The north Mississippi herald. (Water Valley, Yalobusha Co., Miss.) 1888-1929, 1919-10-31
WHITE LAWYER HELD
FOR NEGRO UPRISING
Phillips County Grand Jury
Hears Strong Charge From
Judge jackson on Results of
Propaganda That Caused
Deaths in Riots. G. p. Casey
Is Arrested.

Helena, Ark, Oct. 27.-When the
Phillips Circuit Court convened here
today interest centered in the courts
charge to the grand jury relative to
the insurrection of Oct. 1, which re-
suited in the death of three white
citizens of Helena, an employe of the
Missouri Pacific Railway, a United
States soldier and an unknown num-
Der of negroes, all killed in the vi
cinity of Hoop Spur, two miles north
of Elaine. Judge Jackson's charge to
the grand jury was brief but to the
point. He summed up the results of
the insurrection, called attention to
the reports that persons living outside
Phillips County had deliberately in
cited the negroes to insurrection and
instructed the jury to go thoroughly
into the whole affair and return in
dictments wherever the evidence was
sufficient to warrant such action. The
court touched briefly on the manner
in which the insurrection was sup
pressed, and expressed his gratifica-
ton there had been no suggestion of
mob violence in the face of great pro-
vocation. A citizen of Helena, himself,
hO was well aWdIC VI tIc law. dUlQiuk
spirit prevailing here, but he knew
that it required cool heads and faith
in the courts to prevent summary ac-
ton on the part of citizens against
the slayers of some of the county's
best men.
The arrest of G. P. Casey of the
law firm of Bratton, Bratton & Casey
at Seneca, Kan, has added interest to
the affair.
Casey, who was the resident men,
ber of the firm here, has telegraped
Sheriff Kitchens that he will return to
Helena without the formality of a
requisition, and his arrival in Helena
in charge of Kansas officials is ex-
pected tomorrow or next day. It is
said that Casey was in the vicinity of
Elaine on the night that officers sent
to arrest white bootlegger at Elaine
We're fired upon at Hoop Spur, result
ing in the death of W. A. Adkins and
the wounding of Charles Pratt, and
that he returned to Helena in gaso
line launch, spent only short time
here and departed.
A local citizen, it is said, met Casey
on train at Wynne, and told him
about the trouble at Elaine. Casey is
said to have been on his way to Hell
ena, processing ignorance of condi-
tions in the lower part of the county,
and asked the local citizen what he
should do. He was advised, according
to report, that it would be unsafe for
him to return to Helena. Casey, it is
alleged, took the next train going in
the opposite direction. Whether he
went to Little Rock, the headquarters
of Bratton, Bratton & Casey, is not
known, but local authorities say he
cashed check in st. Louis some time
after the insurrection in this county,
and no further tract of him could be
found until news of his arrest at
Seneca, Kan, reached Sheriff Kitch-
ems today by wire.
1t is known that a reward had been
offered for Casey's arrest, but the ex-
act charge against him has not been
learned. Search of his office here and
of the room which he occupied in a
private home revealed literature of a
questionable nature, there being sew
eral pamphlets and volumes contain
ing writings of Emma Goldman and
the Russian Bolshevik leaders, Lenine
and Trotzky.