St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1910-08-06
SHOT LIKE SHEEP
Terrible Slaughter Of Ne
grOes at Slocum and
Denison Springs
i'm Texas.
We're Hunted Down by a
Mob of Two or Three
Hundred Furious
Slaughterers.
Trouble Arose From NOn-
Payment of Endorsed
Note Which Was
Protested.
Eleven Bodies Found and
Twenty Thought to
Have Been Shot
to Death.

PaieSLlnG, lex, July o1.-At least
fifteen, and maybe twenty, negroes,
all OF them probably unarmed, were
hunted down and killed by a mob
numbering perhaps 200 or 800 men,
in the Slocum and Denison Springs
reiShborhood Of Palestine last night
and yesterday, according to the opin-
ion Of Sheriff Black, expressed to-
day. The sheriff returned this morn
ing, after tWenty-four hours ab-
sence in that district, where racial
trouble has been acute, and described
in some detail the conditions he
found to exist. He told of a fierce
man hunt in the woods, of riddIed
bodies found on lonely roads and of
he terror almost indescribable
among the inhabitants in the South
eastern part OF Anderson county.
Sheriff Black is sure that his esti-
mate Of the dead is conservative. He
said he made a careful investigation
and added this statement:
I'VE won't find some of the bodies
until the location is revealed to US by
the buzzards
SHOT LIKE SHEEP.
Il found the greatest excitem ent
prevailing throughout that section OF
the country. Men were going about
anu killing negroes as fast as they
could find them, and, so far as | have
been able to ascertain, without any
real cause at all. These negroes had
never done anything that could dis
cover. There was just a hot-headed
gang hunting them down and killing
them.
I'VE found e'even dead bodies,
out from what l ave heard, the dead
must number fit san or twenty. We
came across four lead bodies in one
house.
81 don't know how many were in
the mob, but think there must have
been zoo or 500. [ understand that
Mrs. George Scarborough Of Slocum
saw party Of forty or fifty go
through her fed. Some Of them cut
the wires and went through on horse
back and some of them walked
through. They went across to the
house where we found the four dead
bodies. One negro had been killed
at this house the night before, and
three were sitting up with the re-
mains-one CT them beinz ali old and
white-haired negro.
KILLED OUTRIGHT
"These three were killed right
where they were found SO far as
can learn the negroes were not
armed. I have been somewhat disa-
bled by runaway accident, and SO
could not make a personal inVesti-
cation OF this point, but l sent two
detectives out through the county tc
collect the arms they could find in
the houses Of the negroes. They
made a thorough search, but found
only nine little single-barreled shot
guns, none Of which seemed to have
been fired lately, and about thirty
shells, all loaded with small shot.
Il am led to believe that the main
trouble was due to a controveTs5
over a promissory note. This may
not be true, but that is the impress
sicn have at this stage OF the ilves
tigation. r. Afford, a white man
who is a cripple, had gone on ne
gro's note. The note came due and
he got after the negro to renew it c.
pay it or something OF the kind, and
the negro would not do it, and cursed
him. The incident caused bad feel
ing. Then think Mr.. Spurges prob.
ably had a little trouble with the ne
groes. At least they claimed that he
had whipped one. Somebody saw
this negro slipping up to Spurge's
house.
KILLING GENERAL.
This negro was killed, and ther
the mob went to killing them al
over the county. l have been talk
ing to Mr. Sadler at Grapeland and
he told me that two were killed late
yesterday afternoon near the town OF
Priscilla. | think most Of the crowd
OF men came from Houston county
and, according to what | am told
the shooting was still going on late
yesterday evening. They were hunt
ing the negroes down like sheep
We found two in the road that hae
been shot about 10 o'clock night be
fore last. 1t was evident that at the
time they were killed they Were try.
ing to get out of the country, fol-
they had their bundles of clothes
with them.
Because of my disabled condi-
ton | got to only two bodies myself
but nay deputies found dead negroes
scattered around everywhere. II
most instances they had been killed
with buckshot. | have now two dep.
uties down there, and these afe
working III conjunction with the
rangers who went down last night