Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-10-10
WORK or NEGRO. sCHEMER:
Arkansas Trouble Vas Planned For
isb Money.
TOOK ADVANTAGE OF IGNORANCE

underrt the Nature Of His Vic
Tins, Smooth and Unserupulous
You1g Scoundrel Led Them in the
Way Of Destruction for His Own
Foolish Vanity, and With Eye to
Profit. a..
A statement was made last Monday
on he,recent riots by E. M. Allen, of
the committee OF seven, authorized by
local officers and trouble at Helena,
Arkansas. charging that the affair was
an organized negro uprising, fostered
bya negro who preyed on ''the ignor-
ance and superstition of a race of
children for nfomentary gains"
Mr.. Allen, who was one of the lead
ing men marked for death, after hear
ing confessions, examining circulars
and other evidence procured by state
the military officers in connection
with the work Of the committee, is
sued the following statement to ex-
plain what the committee had found
tc be the situation leading to the kill
ing of Eve white men and upwards of
a score of negroes: O..
''The present trouble with the ne,
groes in Phillips county is not a race
riot II is a deliberately planned in
surrection Of the negroes against the
whites directed by an organization
known as the Progressive Farmers
and Household Union of America, es-
tablished for the purpose Of banding
negroes together for the killing of
white people, This union was started
by Robert L. Hill, a negro, 26 years of
age, Of Winchester, Ark, who saw in
it an opportunity of making easy mon
ey He had been a farmer all his life
but lately had been posing as 'pri-
vate detective doing work in this and
all foreign countries
Began in April.
"Hill started bis first union work ins
April Of this year." Mr. Allen said.
HE told the negroes it was necessary
for all members Of the union to arm
themselves in preparation for tina day
when they, should be called upon to
attack their white oppressors.
Negro men We're charged $3.50 en-
trance fees and negro women SO cents, -
Mr. Allen said in his statement.
Another form of extortion was to
sell shares of $40 each to all the ne
groes in a proposed building to be
erected by the union at Winchester"
the statement says: "Hill would find
out what negroes possessed thrift
stamps and Liberty bonds and would
have & certificate stating that so many
shares had been purchased at $40 per
share and all negroes buying tsharesl
in the amount of $50 or more We're
told that their names would be en-
gravedHin the building. In other words,
he had $50 planned his campaign that
any negro possessing from so cents to
$50 was given an opportunity to invest
ir something connected with the union.
Another scheme used by Hill to OBJ
tain money was to appoint leading
negroes in each lodge as a private and
foreign detective furnishing them
large nickel plated stars and pair of
nickel plated handouts for which they
paid him $50 each.
White Men Make Speeches.
"His meeting at Winchester in, Au-
gust was attended and addressed by
white men. He simply. played upon
the ignorance and superstition of a
race of children-most of whom could
neither read nor write. Z,
II have cross examined and talked
to at least 100 prisoners at Elaine.
They belong to different lodges in that
section. The stories they tell are al
most identical as to the promises and
representations made by, Hill. He even
told them that probably some of the
negroes would be called upon to die
before equal rights would be assured
but they must look upon themselves as
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