The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-09-09

ment prevailed in Wilmington as lie
late yesterday afternoon, when a mob
of five hundred citizens gathered at
the Atlantic COast Line station and
made an effort to lynch Dave Brown
and Neil Sellers, the two Clarkton
negroes whose crime the readers of
this paper are familiar with. But for
the Wilmington Light Infantry the
negroes would no doub have been
lynched- The negroes will both be
hanged as soon as the law can be car
ried out, and l%ynching the brutes
would have only left a dark spot on
The escutcheOn of Wilmington, and
the Wilmington Light Infantry is to
be thanked for preventing this state of
affairs.
The negroe it will be remembered
We're brought to Wilmington on Mon
day night from ~Elizabethtown anG
placed in Jail. Every thing was very
quiet around the city, but still water
runs deep, and although apparently
nothing was going on, very much was
in progress. both among the county
officials AMI also the citizens. a petit
ton was circulated and signed by
many, who agreed to take the men out
of the Jail. The county authorities
earned there would probably be trou-
bic and steps were taken to protect
the prisoners.
Mr.. D. McEachern, chairman of the
county commissioners; Commissioner
NJ. w. Divine, Colonel T. c. James,
Mayor W. E. Springer, Sheriff c. w.
Lyon, of Baden, n Mr.. Marsden
Bellamy, attorney for New Hanover
county, met yesterday morning a short
time after IL o'clock at the cour
house to decide on what should be
done. A telegram signed by Mr.. D.
McEachern, Mayor VIM. E. Springer,
Colonel T. c. James and Sheriff Sted-
man was sent to the Governor notify
ing him of the existing conditions. In
reply 10 this telegram Governor Ay-
cock sent the following, which was re-
ceived at 1 o'clock, a telegram being
sent to both the sheriff and the ago
call on military company for aid in
maintaining law. This telegram will
be their instructions for obeying or
ders. The prisoners must be protected
at IN hazard.
'CHAS. B. AYCOCK,
Governor
This was not the kind of telegram
the gentlemen wanted. They wished
to get the negroes out of wilmington
for they knew there would be trouble
last night if they remained. The ne
groes were sent here by a commitment
issued by Solicitor c. G. lyon and d
telegram was sent him yesterday af-
ternoon to Whiteville requesting au-
thority to carry the negroe to Raleigh.
His reply was an order to carry them
10 Raleigh for safe keeping.
Il was known yesterday afternoon
that the negroes would probably be
carried to Raleigh on the train leaving
Wilmington at $50.
Trip to the Station.
A few minutes after 6 O'CLOCK q
crowd of people began to gather IN
the vicinity of the jail and by $50 the
street was crowded. 1t was about Gas
When two closed carriages drove up
to the Jail and in a few minutes the
prisoners were brought out. In the
front carriage was Sheriff c. W. Lyon,
OF Bladen, Major W. F. Robertson,
and Mr.. Will Bernard, and the two
prisoners were placed in this carriage.
In the rear carriage was Sher1ff StSd-
On. Deputy Sheriff Harvey Cox, Lieu
tenant Chase and Mr.. James Sinclair.
The crowd in front Of the jail made
no effort whatever to get the prison
ers and everything went we'll until the
StaIlOn was reaCneQ. 1ne ToulS ldhSiA
was down Princess. thence down Sec
n to Red Cross, and then to the
station.
Rush for the Car.
When the two carriages drove under
the shed at the station only a few peg
pie could be seen standing on the plat
form, but they had no sooner stopped
han men appeared from all sides. The
men in charge of the prisoners knew
a crucial moment was at hand and
their fear was that the negroes might
he taken from their custody before
they could get them OF the train. The
crowd had quickly gathered at the
main gate expecting the negroes to be
carried through that gate to reach the
car, but there is a gate hear the bag
gage room used for trucks, and her
the Sheriff saw the crowd assembled
at the main entrance he had the side