Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1906-10-03
ATLANTA'S HORROK
Carnage of Crime and BIoodshed
Unspeakable

the Daily Georgian or Atlanta
writes as follows in the Washing
ton Post with reference to the re-
cent troubles in Atlanta between
the races:
The Atlanta race riot is due to
the cumulative provocation Of a
series of assaults upon white wo-
men, which, in number in atroclty
and unspeakable audacity, are
without a parallel In the history
OF crime among Southern negroes.
There have beel eleven assaults or
attempted assaults within the past
seven weeke. Of these fiends only
four have been apprehended, and
seven have escaped scott free and
are now at large in the community.
Eight of these assaults have been
in broad daylight, and in most in.
stances in the open air, within
stones throw OF other residences.
One assault was attempted at o
O'Clock in the evening in the bril-
liantly lighted parlors Of city
residence.
Three have been attempted al
most within twenty feet of the
man of the house, the criminals
escaping before the household men
could reach them.
In almost every case the women
victims have been mutilated and
disfgured monstrously, and the en-
tire eleven efforts, five successful
and six unsuccessful, have been
made right in the city and suburbs
of Atlanta, the capital of the New
South; the center of trade, ira
dition and politics; the heart OF
civilization; with C. white pOpula-
tion nearly twice as large as that
of the negro.
1t is utterly impossible to reach
an explanation os this tidal wave
of crime. Whether il be due to
the lust begottsn by the sultry
weather; whether 1t be due to the
remarkable increase OF the cocaine
habit among negroes; whether it
has been stirred by the revolution
cry harangues Of local newspap-
err; whether it has come from the
frequenting of low liquor dives on
Decatur street, in which are ex.
posed the pictures of nude white
women, or, as it is more likely,
from all Of these causes combined,
1t is certain that Atlanta nor any
other Southern city has ever pass
ed through such hCrrid carnival
Of the intolerable crime as during
the closing weeks Of the present
summer.
The city has been at high ten
sion for six weeks past. Public
meetings have been addressed by
the most conservative citizens.
One county police system has been
quadrupled, $50 deputy sherifs
have been Put on duty, and most
Of the Decatur liquor dens have
been closed.
1t has been a reign Of terror for
Georgia women. There is not
white woman in the region of At
lanta who has had tranquil day
or night within this period. The
white women have been trembling
prisoners in their homes, and their
husbands, sons and brothers have
been held in the necessity OF
guarding them increasingly.
There are few men who dare to
leave their families after nightfall
either to attend public meetings,
to pay social call, or 10 worship
in the churches of their choice.
The whole section has been in a
state of siege and apprehension,
which has been growing more and
more intolerable. Every thought
full citizen has realized that At
lanta has been sleeping upon a
volcano for weeks. Under these
conditions, Saturday afternoon
was drawing to a close. There
had been o rape for each of the
preceding days, right in the heart
of the city. The afternoon editions
of the papers came out Oh time
without an addition to the grew
some record, and people breathed
easier. Half an hour later an after
noon extra appeared, announcing
that there had been four rapes at
tempted in swift succession within
the hour, two of which had been
successful.
Another paper issued an extra,
and in one short hour the populace
Of Atlanta was in frenzy Of ex-
element. BY 7 O'Clock the first
crude and imprcmptu organization
was formed, and from Z o'clock
until an hour after midnight, At
lanta passed through the throes of
a riot which has had no approx
nation in Southern history. The
lid of the volcano was off; mon
strous things were done in the
name of retaliation. Old and |
young negroes, negroes good and
bad, innocent and guilty, were cut
and slashed and killed. To every |
plea for mercy was shouted back
the fierce response "You had no
mercy on our women, and we will
have meme on you"
The silIiest man in the South is
the time-serving statesman who
declares that there is no race prob
lem, and the question II left alone