Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-10-07
Murder Plot Of Blacks
Uncovered in Arkansas

HE told them that those men,
bers who were unable to buy am
munition would be supplied by the
union from the government store
house at Winchester.
The Mercenary Side.
THE purely mercenary side of it
develops as follows:
Negro men were charged $l.50
entrance fees and negro women 50
cents. At the second or third meet
ing, he would bring DR.. V. E. Pow
ell of Winchester with him, who
purported to be the examining ply
sician for the government in its
work of registering the negroes in
defense OF their rights. A certih-
cate was flld out and signed by the
doctor and given to each negro up
on payment of 50 cents. This GER
tihcate was supposed to be the reg
istration document. Those negroes
who were possessed of funds in
amounts from S. to SIS were en-
Tolled in an advanced section of the
union, and upon payment of what
ever sum he (Hill) could procure in
excess of S., certificate was given
emitting the holder to attend the
congresses of the union at Win
chester and speak on the floor of
the meeting regarding any questions
brought up, and to assist in keeping
the constitution of the United States
from being questioned.
Another Form of Extortion.
Another form of extortion was
to sell shares of $40 each to the ne
groes in a proposed building to be
erected by the union at Winchester.
Hill had so plannd his campaign
that any negro possessing from 50
cents to $50 was given an cpportu-
nifty to invest in something connect
ed with the union.
"He then advised the members
that the general attorney of the
union in Little Rock would, for an
additional consideration, represent
all of the negroes in their settlement
with landlords during the ginning
season. He went to several of the
meetings with typwritten powers of
attorney which he had signed by the
negroes collecting amounts from SIS
to $50 and pledging payment of the
balance of $50 each, with the crop as
security.
HE further told the negroes that
the plan of Secretary Lane to pro-
vide homesteads for the soldiers had
been carried out where the white
soldiers were concerned, but the me-
groes had been refused participation
in it. We found where negro SOL
diers at Elaine had sold their dis
charge papers for sums ranging
from $50 to $500 on the theory that
such discharge entitled the holder
to 40 acres of government land. He
produced government maps to- state
lands in the Elaine country, which
he said could be bought for 5000.
This amount was raised and paid to
him. The land was all described and
certain negroes had designated
which parts of the various farms GALL
in cultivation) they desired to take
over for themselves after the white
people had been driven off.
Urged Plan of Campaign.
"He urged all lodges to decide
upon a plan of campaign when the
day came to strike and designated
the part to be played by every man.
He told them that the government
was erecting at Winchester three
huge storehouses, where arms, am
munition and trained soldiers would
be ready for instant use. On We'd
nesday morning after the first fight
At Hoop Spur, the negroes crossed
the track and lay in the weeds all
day waiting for Hills army to ma
,erialize. They were within easy
range of automobiles going to and
from Hoop Spur all day and could
easily have fired into them, but they
wished to wait for Hills army in
order to clean up in one fell swoop.
THE fight at Hoop Spur was un-
premeditated as far as the negroes