Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1921-04-09
ME EMEfICAnI CONCO
Continued from First Pago)


whore the Craigs and their guests
were ut dinner and reported that Low
~ was coming. She vas not chased Il
mile for she was the cook and tho
Craigs were eating her Christmas din
nQr.
When Lowry arrived on tho porch
he announced that he had come again
to ask for II settlement, and the senior
Craig, with appropriate language told
him to leave the place and emphasiz-
led his remark with billet Of wood
which he hurled through the door,
striking Lowry. Aud as Craig and his
family and guests came pressing
through the door, Lowry, was nack.
ing off the porch rs II fearing ana
seeking 10 escape from bodily harm.
when bad-t empered "Dick" rushed out
OF the door and shot Lowry. 1t Is said
that others also were menacfng tho
Negro with guns. But not until he WAS
shot Mt and as lie himself claims hit
by a bullet from the Craigs did
Lowry pull his gun ard
shoot-unfortunate killing the faith
or and thc married daughter and
wounding the two sons.
Immediately the newspapers. espec
tally those Of the nearby city Of Mem.
phia, began to work up a lynching by
advertising the outrage" the Negro
paur;ierer," and bad whiskey"--with
cut one word Of explanation or ono
syllable OF editorial comment upon the
underlying cause OF all this. Lowry
had escaped and was caught In 81
Paso, Texas, on the 10th Of January.
beiM$ traced through letter which
no had written to friend in an effort
to get news to his wife and child. who
had been moved into the Crnig back
yard for protection" The colored
people Nham Lowry men Toned in thia
letter rs his :iicros were thrown into
Jail. with Others HON he did not mon
LION but viii. were known to be ON
GERS OF tie Odd Fellow Lodge to which
he belonged. Two wives wcre Jailed
with their accused husbands. s
Governor McRae, OF Arkansas. tried
to forestall lynching by ordering
the deputy shcriffs who had gone to
Texas to bring Lowry to Little Rock.
The Governor had said that Lowry
would have Fair trial. The nearest
route from FL Paso TO Little Rock
would lie through Dallas and Texarkan
and would not pass anywhere near
the scene of the original trouble. But
the deputies took Lowry several hun
dsed miles out of the way, down
through New Orleans so rs to bring
him to tho waiting mob in Mississippi
Coanty. The mob leader received a teio
gram from New Orleans to meet a cor
tain train in Sardis. Miss.
we have here a good example of the
contempt for local law, and good
indication of the incapacity OF the coun
ties and States to protect prisoners
who are the objects OF mob feeling or
10 punish those who arc guilty OF intsl
racial lynchings. This mob parnded It
SELF unhindered through three States:
going from Arkansas through Tsnnes
SEQ TO Mississippi, announcing it's pur
po&a boldly to the officers Of another
state, then waiting leisurely at the
railway station and a hotel, "overpow
ering' the deputies in the face of tho
public, and parading again with It's vic
tIm through three States past tho
sroat city OF Afemphis to the SPOT IL,
Arkansas where the burning was SEIZED
ulad to take place. Some OF the mob
oven stopped at principal Memphis
'pIP>" oit lltWS SO IuaI JNC
afternoon papers could announce the
eA@et hour when the lynching and burn
ING would take place and Celebrated"
Tlth good dinner. The papers an.
ndAnced the burning for p. m. and It
actually took place at $50. Tho spirit
o. al the news in the papers tended to
make heroes out OF these lynchers.
VINO had captured n handcuffed Negro
from conniving officers. The papers
spoke Of them no being call men,"
Meanwhile all luw was PROSTATE, as
IL 1t were non-existent. Everybody
scanned to know just when and whero
the burning was to take place, except
the sheriff of that county. The papers
say that there were six hundred lynch
trs and sightseers. from nil the sur
rounding communities. Tho Memphis
papers even had correspondent on
tho scene to cover the affair for them.
Hut there was no evidence OF the pow
er Of tho State or the nn'ion to pro.
test, not Lowry but civilized law. Tho
terturers burned the victim for near
" an hour before he died. They be
gan with his feet, sprinkling dry
leaves by the handful on a slow fire.
But after they had thus burned off
all the lower part OF his body and his
abdomen began to burn, they decided
to prevent the anticlimax Of a slow
~ breathed out life; they poured gas
cline over all the upper part Of the
bsdy so that the victim expired in a
great flame.
According to the sheriff of the
county, who managed to be absent
when the burning took place, "every
man, woman ana child" white OF
course In that county wanted that
burning to take place. And yet some
southern members Of Congress got
wrathy when q witness before tho Cen
sas Committee testified recently that
IN some communities of the South tho
majority OF the white population il
iaWless IN its attitude toward Negro.
~.
seven other colored people, two OF
mem perfectly innocent women, would
haVe met the same fate In that same
hour II the Arkansas roads had not