The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-08-26
THE MONROE TRAGEDY.

The tragedy which occurred at Mon
roe Tuesday morning was as startling
as a clap of thunder from cloudleSs
sky. In few minutes negro, w. >.
Wade, the aggressor, said to be from
Arkansas, was killed and twenty-five cit
liens, white men, his victims, were
wounded from shots he had fred with
deliberation from a breech-loading shot
gun.
This tragedy is without parallel in
this or other States, at least of the
South, although there is cited the case
of Robert Charles, negro desperate,
who had wounded a policeman in New
Orleans and who had barricaded HIM
self in a house and resisted desperately
with a winchester rife, until killed by
the officers of the law.
In the Monroe tragedy there is adj
vanced several theories, one is that the
negro was resentful and had deter
mined on avenging the death of one of
his companions, who had been killed by
policeman To sustain this theory it
is stated that Wade was one of band
of negro desperadoes operating secretly
and that he had been paid to execute
this diabolism on the unoffending citi-
gems of Monroe, in proof of which $78
was found on his person after he had
been slain.
In such cases theories at best are
misleading and afford little satisfaction
or comfort, in the solution of such a
tragedy. II rests with the citizens of
Monroe to solve this problem fairly.
There may be some substance in the
statement that Wade, in his murderous
assault on citizens who had done him
no harm, was actuated by a revengeful
spirit, intensified by the bitterness of his
feelings towards the police, but, in ex-
ceedingly rare exceptions, negro with
money is not easily provoked in his bel
ligerency towards white men unless
stimulated in his murderous inclination
BY some intoxicant. In this condi-
ton, brooding perhaps over some
faneied or real injury, Wade sought
redress through the breech-loading
shotgun and the cartridges he had
purchased, and being nerved for
action, he began Immediately the
shooting of citizens who came with
in range. 1t is fortunate that no cas-
ualty will result from the wounds in
flicted by this negro, but viewed dis
passionately this query is forced on the
mind: Would this negro have carried
into execution his iiaboIism if he had
not been stimulated by some drug or
intoxicant?
1t would not be surprising if there
should be a rigid and impartial inquiry
that it may be developed that this ne
gro was not of rational mind that his
mind had been fired by some stimu-
liant. which nerved him in his deadly
intent The assertion is ventured that
a negro of rational mind would not
have irnperiled his life by shooting at
white men, Even a desperate of RAJ
tional mind, one not intoxicated or
laboring under the effect of some drug,
would have attempted to fee on being
confronted with white men offering
him resistance.
This implied cause which prompted
this Negroes action may be ridicuIed by
some classes, but it would be well to not
consign it aside as being puerile. This
tragedy was sufficient to arouse the
temper of the citizens of Monroe to a
frenzq of resentment, but unlike the
people of Northern States, there was
no retaliation, but the fullest protection
of the law was assured all the negroes
who had no connection with Wade. For
this the citizens of Monroe must be
commended in the highest degree.