Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-30
At THE WHITE HOUSE
Another Serious Negro Prob
lem in Mississippi.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
NOT PERMITTED TO BE ASSISTANT
POST OFFICE CLERK.
Special Session of Congress to Be Called
for October 15-President to
Speak in Brooklyn.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

Another serious negro problem threatens
to confront the President. 1t is, like the
Indianola incident, from Mississippi. This
time both the Post Office Department and
the civil service are involved The man
who is putting the case up to the President
is NJ. ]. Hornspy, a neat, intelligent look
ing black man whose home was for long
time at Jackson. Miss He is about twenty
three years old, and has just reached
Washington. He went straight to the
White House today, being accompanied by
Rev. s. L. Corothers. He wanted to tell
his story to the President at once, but Mr.
Loeb told him the President would not be
able to handle the case until his return
from his trip to the west and southwest.
Hornsby will now lay the case before the
civil service commission, which will prob
ably start an Investigation and have the
case ready to lay before the President
when he comes back here The majesty of
the civil service law is at stake.
Hornsby tells the story apparently with
truthfulness. He says that a young negro
man stood an examination for assistant
clerk in the post Office at YaZoo, Miss.
He persisted In accepting the position after
his appointment and entered upon his
duties. He soon found out that the people
of Yazoo did not want any colored man in
the post office. He was given sound
thrashing on several occasions by husky
young white men who met him and it
was suggested that he had better get out
of town. In a short time he got. Then
special examination was held to fill the
vacancy. This was the seventh of Febru-
airy. Four young colored men and a col
ored woman and two white men took the
examination. Hornsby succeeded in stand
ing highest. One week ago last Tuesday
Hornsby was delighted to receive his APP
pointment as clerk at Yazoo. He was
immensely pleased. He went to the post
master and asked to be furnished with a
blank bond, saying that he would go up
to Jackson, Miss, next day and get the
bond filled out SO as to enter at once upon
his duties. The postmaster told him to
wait until next day. The news got around
town and was much talked of. Wednesday
morning Hornsby got the blank bond and
took the train for Jackson. He thought
he would escape the threats and wait until
things quieted down before entering upon
his position. The train, however. became
side-tracked on the outskirts of Yazoo.
Hornsby saw some people begin gathering
around the train, but at first didn't think
he was the central figure of the gathering.
After a while he caught on.
He slipped out of the train and started
to walk away as fast as he could. The
crowd of twenty or twenty-five men went
through the train, saw the man had gone
and soon discovered his retreating figure.
They overlook him and hustled him to an
empty oil mill. Some of the crowd urged
that he be strung up. Others thought
good whipping would just suit him. Some
thought 1t might be a good plan to take
him into the woods and lose him forever by
some secret process that carries terror to
the soul. HornSby weakened and begged
for his life, which the crowd probably never
had any idea of taking. He talked SO ear
nestly and eloquently that the crowd agreed
ID compromise on Hornsby leaving town
and writing his resignation as a clerk at
YaZoo. He agreed to anything and every
thing and stenographer took his resigna-
OFT
Hornsby left town and won't be baek-no
never again, even if the ma jesty of federal
law does seek to give him protection.
George Washington Commencement.
President Needham of George Washing
ton University was accompanied to the
White House by Senators Gallinger and
Newlands, and they invited the President
to attend the commencement exercises of
the institution in this city May 81, and to
make a speech. The President said that
he greatly regretted that an engagement
would prevent his accepting the invitation.
He considered the institution one of the
best of its kind in the country, thought it
was doing splendid work, and he would
be pleased to attend the exercises If he
had not made other arrangements
The President will speak in Brooklyn on
May 80, at the exercises in connection with
the dedication of the statue commemorate
ing the life and services of General Slocum.
Senator Newlands said that the irrig;i-
ton committees of the House and Senate
would leave Kansas City June l. for a trip
through the regions of the country where
irrigation projects are under way. here
will be few invited guests besides the
members of the committee, and they Will
travel in two Pullman coaches, one for
the Senate and one for the House The trip
will be pretty thorough one, if carried
out as planned and will enlighten the con-
gressmen as to what is being done under
the irrigation measures of a year or SO
BEFORE the Darty breaks the
bers will visit the Lewis and Clark ex-
position at Portland.
Invited to Reading.
monument to President Mckinley is
to be unveiled at Reading, Pa, June Z,
ment of the Grand Army of the Republic
will be held there. The President was to-
day invited to attend the two functions
He could not make definite promise, but
said he would give the committee an an
swer within few days. The committee
which was from the board of trade was
introduced by Senator Knox was COMPOSED
of Jenkn Hill, chairman; J. George Hintz,
j. F. Mohn. w. H. Linden, ]. ]. Mohn, J.
P. Sellers, S. S. Schweiner, Dr. A. N.
Seidel, c. e. Leippe, Lemm Busch.
Senator keene of New Jersey called on
the President and the latter agreed to the
appointment of John Doscher as assistant
collector of the port of New York, stationed
at Jersey City. He takes the place of John
Rotherin, who was elected county clerk of
Hudson county in the last election.
Mr.. A. Grip, the Swedish minister, called
on the President to say goodbye. Mr.. Grip
will leave Washington before the Presi-
dent returns from his trip to the south
west.
Helped Nominate Lincoln.
Senator Lodge introduced to the Presi-
dent DR.. A. L. .Hersey of Oxford, Me. DR..