Lower coast gazette., 1909-09-04
NEGRO IS BURNED
IN PUBLIC SQUARE
DRUG CRAZ:D BLACK RUNS
AMuCK IN LOUISIANA TOWN.
WOUNDS 70 PEOPLE WITT GUN
Assailant Was Shot Down in Street
and Irturiated Citizens Made
Bonfire Of Bullet.Riddled
Body.

Monroe, La.-Angercd, it is be-
licved, because two Of his friends had
recently been shot by pc ice officers
in tais city, William S. Wade, a ne
gro. ran amuck in the principal bust
ness street of Monroe with a double
barre!cd shotgun Tuesday before
noon, shooting first at every white
man he saw and then firing lndls-
c~riminately at every object before
Kim. The fire was returned and the
negro finally fell dead with a bullet
through his heart. but not before ~
men, three of them members OF his
own race, had been more or less serl-
ously wounded.
Seriously injured:
Hugh Bigger. police officer, shot in
abdomen and thigh: may die.
T. H. Grant. deputy sheriff, shot in
neck and breast; may die.
Simon Marks. merchant, T~uskegee.
Ala, shot in breast and face; may
die.
George Mccormack, manager Ona.
chita Lumber company, West Mon
roe, arm shattered.
Slightly wounded:
DR.. A. A. Forsythe, mayor Of Mon
roe, shot in right leg.
D. A. Beard, banker and president
OF North Louisiana Single company,
shot in face.
Ed. Strong, cashier Southern Ex-
press company, shot over right eye.
Steve Burke, telegraph operator,
shot in shoulder.
Joe Thompson, CHEZ dispatcher Of
Iron Mountain railroad, shot in body.
A. A. Grenly. lumberman. shot in
head.
Manuel Abromowitz, clerk, shot in
face.
Albert Marx. vice president South
ern Hardware company, shot in head.
C. E. Bynum, st~enographer South
ern Grocery company. shot in face.
@. l.. Kendall, trainmaster Iron
Mountain railroad, shot In body,
D. G. Trousdale, secretary-trcasu.
rer Southern Grocery company, shot
In body.
J.. w. Merryman, agent Wells, Far
go & Co., shot in hand.
Armand Baer. clerk |. Baer G. Co..
shot in back, arm and hand.
D. Ensell, travelling salesman. shot
In face.
E. P. Davis, clerk Southern Hard
ware company, shot In head.
NJ. Braun, blacksmith, shot in hand.
L. B. Edwards, steamboat man, shot
in arm.
l.. -. Haas, merchant, shot in head
and breast.
Herman Abouis, merchant, shot in
breast.
r. r. Ross, clerk, shot in body.
Fred McGrath, clerk, shot In hand.
Three negroes, shot in face and
body.
Act Vas Deliberate.
1t was at first reported that Wade
was half crazed at the time from the
effects Of cocaine and cheap whiskey,
but an investigation by the police
showed that when he purchased the
shotgun and a box of shells a few
minutes before he opened fire on the
first man there was nothing unusual
In his manner or behavior.
Wade came to Monroe recently
from Pine Bluff, Ark. He was &C
companied by several other negroes
and they commenced to make trou.
bic for the local police 0 after
they arrived.
At the store where Wade bought
the box of shells the clerk said that
the negro asked for buckshot. He
gave him birdshot by mistake. This
mistake probably saved the lives OF
a score or more Of men,.
The negro, after purchasing the
gun, took a position in the arcade of
the Bank Of Monroe and began a fu.
silade which wrought terror to all
who were IN the streets or who were
attracted by the shooting.
Patrolman Bigger, who had been
attracted by the shooting, ran toward
Wade and was shot down. He arose
and emptied his revolver at the ne.
gro. 1t is believed that one or more
OF Bigger's shots took effect. The
negro continued to fire into the
crowd, wounding many Of them,
when Mayor Forsythe, Manager Ed.
ward Stannard of the local Western
Union office and Daniel Mcleod
came up and returned the fire. Wade
finally fell as a result of the fatal
wound in the heart.
After the body Of the negro had
been cut down from the pole on
which 1t was strung, a crowd Of men
and boys poured coal oil oyer 1t and
burned 1t. In a few minutes nothing
remained but a heap OF ashes and
bones.