The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1904-04-02
RACES AT WAR.
Nine Negroes Said to Have Suffered
Death at Hands Of Ar
kansas Mob.

De Witt, Ark, March ga race wa.
here, for several days. Five negroes who
had been arrested as a result of the race
troubles were taken from the guards
by a crowd OF men and shot to death.
The five victims were James Smith,
Charley Smith, Mac Baldwin, Abe
Bailey, Garrett Flood. Two more ne
groes implicated have been captured and
1t is thought they will be lynched. With
the lynching of these five the news.
heretofore suppressed, beca&se public
that four other blacks have been
lynched The authorities apparently
are powerless to uphold the law.
The trouble grew out of quarrel be-
tween a white man named Searcy, his
brother and two negroes, Henry and
Walker Griffin. The negroes attacked
the white men, and afterward knocked
down Deputy Sheriff Kirkpatrick when
he sought to arrest them. The negroes
then gathered and defied the officers.
declaring that mo white man could ar
rest them" Their demonstrations
aroused the fears of the citizens of st.
Charles, and they telephoned to this
place for posse to come and protect the
town.
p. A. Douglass, deputy sheriff, went
out with five men Wednesday morn
ing. Constable L. G. McNeeley went
forward with a posse to capture the Grit
fin negroes. The constable met three
negroes-Randall Flood, Will Baldwin
and Will Madison-in the road. The ne
groes attempted to draw their pistols,
but the posse fired, killing all three of
them.
Thursday 16 men left this place for the
scene of the trouble. Large crowds
gathered in from Roe, Ethel and Claren-
don. During the day. while the sheriff's
posse was searching for the Griffin ne
groes, they were fired upon by negro
named Aaron Sinton from ambush.
Three of the posse were hit, but the shot
used were small and no serious damage
resulted The posse returned the fire
and the negro was shot down. Several
other shots were fired into him. killing
him instantly.
Dewitt, Ark, March 28.-Four more
negroes have been put to death In the
eastern part Of this county, making IL
negroes who have been killed as the re-
suit of the rioting which began last
Monday. Kellis Johnson, one Of the
band Of negroes that caused the trou-
BILE, was shot to death Saturday. Perry
Carter, another negro, was found dead
in the woods near where the five negroes
were slain Thursday night by crowd Of
Infatuated citizens.
The last two negroes killed were the
Griffin brothers, Henry and Walker, who
were the cause Of the trouble. The ne
groes were reported to have escaped, but
it is known that they are dead and 1t is
believed they were killed Saturday.
Owing to the remoteness of st. Charles
and to the fact that the news Of the re-
suit of the riot is not given out freely
il is difficult to obtain details, but there
is no doubt of the authenticity of the
report with reference to the death Of the
| Grifins.
In the ST. Charles neighborhood the
negroes largely outnumber the whites
! and trouble has been brewing for long
time and it isNsaid the negroes for the
past two years have been getting in
solent and belligerent. 1t is now be-
| lieved that the leaders of the unruly ele-
ment have been killed and that further
( trouble will be averted Saturday was
] election day and usually on such day
| st. Charles is crowded with negroes, but
during the entire day only two negroes
were seen in the town and these two APP
peared in the morning and stayed in the
| village but short time. Near st. Charles
negroes are quiet and are attending
! strictly to their work.