The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1906-10-08
Nero Who Shot White
: Men in Dark.
THE CROWD WAS ORDERLY
Black Taken from Argenta Prison
and Killed.
When Omcers Reached Scene Members
of Marked Mob Had Disappear
ed-The COlum Negroes
Escaped.

Argenta, Ark. Oct. 7.-As sequel
to the killing OF John Lindsay and
wounding his son, Policeman Milton
Lindsay, here last night. presumably
by Garrett Colum and Charles Colum.
negroes. H. Blackburn, a negro. was
lynched tonight at 10 o'clock at the
corner Of Sixth and Main Streets.
The trouble originated on September
-. when a white man named r. r.
Mcdonald killed a negro musician nam
ed Wiley Shelby. Next day at the in
quest held at the Colums' undertaking
store. a difficulty arose in which Rob-
ert Colum was killed and Deputy Con-
stable Ed Lindsay and Garrett Colum
severely wounded. the latter emerging
from the hospital only yesterday. Po-
licoman Milton Lindsay. a brother OF
Ed Lindsay. was also hurt at that
time.
Last night Policeman Milton Lindsay
and his father were walking past the
Colum store when they were fired on
from ambush. John Lindsay was killed
on the spot. His son was severely
wounded but managed to crawl out Of
range. When the police and citizens
attempted to enter the store they were
fred on. 1t is supposed Charles and
Garrett Colum did the shooting.
Later in the night, thinking the CO.
lum brothers were still locked In the
rear rooms Of the store the place was
dynnmited, but the negroes had escaped
unseen in the darkness, in the early
part Of the trouble. They were still
at large.
Shot In the Back.
At 1880 o'clock this morning VIII
Harding. a painter, was halted on the
street by unknown parties. whether
black or white he could not tell In the
darkness. He was asked II he was
black or white. On replying that he
was white, he was told to go back and
while leaving he was shot In the back.
At o'clock James Mahoney. a con-
tractor. and Al Belding. a reporter Of
The Little Rock Gazette, while going
to see Harding, discovered that house
was on Are. Mahoney fired his pistol
IN the air to give the alarm. and i'm
mediately the two men were fred on
from four different quarters with shot
guns. Mahoney was painfully shot In
the hand. Belongs clothes were pep
pered with bird shot, but none entered
his body. That ended the developments
for the night. and II was hoped and
believed no further outbreak would oc-
cur.
At noon today H. Blackburn. 81 years
Of age. negro who conducts a con-
fectionery store in Argenta. was ar
rested on suspicion of being the man
WHO HTcu OH RkdHpHty ana e. No
trouble was anticipated. tho town be-
ing quiet all day. but as a precaution,
Mayor Faucette and Sheriff Kavanaugh
swore In fifteen extra policemen and
the sheriff sent several extra deputies
to assist the police.
The lynching tonight was quietly
put through in a business like way.
Shortly before 10 o'clock four masked
men entered the police station from
kI1
with pistol while the others got his
keys. quickly unlocked Blackbuns
cell and took him out the back way
Not a shot was fired, and there was
no loud talking. so that Policeman
Pratt. Sheriff Kavan tugh and two dep
uties who were standing on the street
few blocks away, knew nothing of
what was going on until they heard
several shots fired at Main and Sixth
Streets Running there. they found
Blackburn already dead, hanged to
telegraph pole. while the crowd around
were apparently merely onlookers
Those who had already unmasked had
mingled with the crowd, so that identl-
ficatior was impossible
Negro Cried, ooh, Lordy."
AS Blackburn was being taken from
the jail he kept exclaiming. "Oh,
Lordy," and he uttered no other word
at any time he kept on fepe1t ting the
words as he was marched down the
street and while the rope was being adj
justed, and again as he was drawn up.
He was strangling to death SLOWLY
when he was put ont Of his misery by
several pistol bullets fired from tho
crowd
When first arrested. Blackburn sail
Re only arrived from Lake Village Sat
urday night after the shooting There
was positive evidence. however. that af-
ter the Iindsays were first fired on.
Blackburn ran out of negro house
adjoining and fred at John Lindsay
Also, that later he delivered imam
ratory speeches to crowds of negroes
at several points.