The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-09-24
ATLANTA IN THE HANDS
 OF STATE MILITIAMEN
GOVERNOR READY TO PRO- CLAIM MARTIAL LAW TO
 QUELL RIOTING.

Result of the Many Assaults RecentI,
 of Negroes on White WOmen-News
 papers Excite the People With In
 Hammatory Headlines.
 Atlanta, Gas, Sept. 23.-In the twen-
 ty-four hours since race war of nc
 mean proportions began in Atlanta, at
 least ten lives have been sacrificed and
 the number of injured will be at least
 forty, several of whom cannot recover
 At 10 o'clock tonight the city was con-
 trolled by the police aided by nearly a
 thousand of the state militia. The au- tnorities seem to have the situation
 well in hand. Governor Terrell, who or
 dered seven companies of the state
 military service from points outside of Atlanta to aid the eight local compan-
 ies, stands ready tonight to declare the city under martial law, if the scenes of last night are repeated.
 Mayor Woodward has issued re-
 quest that all citizens, white and black remain off the streets tonight.
 He announced that he will order all sa- looms closed tomorrow morning-all day, if necessary. All boys under twen- ty-one years have been ordered to keep oft the streets It was the concensus of opinion during the early evening that if tonight passes without serious disturb ances, no further trouble need be ex
 pected.
 A meeting of citizens bankers and business and professional men, repre- senting the best element of Atlanta cit izenship, was held her to-day to con sder the present emergency Governor Joseph M. Terrell, Mayor q. Wood- ward, Colonel Robert Lowrey, Colonel James English and others to the num- Der of 300 were present. Speeches were made and warmly applauded, in which the killing of half score of innocent negroes and the wounding of a score or more of whites and blacks, were condemned as a reflection on the best spirit of the city the state and the south. The heralding of recent assaults on white women by negroes In flaming headlines in the extras of local papers, was condemned in unmeasured terms and the earnest request was made that hereafter no special editions covering these topics be issued Such "inf1am- matory headlines,' were declared to have been the direct indictment to the outrages of last night.
 Resolutions were adopted urging up- on the city council the enactment of laws closing low negro dives, in which it was declared much of the crime among negro classes has it's origin. Closer restriction of saloons for both whites and blacks were demanded from the city authorities.
 Governor Terrell discussed the wis., dom or necessity of proclaiming martial law and declared that he will act If the necessity shall seem imminent.
 The hearty support of the best citi- zens was pledged to the city, county and state authorities in their respective combined efforts to control the present situation.
 Throughout last night the race war waged with varying vigor, and when morning dawned to-day, it found the | down town streets in possession of | eight companies of the Fifth Georgia | infantry with a battery of light artil- Iery in reserve. Through the day little of importance has occurred. The police | claimed. with the ai dof the military, to have the situation under control.
 This condition came as the result of numerous and repeated assaults or at- | tempted assaults upon white women by | negroes. The list of an even dozen of | such assaults within the limits of Full ton county within the last nine weeks | came yesterday, when four attempts at assault were reported. Flaring head | lines In the special editions of after noon papers wrought the populace to a | high pitch of excitement The usual | Saturday night crowds were largely in- creased by men and boys who throng- ed the down town streets. There was | no leader and no overt act until late | in the evening. About 10 o'clock ne- gro man showed a white woman from 1 the sidewalk on Whitehall street in the center of the town. Almost slnultane- ously a negro woman made am insult ing remark to a Whte man on an ad- Joining street, and he administered | what he considered due punishment. From this start the mob began it's work of destruction. Five thousand men and boys thronged the down town streets looking for negroes. News that a riot had started brought thousands more from their homes in the suburbs and residence districts until fully 10000 men thronged the down down sections. They made attacks on the incoming street cars. Each car was scanned for ne- groes. The trolleys were pulled from the wires and in the serni-darhness of the unlighted cars negroes were beaten, cut and stamped upon in an unreason- ing, mad frenzy. If a negro ventured resistance, or remonstrated, it meant rSctically sure death. One car half filled with negroes approached from an outside run. The mob dashed for the car. Resistance was made by the ne- groes, who had not been apprised of trouble. Three negroes lay dead on the floor of the car when it was permit ted to move on, and two more were se- riously beaten and unconscious.
 When the crowd seemed to be getting beyond control at about 10 o'clock Mayor Woodward mounted a car plat form on Peachtree and Marietta streets, urged the crowd to disperse, declaring that the assailants of the white women
 Continued on Page Five)