havc COPIED with that surging
mob Of 5000 persons.
The situation was recognized as being
"a grave that Gov. HUM came here early
this morning from his home at Wyoming,
few miles below Dover. although he Ia
in such i'll health that his physicians had
ordered him to remain indoors. He had
long consultation this afternoon with
three OF the Supreme Court Judges. the
Mayor, the Attorney General and his
resistant, the City Solicitor and the Police
Commissioners.
At this conference the entire situation
was carefully gone over. including the
strength OF tho States resources in the
way OF physical force. This result OF the
consultation was that 1t was decided that
for the present the best policy is the policy
If doing nothing in the hope that the excite
nent will die ont OF itself.
This means that, for the time being at
least, no more arrests will be made. Not
TO put too fine a point on 1t, the situation
simply ia that the authorities dare not
make any more arrests. The men who
took leading parts in the lynching OF the
negro murderer White are perfectly well
known. They could be put under arrest
at almost any moment. Tho authorities
dare not take the risk Of doing so.
II the arrest OF stranger. q man from
out Of town. who probably at the most
was no more than an onlooker at the lynch
ing. was capable Of developing such
threatening mob AZ last nights, what would
be the effect OF arrpsting men we'll known
in the community who have many friends
az guilty a. themselves7 That is pre-
oisely tho question which the authorities
do not intend to take the risk Of having
answered.
Corwell was arraigned to-day before
Magistrate Hollis. The charge against
him was changed from murder to man
slaughter He was released under hail
to appear before the Magistrate tomorrow
morning, and that. in all human prob
ability, will be the end OF the entire Cor
well incident There IL little or no EVIL
dence against him. and the authorities
probably are glad Of the fact and glad
also OF the chance 1t gives them to turn
him loose.
Corwells legal adviser. former Congress
man L. Irving Handy. this evening made