The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1904-03-12

eOHsO SASitSUSue piGtditS mere ab
an early hour this morning, which
not even the presence of seven COM
pa1ies military can allay. This ex-
citement is shared by ali the bust.
ness men and property owners Of
the city who fear that some negroes
will attempt to avenge the burnit e
of the levy district by firing the
downtown district. 81 far the me-
grces have not tried to make good
their threats to dynamite the coun-
ty Jail to 'seven up" with Sheriff
Routzahn for permitting the negro
murderer Dixon to be taken by the
mob Monday evening, without the
shedding of blood to save him. Not
a fourth of the business district of
the city Is under. patrol by either
militia or police, and it looks as if
a close guard would have to be kept
for several days to prevent further
incendiarism.
There Is little OF no. disorder, the
mob of 1000 men standing quietly
by watching the spre ad Of the
flames in the neighborhood of
Spring and Gallagher streets, and
apparently ready to help, if it should
show signs of spreading beyond the
confines they originally set for.
At 11:20 the threat of the mob,
frequently made through the day
aud evening, was finally made good
and volume of fame was seen to
shoot up from the rear of q place
occupied by Lies" Thomae, a sa-
loon keeper. Preceding the firing
of the building, the mob, at a dis
tance of 100 feet, shot at the front
of the building for half an hour,
but it is not known whether any of
the occupants had remained in the
building, and if they did, whether
any fatalities resulted from ,e
shooting.
The fire spread both ways from
Thomas place. 1t is thought the
mob will o. tolerate any effort of
the fire department TO put out the
fire in the levee district, but will
offer no resistance in the attempts
to confne the fire to the buildings
along ashington street, known
as the levee.
At midnight the entire block in
Washington street from Gallagher
street west to Sprirg street is on
fire with no hope of saving any of
the buildings. The troops from
Cincirn I'll, Miamisburg aud Day.
ton, will be here on special train
in Is minutes. They are urgently
needed, and 1t is entirely probable
the negroes will make good their
threats to f-e the business districts
of the city and dynamite the jail
and other county buildings.
Throughout the day there was a
vague unrest in every quarter Of
the city. The body of the lynched
negro was taken from the telegraph
pole at three o'clock this morning
and was placed in little undertak-
ing chop. Through the forenoon
fully 10000 people saw the body
and stood about the city in groups.
The police and officials were worrl-
ed, but did not know what was best
to do.
At noon the undert king office
was closed. The vast lhrung did
not disperse, and nobody seemed
to be working. Early in the even
ing there were reports of Threatened
trouble, which flew thick and fas' .
and the crowds In the streets grew
larger. 1t was rumored that the
negroes would attempt to burn the
city.
The police were in state border
ing on a panic after their horrible
experience at the Jail the night be-
fore. They had been without sleep,
were rervous and at high tension.
They appealed to the mayor and a
council was called.
10 the meantime the crowds in.
creased. The majority of the mob
seemed to be at the railroad station,
almost in the heart of the city and
close to the levee. The police tried
to scatter them, but were only par
TALLY successful. In this crowd q
negro fired a shot. There was 6
cry that it was aimed at an officer
and Immediately the whole contin
gent of police and the mob at thei
heels with yell start-d after him
The negro escaped.
Negroes were not much in ev!
dence throughout the early part O
the evening. When they appeare
they wers greeted with boots a1'
yells.
! The feeling of unrest is accentuat
uated by the uncertainty as t
what the mob is going to do o
where the trouble may next begir