Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-12-22
THlRTY-THRtE NEGROES
HELD IN GUARDED STORE
News That Blacks Have Been Buying
Arms for Several Weeks and Plan
ming Concerted Attack Upon White
6 Families Arouses indignation ard
Brings Country People Out.
(By Associated Press).

.tate troops and armed deputies pa
trolling the streets and the public
roads leading into the town. and with
30 Of the negro ringleaders corraned
"A an improvissd stockade the threat
,ned race war Is believed tonight o
have been averted. Excitement, how
ever. has not been altogether aliayed.
and tonight every white mans house
In Magnolia and for several miles
around Is guarded against threaten
cd revengerful acts on the part or
negroes who resent the burning yes
terday of Clint Montgomery. one OF
the negro desperate brothers. charged
with the killing Saturday night OF AL
gcrnon Lewis.
This section TOR miles around was
stirred this morning by reports that
the negroes We're planning 10 attack
the town tonight. burn the residences
and murder every white person they
could find.
The rsrorts were apparently well
founded and by three O'clock today
Magnolia was filled with armed white
men and clash was imminent.
Cooler Heads Prevail.
Douetless the arrival of the 10
soldiers prevented bloodshed.
Several OF the negroes come cted
with the alleged plot TO burn the
town had already been apprehended
and only the c,oler heads among the
citizens and Sheriff Grant and rs
armed deputies prevented summary
vengeance being melted out to them
before the Selma troops reached
here.
The officers assert that they have
matters well in hand tonight. Last
night Sam Shields. a relative OF rom
Shields, one OF the four white men
shot by Clint Montgomery yesterday
reported that. he overheard number
OF negroes plotting a systematic at
tack upon the whites.
There was large gathering of the
zagroes at a house near town and
~ Shields says they planned to go
from house to house in Magnolia. APP
plying the torch and killing the oc-
cupants as they made effcst to es-
cape Ilom the flames. Runners were
sent out after midnight conveying this
information TO the white
Negroes Armed.
IL was learned that for several
weeks past the negroes have been
purchasing fire arms and this added
cOlcr to the reports that they were
planning a combined attack urcn the
whites.
visit was made today to the home
of Dick Montgomery, father of the
four brothers whose acts led up TO
the present strained conditions, but
he was not found. He is prominent
in negro secret rociefies and the re-
port spread this afternoon thar ne
was rounding up members OF us
lodges in .he outlying country for the
purpose OF making a determined a.
tack upon the whites.
Tonight a report reached mere that
a white man had been shot and fatal
~ wounded by negroes. but Il ccsld
not De verified
The thirty negroes who are
held in a guarded store building hers
viii tomorrow be taken 20 the cous.ty
jail at Linden. Other arrests OF neg
ross are expected TO te made tonight
sentries Guard Negroes
The soldiers from Selma reached
Magnolia after nighffall. and az
O'clock tonight sentries we're placed
around the vacant st-reaousc where
thirty negroes are confined. These
negroes were arrested because e. re-
Dcrted threats that they had made
against the whites CT because they
we're suspected Of having been impii
Gated IN the murder Of young Alger-
ron Lewis by the four Montgomery
rcEr-cs
Ernest Sisdc. the white nan Who
vas desperately wounded Yesterday
v hen Clint montgomery frc1 q a
Posse. has been taken 20 his bone ~
lamison. lie Is terribly wc11dcd. but
Surgeons give hope for his reegTer3.
Pursucd ~ pcrscs.
WIN Montgomery = stu az large