The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1907-02-06
ASSAULT ON A WHITE LADY.
Committed by a Negro Woman on One
Of Principal Streets Of BrOOkhayen.

WluoW Iady or bnls city who works
lat the Peoples Laundry, was on
her way to her place of employ
ment, at narrow place on the
sidewalk in front of the Catholic
Convent, she was met by a stout,
insolent, young negro woman, and
on her refusing to step aside and
let the impudent negress have the
full right of way, was struck a
violent blow in the face and
knocked into the gutter. The
skin was slightly broken, the
blood flowed freely from her nose
and dropped on the ground, and
her eyes we're slightly blackened
by the force of the blow.
i Messrs. John and Tom Grant
| had just come out of their yard
lon the opposite side of the street
when the assault occurred, but be-
| fore they ,could cross over the
lnegress retraced her steps east
ward and hurried off, followed by
John Grant, while Tom FASTENED
toward the railroad to summon a
policeman.
As soon as he heard Of the
Iaffair, Policeman Davis, who was
at the depot, at once set oat in
pursuit of the negress, and soon
succeeded, by the aid of John
Grant and others, in locating and
arresting her in a house near the
graveyard. She proved to be a
young woman named Addie Will
liams, a daughter of Alonzo Will
liams, an ex-county convict who
lives in the Engstrom Addition. |
At first the woman stoutly denied
all knowledge of the affair and
tried to fasten her guilt on anoth-
er negro woman, but she was car
ried before Mrs. Martin and at
once identified by her as well as
others. During the forenoon she
was arraigned before Mayor
Lanier on a charge of assault and
battery, plead guilty and was fin
ed 500 and costs and sentenced to
the county farm for 80 days, the
full limit the Mayor could give
her under the city ordinance.
There was much suppressed ex-
citement and Indignation over the
outrage, and the brazen young
negro wench was fortunate in not
being taken IN hand by enfaged
white citizens and strapped with
in an inch of her life; but more
moderate counsel was allowed to
prevail.
Mrs. Belle Martin is young
widow lady with three children,
the eldest 13 and the youngest 8,
with an elderly widowed mother,
all of whom are dependent upon
her efforts for support, and great
sympathy has been felt and ex-
pressed for the outrageous mis-
treatment she received. AS
substantial expression of this
sympathy, Revs. r. H. Purser
and Geo. Thompson have raised a
nice purse Tor the plucky, strug-
CLING little woman.
This morning Addie Williams
was arraigned before Justice F.
Fl. Hoffman under the State law
and given The limit of the statute
in his court 6 months and $500
fine and costs, the court express
ing regret that lie could not make
it more. At the same time the
Judge took occasion to utter some
very wholesome words for the
benefit as well of all the other ne
groes present.
As paper which has always
lstood for law and order the just
Treatment Of the negro as well as
1.-THE white man The Leader de-
lsires to say in all kindness to the
negroes Of this community of both
sexes, that they must not suffer-
lanother such occurrence as this on |
lany account. This is a white
mans country, ruled and controll-
ed BY white people, and they are
not going to tolerate such acts as
this by either negro men or negro
women, and they ought not to.
The negro must know his place
and stay in it or pay the penalty. |
The Leader is glad our citizens
lrestrained themselves IN this in
lstance and did nothing outside the
written law; but We would not an
lswer for results il there should BE-
a. repetition of Addie Williams
conduct by some other member of |
the negro race. The only way
1.-THE races can get along peaeeabIy |
and amicably IS for each to reoog- |
lnize and keep In its proper place.
Let the negroes, men and women, |