The Charles Mix new era. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1???-1911, 1908-08-21
Two Persons Killed, Many Injured,
and Stores Wrecked After
Lynchinx Is Fooled.
NEGRO QUARTER IS BURNED
After Destroying White Restaurant
Houses Of Blacks Are Fired
by the Crowd.

night. Two men were killed. nearly
militia, and rioters set fire to negro
houses In all parts OF the black belt.
The fire department was inundated
and overawed by the rioters. and until
the arrival Of 1000 additional State
soldiers the authorities were practically
helpless to control the situation.
Mob Balked by Ruse.
All this turmoil grows u Of an at
tempt to lynch a negro who had at
tackled a write The negro was
spirited out Of town, and the mob.
baked In Its vengeance. Immediately
turned On the man who loaned his auto
mobile to the authorities to enable them
to convey the negro to a place of safe
II. This was the spark that started
the riot.
Special trains were hurried from De-
Catur, Jacksonville. Bloomington. Pc
oria, and half a dozen other towns,
bearing infantry. cavalry and artillery.
Early in the state Of riot all the sa-
looms and disorderly houses in the city
were closed by the Mayor. and the mill
tiamen did their best to prevent the coli
lecting Of any crowds In the streets.
Their efforts were futile, however. They
would dispense a crowd In II neigh
borhood, and 1t Immediately reassem-
bled in another.
When at 2 a. III. the burning of negro
houses commenced the negroes retail
ated by shooting from the upper stories
Of the houses in the neighborhood where
the torch was applied. A number OF
persons were hit during these fuslllades
and were carried away by their friends
before their identity was discovered.
Origin Of tho Trouble.
The melting cause of the trouble was
an assault made on Friday on Mrs.
Earl Hallam, wife Of a street car con-
ductor. Mrs. Hallam, whose husband
works at night, was pulled from her
bed at midnight by a negro. who then
dragged her into a garden in the rear
Of the house, where he assaulted her.
This was the last straw on the minds
OF the whites Of the city, the hatred
against the blacks having been smolder-
ing since a month 60. when Clergy A.
Ballard was slain in his home by a
negro, who, 1t Is said, had entered the
Ballard home in an attempt to assault
Mr.. Billiards. young daughter.
George Richardson, a negro, was ar
rested for the assault upon Mrs. Hal
lam and placed In the city Jail with
Joseph James, who was accused Of the
Ballard murder.
Mutterings Of mob violence began
800 after the Richardson Identification
by the woman, and a great crowd col
lected about the jail. After Richard
son had been identified by Mrs. Hallam
It vas decided to take the prisoner out
Of town.
Sheriff Charles Werner made ar
rangements to take the men to Bloom
ington and the attention of the crowd
around the jail was distracted by an
alarm OF fire while the men We're placed
In Harry I. Loper's automobile aud
whisked away to the railroad station
near the fair grounds. where a train
was stopped to let the sheriff's men and
their prisoners get on board.
As soon as this was known the mob
began to gather. bowling for vengeance
against the man who had assisted in
the escape OF their prey. The cry,
"COme On to IOper's,' vas raised. and
q few minutes later bricks were crash
ing through the windows. Lopez met
the mob with q rife. They paid no
heed to him, and he was forced into the
back part OF the building, where he was
compelled to witness the complete de-
struction OF his property.
The restaurant was the largest In the
city, and had a large trade. Within
an hour 1t was a complete wreck. All
Of the furniture was taken out and
piled on top Of the automobile, which
had been turned over on the street. and
then a match wal applied to the gaso-
line tank. The bonfire ragged until mid
night. The police were utterly power
less to cope with the mob and the Are
department, which had been called out,
was not allowed to extinguish the
flameA
During the attack an attempt was
made to do bodily harm to Mayor
Reece.
At 10 O'Clock Louis Johnson, a 10
year-old boy, was found dead In a rea4
stairway leading to the basement OF 4
downtown building. He had been shot
through the groin.
At the time the riot began Eugene
W. Chain, the Prohibition candidate
Tor President, was addressing a meet
ing in the courthouse yard. A negro
pursued by a mob came dashing up the
platform, and in endea voring to protect
the man from his pursuers the orator
was struck in the face with a brick and
badly injuref