Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-04
ARKANSAS RACE RIOT.
Started From Simple Brawl-Thirteen
Negroes Were Killed.

N0GTOSS WcIC A1hCo.
A dispatch from Chicago says: Two weeks
ago thirteen negroes were lynched in st.
Charles. Ark
The Chicago Tribune sent a staff cor
respondent to the scene of this wholesale
butchery, the greatest in the south. For one
week he made his investigation and the
result is herewith printed.
The true story of the weeks race riot at
st. Charles will never be told in its en-
tirety. The men who could tell 1t. and
whose word would be as good as their oath,
are in a conspiracy Of silence. which from
their standpoint is not only natural but
necessary.
The little town of st. Charles, Arkansas
county, Ark. lies on the bank OF the White
river an important tributary OF the Mis-
sissippi, up which every day OF two, comes
slow and numbering river packet, plying
to and from Memphis and White. river
shipping points for cotton. hay and other
products. 900 ,oo
white people In little shacks and cabins,
scattered about the outskirts of the town
and in the timber along the river, live 3oo
or 600 negroes.
admit that the majority of them are dirty,
idle thriftless folks, considerably given 10
petty thievng and to the use Oh drink.
For most of them the game of craps has
. d
risk the last rag on their back on throw
of the dice.
unfortunately for the peace of the COM
munity there are, in the White river
country. small number OF low down
white men who. with no fixed habitation
ply casual trade as fishermen on the
white river stopping at the various Ut.
tie towns to drink whisky at blind tigers
and to shoot craps Some Oh THESE men ro
not discriminate between the races TO
them a black mans silver is as good, on
the crap table, as that of white man.
ssThey chew tobacco OF the same pug
with the niggers, they drink whisky out
~ the same bottle, and they gamble with
them And Ah'm free to say that when a
white man does that, the nlggah Is the pet
ter of the two.
That is the way one of the prominent
citizens of Arkansas county puts it.
s.Then when they get to gambling to-
eethah. and the niggah gets familiar, the
white man resents 1t and stats quarrel.
Ah'm told that 1t was in just that way the
trouble at st. Charles began.
Two weeks ago white man named
Searcy and two negroes named Henry ana
Walker Griffin had a quarrel, In whlch one
Of the negroes threatened to beat Searcy
over the head with a beer DottIe.
For the time the trouble was stopped
But Monday~a week ago the two negroes
coming into the town of st. Charles, went
up to the little frame building In which Is
located the general store OF Mooa,ofo az
brother standing on the wide platform be-
fore the front door.
At once the trouble was renewed Bit
ter curses were exchanged Suddenly one
the negroes struck Searcy blow on the
law with his fist Searcy began to topple
over backward from the railing on which
he had been seated. and as he did SO the
other negro struck him across the back OF
the head with leg of chair, which he
had picked up from the floor.
The other Searcy rushed into the fight.
He was met with a blow in the face. which
turned him partly round. SO that the negro
with the chair leg could strike him also
over the skull He dropped like a log and
lay across the PROSTATE body of his
brother.
Immediately there was call to arms.
which was responded to by white men and
boys. The county was patfolled and the
SEQUEL was the ruthless and want0n murder
of thirteen negroes who had been singled
out as dangerous characters.