The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-08-04
FEARED mob VIOLENCE
AT HANDS OF Whites
HES Himself Back to Cincinnati and
Tells a Remarkable Story of Perse-
cution.-The Report is Not Credited
BY Holly Springs Citizens.

CINCINNATI, O., August 4.-Be-
cause he shook hands with the negro
presiding elder of a colored Methodist
Episcopal conference at the town Of
Ethel Miss, on the Illinois Central
Railroad, the Rev. Frank r. English
claims he had narrow escape from
an infuriated mob of white South
erners and was lucky TO escape with
his life from the town. He has re-
turned to the pastorate of Finley
Methodist Episcopal Chapel and the
presidency of the Cincinnati Mission
airy Training School and has declined
the presidency of Rust University, a
big Methodist university for colored
folk, run under the control of the
Freedmen's Aid Society, and situated
at Holly Springs, Miss, 125 miles
from the scene of his escape. The
Rev. Mr.. English had gone South to
look into the field with which the
presidency of Rust University would
bring him in touch. He was asked to
deliver an address on Education" at
the colored conference and went to
Ethel Miss, on Saturday July %, ex
pecting to make the speech the next
day. On Sunday morning, however,
a representative citizen of the town
called upon him to tell him the ad,
dress must not be delivered.
I'VE don't believe in the education
of niggers down here said the rep
resentatiye citizen. The Rev. Mr.. Eng
lish, however, made up his mind that
he would speak, as scheduled, and
went to the conference. AS he mount.
ed the rostrum he shook hands with
the colored presiding elder. When he
returned to the little hotel of which
the town boasts a delegation of fu-
rious citizens met him and made
threats as to what they were going
to do to him. They would not let the
hotelkeeper serve him any dinner
The Rev. Mr.. English, dinnerless, beat
a hasty retreat to the home of the
Illinois Central station agent. Ht
appealed to the agent as an official o
the road to shelter him and protec
him. He was allowed to come inside
but was not given anything to eat al
the station agent was fearful of vic
lence. Nor did Mr.. English dare t,
go back for his address to the ne
groes, but waited as the hours drae
ged by till train time, $40 in tn
evening, not knowing what any me
ment might bring forth.
Meanwhile the mob was gathering
armed with clubs. AS train time dre1
near there were about 400 furiou
citizens at the little depot, utterin
all sorts of threats as to what the
intended. Things began to look a
if the minister could not escar
rough usage, but as the train pulle
up he made a quick dash for tn
cars and gained them in safety Tt
train pulled out a moment later an
the mob members shook their fists
it disappeared.
81 have decided not to accept IL
presidency of Rust University" sa
the Rev. Mr. English today at Il
Missionary Training School, on Yves
ley avenue. 'T prefer not to give :,
reasons. I will say, however, that
far as the university itself was co
cerned I could not have received al
more cordial treatment while dow
South. That mob certainly mea
some terrible harm to me, and f
some hours I did not know wheth
I would get away alive or not.
not see any guns or other firearr