Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1908-08-21
SPRINGFIELD AT
MERCY OF MOB
NEGROES DRIVEN FROM LEvEG
DISTRICT LIKE RATS-MlLi-
TIA MET BY BRICKS.
SIX DEAD AND SIXTY INJURED
Trouble Starts When Negro Is Rushea
Out of Town 10 Save Him After
He Had Attacked White
Woman.

Springfield, H., Aug. 16.-The MILL
tia reigns following the killing OF four,
the lynching of two and the in1uring
of 60 during a night of mob rule, when
a negro had been rushed out OF town
in an automobile to save him. he
had attacked a white woman. When
the revs of the sheriff's move became
known. the throng was goaded to
frenzy.
"Run Out the NlqJers" 10 Heard.
The mob surged through the
streets, destroying every bit OF negro
property in its path.
Saturday the city streets are guard
ed with 1000 state troops. K.
Friday night several thousand peo-
pie burned to the ground 70 negro
homes and wrecked every business
establishment conducted by the CO.
lored residents Of the city.
Two Negroes Cut Down.
The onslaught on the residents Of
the tenderloin still continues, despite
the efforts of the police, deputies and
soldiers, and the latter just cut down
two negroes who had been left sus-
pended from a tree when the soldiers
charged the mob which had formed In
the east part of the city.
So intense has become the feeling
against the negroes that additional
troops have been asked for by the To-
cal authorities, who find the militia
either unwilling or afraid to enter the
danger zone, the levee. 49,.
The infantry was met with volley
of bricks when they attempted to pre-
vent the mob from breaking down the
doors leading to building where ~
blacks had taken refuge at 6 o'clock
Saturday morning.
Drive Blacks Out Like Rats.
Despite the orders of the officers to
shoot and the fact that several OF
their numbers had fallen after the
first volley, the mob puSaed on
through the structure, driving the
blacks before them through the rear
doors, with the negroes in the lead
clinging together like flock of sheep.
The troops took up the rear, but
several blocks behind the three bands,
negroes, mob and troops, are in des-
| perate chase through the eastern part
of the city. Several negroes were
brought to the ground by guns in the
hands of the mob.
Companies Now at Springfield.
The troops here are companies from
Decatur, two from Springfield, one
from Pnotiac, one from Pekin, one
from Peoria, one from Taylorville and
one from Champaign.
Danville, Arcola, Jacksonville and
Quincy have been sent for. The first
company to arrive was from Decatur.
They got in on an interurban car that
made the distance at the rate OF near
" a mile minute. They were
marched to the jail, where the Spring
field troops were in waiting. Sherin
Warner and a platoon of police went
on ahead, followed by the Decatur
! troops. -,--.
The home guards were placed In
the rear. They marched doublequick
to the burning district. They quickly
ended the trouble. Two volleys were
fired in the air after the order to dis
perse had been given. he crowd did
not move rapidly and one yolley was
pumped into their legs. Camp. Lin
coin on state camp grounds near0here
has been opened and the troops will
be chartered there while resting.
Richardson, the negro who was the
cause of the trouble, was taken to
Bloomington first and thence to Pc
oria, where he is now in jail there.
Trouble Follows Negroes Attack.
The trouble grew out of an attempt
to lynch a negro who had attacked .
white woman. The negro was spirit
ed away out of town and the mob.
baked in it's vengeance, Immediately
turned on the man who loaned his au-
tomobile to the authorities to enable
them to convey the black to safety.
This was the spark that started the
riot.
The attack occurred Friday on Mrs.
Earl Hallam, wife of street car con-
ductor. She was dragged from her
bed in the middle of the night out into
the garden in the rear of the house.
Recent attacks upon white women
by negroes had infiamed the commu-
nifty. Sheriff Charles Werner ar
ranged Friday to take the negro 70
Bloomington and he was placed In
Harry T. Loper's automobile and
whisked away to q railroad STATEN
near the Fair Grounds, where the
sheriff and prisoner boarded train.
Negro Quarters Wiped Out.
In addition to Loper's cafe IS places
of business occupied by negroes on
Washington street between Seventh
and Tenth street have been literally
torn to pieces. Violent explosions and
winds could not have done . cleaner
or surer job. The negroes quarters
over these places have been emptied
ard every window has been shot out.
All the open liquor In these saloons
More Nature-Faklnq.
Il see," he said to the reporter Of
daily paper, that you have been
writing up shark story"
yes, tried my hand at that"
"But you are a nature faker. sir.
You have shark sweep a man of
raft with his tail and then eat him
up. 1t is the alligator that uses his
tail in that fashion"