The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-12-18
FIERCE RACE RIOT.
Thirty Blacks Reported Killed and
Five Whites Hurt
Fifteen Blacks Burned to Death
When the Whites Attacked the

When the Whites Attacked thu
Lodge Room of the Latter.
A special dispatch to the Mem
phis News-Scimiter from Columbus
Miss, says some thirty negroes
were killed one night last week and
many more were wounded as the re-
suit of a fierce race war in Pickons
County, Ala. Five white men were
wounded.
1t is said that owing to the dis
covery of a plot on the part of the
negroes to raise against the whites
every black in the community is in
danger. This plot was carried on
by means of a secret society which
had lodge rooms in remote districts
of Pickens county.
Fifteen negroes were burned to
death in a lodge room near Reform,
Ala, Tuesday night, when whites at
tackled the place and finding a num-
Der of repeating rifles and shotguns,
fred the building.
The blacks were penned in by the
continual shooting Of the whites and
those who were not killed in at
tempting to escape were roasted
alive.
Near Gordon, three negroes were
killed when a posse Of white men at
tackled a lodge room. So far as has
been learned, the burning of the 9TH
er lodge rooms was without fatali-
ties.
The trouble started with the ar
rest of Tom Lowe, negro, on a
charge of stealing a bale of cotton
from Whig Lowe, white planter,
who is also a deputy sheriff.
Deputy Whig Lowe and several
other officers succeeded in arresting
the accused negro. AS they were
riding to Gordo with their prisoner,
they were fired upon from ambush
by a party of negroes headed by Bob
Lowe, the prisoners brother.
Tom Lowe fell dead from shot,
which it is said was fired by his
own prother, at the deputy sheriff.
Deputy Lowe fell, mortally wounded.
A dispatch to The Atlanta Journal
from Birmingham, Ala, says long
distance telephone message from Re-
form, the nearest telegraph town to
the scene stated that there had been
no persons killed since the Lowe
tragedy.
The excitement in Pickens county
was the result of the killing of a
negro named Lowe and the serious
wounding of a white man of the
same name, the latter being con-
stable who was shot while friends
were trying to take the negro from
him.
The negro Lowe had been arrested
for stealing cotton, which had been
tagged. When relatives and other
negroes approached the officer who
had him, shooting became promis-
cuous and the negro was killed and
Lowe was hurt.
Sixteen negroes are in jail in the
western part of Pickens county,
charged with participation in the ex-
citement. Many negroes are related
in that section of the county and for
that reason the whites are armed to
be ready for all emergencies.
The determined white men of Pic
kens county. in the vicinity of Gordo
hearing reports that negroes were
preparing for an attack, raided a
lodge room and secured thirteen
Winchester shotguns, which were
loaded with buckshot, and every
trace of a weapon taken in charge.
The leader of the gang Of negroes
said to be getting ready for a riot
was reported to have boarded a
rain for Birmingham, and efforts
lave been made to have him stop
,ed and placed under arrest. No
Iilling took place during the raid
IN the lodge room.
Gordo is not on direct wire from
Birmingham, and information being
| received is meagre, though rumors
prevail that seven negroes have been
killed already since Saturday, Wher
the first trouble began between the
whites and colored.