The Grenada sentinel., 1907-01-05
COULD NOT KEEP SILENT
Vardaman to the Forefront On
the ScOOba Troubles.
THINKS NEWSPAPERS UNFAIR TO WHITES
The Race Troubles i'm Kemdcr County
Handled by Governor In His
Oft-Repeated Style-sfow
He Sees Ii.

Governor Vardaman has given out
the following in regard to the Kempel
; County riots:
There has been so mucn exag-
geration, needless talk and harsh
criticism Of the white people of
Kemper county about the race
troubles which occurred in that cOun
ty some days since, that, in the in
tereSt Of truth and fair play, | feel
that | ought to make statement.
Ny information regarding the origin
0f.thiS unfortunate affair is this: 1t
originated with lot of drunken ne
groes, who boarded the train on the
Mobile & Ohio, who without cause or
provOcation, insulted tho conductor
by abusing him, and when he resented
the abuse they proceeded To cut him
to pieces with their knives. After
this, the leader Of the gang Of black
outlaws disembari.ed from the train
at Wahalak aud went to his fathers
house. Mr.. O'Brien and two other
! men went out to arrest him, and as
! MIR. q Brien was entering the house
| where the culprit was concealed. he
! Shot Sir. O'Brien'S head off. The ne
gro then made his escape. This
atr0ciOGS crime aroused in the white
people of the community great indig-
nation. They organized and went in
search Of the murderer. The purSu-
Ing party WAS Joined by three lor four
desperate white men, who sharing
the righteous Indignation Of the bet
,ci class tf white people, and in addi.
tio1 <; ftat, their race hatred WAS
rii.tenolhed b. drunkenness, and when
they approached the house Of the man
Nicholson, who was thought to be
harboring Or concealing the murderer,
failing to find the murderer there.
these drunken youGg fellows proceed
cd to wreak vengeance upon Nichol- ]
s0iS 5y ngrdering him ana burning
his house. The deputy sheriff was
present and protested against the
murder Of Nicholson, but his efforts
were unarailing. My information
jGSt received over tie phone from the
deputy sheriff at Scooba, is that two
other negroes were killed, making a
total OF three negroes killed, one |
white man killed and one white man |
desperately woupdcd-the total |
casualties Of the trouble. | do not
know tnat the negroes killed had any
connection with the trouble en- the |
train or the killing of Mr.. O'Brien.
In fact, L am advised that they had |
not, beyond the general sympathy |
which all negroes, whatever their vo- |
cation may be feel for one Of their |
ruce when he commits a crime against |
u white man. They will all harbor |
and shield criminal Of their race, re-
gardleSS of his crime, unless they are
deferred therefrom by the fear of
punishment tr hope of reward.
Now | am not inclined to condOne |
acts Of lawleSSneSS in any one, wheth
er he be white or black, but it mat
ters not what | may say or others
think. we may expect occurrences of
this character to take place just SO
long as vicious criminal negroes COM
NIT such crimes as were committed
against the conductor on the Mobile
and Ohio train and Mr. O'Brien.
Such occurrences are incidental to the
conditions which exist in the state
1t is one of the horrible concomitants
of the heterogeneous order Of things
which the present political status of
the negro brings about. 1t is one of
the horrors in this race problem. and
however much we may regret it, peo-
pie need not grow red in the face, pale
about the gillS or fall in fits of hys-
terra when they occur. They will con-
tinue to occur until the canse which
produces them is removed, / am 60
ing to do all can to bring to the bar
Of justice the viUlatorS of the law /
am gazing to do all that can to pro-
tect the negro in the enjoyment of
his life, of his liberty and the pursuit
OF happiness. | am also going to see
that the negro is punished for his
violation Of theslaw.
" n n *l
"Tbe white people of Kemper coun-
ty are no worse than the white peo-
pie of any other county in this state,
and if this affair had occurred any,
where else the results would probably
have been about the same. I think |
the press of this state would do SUBJ
Stantial service if they would impress
upon the public the fact that the ne
gro, in the majority Of instances, is
responsible for the lawless acts prepe-
trated by white men in which the ne
gro is always the sufferer. In the
Kemper county affair two good white /
men were victims-one probably
manned for life and the other killed !
outright. These two men are worth
more to the state in my estimation,
than any thousand negroes in it. This
is no time for maudfin sentiment. /
We must look the horrible situation
squarely in the face and apply heroic
treatment where treatment is neces-