French Broad hustler and Western Carolina Democrat. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1915-1916, 1916-06-01

LAUREL PARK; TOOLS STOLEN:
PAINT DESTROYED.
Hendersonville is infested with a
set Or clique of men who apparently
/ would do violence as an extreme
measuring 4n seeing that their desires
are carried out. A particular case OF
this kind has been demonstrated in
Laurel Park where Mr.. D. H. Counts,
a prominent planter and stock dealer
of Laurens, s. c., was building sum-
mer home under his personal super
vision and had brought from his farnr
six negroes to help him with the work.
At some time near midnight last Sat-
urday according to neighbors who
live in the park unknown parties
visited the premises of Mr. Counts
and his sister Mrs. S. H. Sanders of
Florence, who expect to spend the
sumner in the house Jointly, and
stole all the tools and overturned all
the paints and oils that could be
found. The total loss to Mr.. Counts
is nearly $50. He has been unable
to secure any clue as to the individual
who performed the deed.
Monday morning there was found:
on sign made from a plank about
six by nine inches long painted the in
scription run NEGROES" placed on
the property. This of course caused
the negroes Mr.: Counts had brought
with him, much uneasiness and an ef-
fort was made in receiving police or
county protection, but with no en-
couragement. Mr.. Counts stated that
he had brought the negroes with him
here mainly on account of the fact
that they owed him money advanced
for provisions. etc. He decided after
what had taken place that it would be
safer to send the colered brethren
back home and possibly lose the $500
which was owing him.
Mr.. Counts states that he is not
contractor, and has never contracted
i a job of building in his life. He is a
farmer and has had at one time hum.
dreds of negroes working for him as
well as many white men. g..
Last Saturday Mr.. Counts was in
formed by his landlord, where he is
boarding here, that there had been a
committee of ten or fifteen white men
waiting On Ann, but he had been de-
tanned longer than he expected on
business at local store. He could
not find out who these men were. He
was approached On the street by two
men who would not give their names
| and was told that he had better get
his negroes out of town. He was
J phoned by a prominent citizen one
night last week that there would be
fifty white men out at his home the
next morning, if he did not move the
negroes he was working, out Of town.
Many leading citizens of Hender-
sonville feel that Mr.. Counts has been
done a great wrong and believe that
there IS a law that will protect him.
If Mr.. Counts had been a contractor or
even was building house for anyone
else than himself and had employed
negroes instead of white carpenters
then it, would have been a different
case.
The fact that some person Or per-
sons actually broke the locks of Mr..
Counts tool chests and took from
them the working tools and also de-
stroyed a quantity of paints and oils
looks as if there as 1awless element
at work in Hendersonville
The officers of Hendersonville and
county should use every effort in ap-
pretending the guilty party.
Until the tools are returned a shad-
ow of suspicion will remain upon a
certain element of the working peo-
pie of Hendersonville simply because
some irresponsible person or persons
had done deed of violence in trying
to destroy property, during a period
of time when they (as whole or large
number) attempted to influence an
individual in the pursuance of his
work.
! The best element OF the city does
not believe in placing the negro on
any higher plane than he now stands.
The principle of the whole occur
renee was wrong in forcing the i'm
ported help of Mr.. Counts to leave
the city.
E The Hustler believes in taking the
side of the wronged and regardless
of threats of any kinds will cont nue.
to stand up for the right, it matters