Newspaper Page Text
Wayne County News.
VOL. III.
OF THE RACE RIOT AT PHOENIX,
SOUTH CAROLINA.
TOLBERT CALLS ON M’KINLEY.
He Telle Hie Side of the Story and De¬
mands That the Trouble Be
looked Into.
A Washington special says: The
president has ordered federal officials
to investigate the condition of affaire
in Greenwood county, South Carolina,
and to report to him as te whether fed¬
eral interference is warranted.
This order was sent through the de¬
partment of justice Friday.
The United States marshal and the
district attorney are directed to pro¬
ceed to Phoenix and report the facts.
The step was determined on after a
confei ence of an hour between repub¬
lican leaders of South Carolina and
the president.
During the session of the cabinet Fri¬
day considerable attention was devotod
to the race troubles in the Carolinas.
The president expressed deep concern
over the situation.
Of course, the duty of punishing the
transgressors is with the state author¬
ities, and as Governor Ellerbe has not
suggested that he needs aid, it is diffi¬
cult to see how the federal government
is going to interfere.
R. R. Tolbert, whose father and
brother were shot in the recent race
war at Phoenix, was at the department
of justice Friday and asked for the
investigation of the riot by the federal
authorities of the state. The elder
Tolbert, as has been announced, is
now in the state penitentiary for safe
keeping from popular violence.
Tolbert’* Story.
Tolbert says that the true facts of
the rioting have not been given. The
facts are, he said, as follows: *
“I was nominated by the republicans
of my district. For the purpose of
making a contest before the house,
my brother, T. P. Tolbert, agreed to
be present at the polling place at
Phoenix for the purpose of witnessing
the affidavits of colored men who were
rejected as voters because of their in¬
ability to comply with the require¬
ments of the constitution.
“My brother took no part in the
management of the polling place,
which was in the hands of the demo¬
crats. He simply sat on the piazza of
Mr. Lnko’s house and witnessed the
affidavits given him, depositing these
affidavits in a box prepared for the
purpose. .
“Mr. Etheridge, the white man who
was killed, was an election manager at
a precinct two miles away. He left
his own precinct and, with a party of
men, went to Phcenix. He walked up
with his party to where my brother
was sitting at a table and deliberately
kicked over the table and box in which
the certificates were. Then he assault¬
ed my brother.
“In a short while the democratic
voters who were in the same house
rushed out and commenced shooting
into the crowd. The negroes fled. My
brother, who is probably dead by now,
told me that Etheridge was killed by
shots from his own friends. My
brother did not have a weapon on his
person.” hour Friday afternoon
At a late
Tolbert, accompanied by Solicitor
General Richards, of the department
of jnstice, called at the white house
and had an extended interview with
President McKinley. He related to
the president the story of his experi¬
ences in South Carolina, entering into
minute details of the trouble on elec¬
tion day. The president listened at¬
tentively to the recital, bat gave no
indication of what action,if any, might
be taken. However, he requested Mr.
Tolbert to see the attorney general and
make to him a fnll statement of the
situation as he viewed it.
Returning to the department of jus¬
tice, Tolbert had an interview with
Attorney General Griggs, who had
just returned to the city from New
Jersey. At the conclusion of the in
terview the attorney general said he
would have a conference with the
president upon the matter as soon as
possible, and it would then be deter¬
mined what, if anything, would be
done.
WILMINGTON IS QUIET.
jfew City Government In Charge and So
Further Trouble Expected.
The new city government. Wilming¬
ton, N. C., has thoroughly established
law and order so that a visitor could
scarcely realize that only a few days
ago a race war reigned. One hundred
new policemen are to be elected at
once.
Negroes who fled to the woods dur¬
ing the rioting are returning to town,
many of them in a famished condition.
The authorities have effectively stamp¬
ed out the lawless crusade for the ex¬
pulsion of citizens who have been
prominent in negro leadership.
SPANIARDS ASK DELAY.
No Meeting of the Peace Commllllon IVat
Rehl Monday.
A Paris special says: There was no
joint sessions of the peace commis¬
sions Monday. Secrotary * Moore, "of
the United States commission, re¬
ceived from Secretary Ojeda, of the
Spanish commission, a note saying
that the Spanish commissioners had
found it impossible to prepar# their
memorandum for presentation, and
asking if the United States commis¬
sioners would be inconvenienced ,if»
owing to the late arrival from Madrid
of expected data, the next* Spaniards would
request that'the meeting be de¬
ferred until Wednesday.
Secretary Moore replied that the
American commissioners were quite
ready to accommodate the Spanish
commissioners in this matter, and the
joint session was deferred until Wed¬
nesday.
Importance was attached to this de¬
lay, it being regarded as indicating
that the Spanish commissioners are
preparing for a final stand in the ne¬
gotiations and it may be now definite¬
ly stated that they will not sign a
treaty which yields to Spain no more
for the Philippine islands than ha«
thus far 4>een offered or indicated by
the Americans.
Should the latter announce that the
United States is only willing to reim¬
burse Spain for her pacific expenses in
the Philippine islands, the Spanish
commissioners will reply that their
mission is finished, Should this
occur it is possible Die Spaniards will
also suggest a suspension of negotia¬
tions through the commission and the
lesumption of negotiations between
Madrid and Washington.
The attitude of the Spaniards is ex¬
plained by the fact that the members
of the Spanish commission have polit¬
ical alliances and personal responsi¬
bilities to constituencies and the na¬
tional creditors of Spain which re¬
strict ttem to certain lines, which is
as far a% the ministry at Madrid eares
to go. ’
COMPLICATIONS MAY ARISE
Unless Mexican Authorities Release an
American Prisoner, Illegally Held.
A Washington special says: The
state department is making strong
efforts to secure the release of the
American, Temple, who is in a Mexi¬
can jail on the charge of murder com¬
mitted in the United States, and it
has instructed Mr. Powell Clayton,
United States minister to Mexico, to
address himself directly to the Ameri¬
can foreign office on that subject. The
principle involved in the case is re¬
garded of the highest importance, for
if Temple is held for trial by the Mex¬
ican authorities it will amount to an
admission on the part of the United
States of the right of Mexico to exer¬
cise extra territorial jurisdiction over
American soil.
Substantially the same claim was in¬
volved in the celebrated Cutting case,
which came near causing a breach of
friendly relations, and it arose again
in the more recent case of Leonard
Pacheo. Cutting was released by the
Mexican government only after trial.
Pacheo was released, but not on our
demand, and in no case has the Mexi¬
can government surrendered its view
that it had a right to try a person in
Mexico for an offense committed in
the United States. Cutting was in
jail for several months and Pacheo for
two years.
It is not at all probable that any
such delay will be permitted in the
Temple case.
On Sunday last James Temple, a
conductor on the Mexico and Arizoua
railroad, was attacked by some Mexi¬
cans and in defending himself shot
one of them at Juan Arvatla fatally.
This occurred about 2,000 feet north
of the international boundary line.
PECK BRINGS MESSAGE.
President Faarc and M. Brlsson Send
Highest Regard* to McKinley.
Ferdinand W. Peck, commissioner
general of the United States to the
Paris exposition, who arrived in
Washington Sunday night, called upon
President McKinley Monday and gave
him a brief account of what had been
accomplished at Paris. of France, and M.
President Faure,
Brisson, the late prime minister, had
charged Mr. Peck to convey to Presi¬
dent McKinley their highest regards.
Mr. Peck said that the intention of
this country to erect a monument to
Lafayette in Paris was pleasing to the
French people and had gone far to¬
ward helping him in his work.
BABCOCK PREPARES L!«T.
Republican Chairman Shows Majority of
Thirteen In the House.
A Washington special says: Late
Thursday afternoon Chairman Bab¬
cock, of the republican congressional
committee, prepared a the list fifty-sixth of repre
sentatives-elect to
congress. His figures show the elec¬
tion of 185 straight republicans, 163
democrats, six populists and one silver
republican. These figures do not in¬
clude two doubtful districts. Conced¬
ing these two districts to the demo¬
crats, »3 a means of reaching definite
results, Mr. Babcock claims a certain
majority of thirteen ovar all opposition.
JESUP. GEORGIA. FRIDAY,%0YEMBER 18, 1898.
SPAIN INSISTS ON ELIMINATING
THE PHILIPPINE QUESTION.
FINAL INSTRUCTIONS ARE GIVEN.
Both Government* Send Orders Which
Conflict and May Result In Ending
the Peace Conference.
A Washington special says: Th6
cabinet held a special session Satur¬
day night, at which instructions un
derstood to be of a positive character,
bearing on the Philippine question,
were drafted for dispatch to the Amer¬
ican commissioners in Paris.
These instructions were the outcome
of the conference held earlier in the
day and instruct the American repre¬
sentatives to admit of no further dis¬
cussion as to the right to consider the
disposition of the islands and state
that on that point the instructions
already sent must stand, the only mat¬
ters of discussion from the American
view being the manner of giving over
the islands.
May Be the Lint.
El Imparoial (Madrid) says the gov¬
ernment haw for-warded instructions to
Senor Montero Rios, president of the
Spanish peace commission at Paris,
and that Monday's conference may be
the last or the. last but one, “unless
the American commissioners moderate
their claim. ”
According to El Imparcial,a member
of the cabinet has virtually declarod
as much.
The Madrid papers declare that the
expected visit of Emperor William is
a matter of no political importance,
and that the German ambassadors in
Madrid and at tJerlin are in no way
connected with it.
Treaty Improbable.
A special of Sunday from Washing¬
ton says: Among on-lookers here the
impression exists—though it is not the
result of any official statement—that
the Spanish peace commissioners will
not consent to a treaty which the
American commissioners could sign.
It seems almost possible, also, that
in the pitiable pressure to which the
Spanish commissioners are subjected
between their large creditors, who are
on the spot watching them, and the
stern attitude of the United-States, the
Spaniards may abandon their struggle
aud leave the two forces to confront
each other.
The statement is made that the last
memorandum from the Americans is
regarded by the Spaniards as a virtual
nltimatum. But, as a matter of fact,
the Americans have not presented an
nltimatum, save as their treatment of
the subject in hand may be unauswer
ble.
It is only since Wednesday last that
the Spaniards have begun to-feel that
the Americans purpose taking over the
'Philippines, and that, too, without any
assumption of Spanish indebtedness.
As they are now convinced of this, it
may be that Spain’s next presentment
in conference will be thesupreme rally
of her diplomatic, argumentative and
tactful forces. It may even mark the
conclusion of all she has to say. but if
the rules of procedure are followed,
the Americans would still have another
presentation to submit.
Ever since October 1 it has been
within the range of possibility that at
any meeting an open rupture might
occur, and on one or two occasions it
might have been easily a fact even be¬
fore taking up of the Philippine ques¬
tion.
Spain may still insist that she ef¬
fectively reserved discussion her Philippine sov¬
ereignty from or disturb¬
ance by the United States in a note
from Duke Almodovar de Rio, the
Spanish minister of foreign affairs, to
Judge Day, then United States secre¬
tary of state, dated Madrid, August
7th. It is by this message that Spain
presumably accepted the terms of
peace which, at Spain’s request, had
been set forth by President McKinley
through Secretary Day under date of
July 30th. And it is by this message
of Duke Almodovar de Rio and by the
response of Secretary Day that Spain
seeks to prove to the United States
peace commission and to the tribunal
of nations that Spain's sovereignty
over the Philippine islands was re¬
served from any discussion here aud
without protest from the United States.
GERMANS MAKE DENIAL.
They Say Emperor’* Visit to Spain I*
Not An Official One.
A Washington dispatch says: It is
understood that assurances have been
given by the German government that
the Tiait of Emperor William, of
Germany, to Spain is entirely devoid
of official character; that the trip of
the imperial party ended when they
left Palestine and that the proposed
stop at Cadiz atid Cartagena is largely
a health precaution iu behalf of the
empress, as the sea trip would be long
and arduous if unbroken by these
stops at the Spanish ports.
NEGRO WOMAN KILLED DY THREE
UNKNOWN WHITE MEN.
PHOENMTICENS HOLD MEETING.
Interesting Beftolution* Adopted—One of
the Tolberts Kepadlates His
Fust Affiliations.
A special from Columbia states that
there has been more bloodshed iu
Greenwood oonnty, South Carolina,
and along its borders in the sister
county of Abbeville, but none of it
can be laid to the door of the while
men who. wreaked summary vengeance
upon the blacks last week.
A negro woman was shot through
aud through and ia supposed to be
mortally wounded. The woman was
in her own house, which stands near
the point from which unknown parties
fired upon Private 1 Miller, wounding
him so (Seriously, or. the day of the
riot. The woman, Eliza Goode, was
beside her invalid daughter and a
child when three white men came
along atd began to fire indiscrimi¬
nately through the walls of the house.
It is supposed that they thought cer¬
tain negroes they had been after were
in the lifiuse. The woman and others
saw thi men, but do not know who
they were. held
The people a mass meeting at
Phoenix and adopted a series of reso¬
lutions, which are of particular inter¬
est. 'They read as follows:
Resolved, That we, the citizens of
Phcenix and surrounding country, in
mass meeting assembled, desire to ex¬
press ojjir deep regret at the loss of
life and bloodshed that has occurred
in this vicinity during the past few
days, and to call attention to the fact
that this section has always beei\
noted for the high moral character of
its people, its peaceful, law-abiding
disposition, and the friendly relations
that e heretofore existed between
the Resolved, raofs.
That the evidence of
negro as well as White eye-witness#*
to Tuesday’s riot agrees that the. first
hostile attack was made by Thomas
Tolbert and certain negroes, and that
the first shot fired was the one that
killed J. I. Ethridge, and was fired by
a negro. We regret that deluded
negroes have had to suffer the penalty
for misdeeds committed as a result of
the influences of white men, whose
greed and selfishness has led them to
act the part of enemies to both the
white apd colored people of our coun¬
try.
Resolved, That wo hereby express
our firm conviction that thp deplora¬
ble troubles through which we have
just passed are attributable solely to
the evil influences exerted by John R.
Tolbert, Rhett Tolbert, Joseph W.
Tolbert, Thomas P. Tolbert and
Robert H. Henderson, and we believe
their further residence in Greenwood
county or its vicinity wilt tend to im¬
peril the lives and property of both
the white and colored people, and we
earnestly hope that they will choose
to remove themselves and their evil
influences elsewhere.
“Resolved, That a committee of
safety be appointed, who shall be
asked to suggest and put into opera¬
tion such measures as will best insure
peace and the protection of life and
property; that we desire to assure the
colored citizens of this community
that we will to the best of our ability
protect them so long as they are in
the discharge of their duties and in
the exercise of their rights as peace¬
ful and orderly citizens, and that we
condemn all assaults of negroes by
white persons.”
Immediately following action on the
above resolutions, the following in¬
formation was read from Elias Tolbert
and accepted as such:
To the Citizens of Greenwood
County—Heretofore I have acted as I
have from a sense of high Christian
duly,from pure conscientious motives,
not from a desire for any office or the
emoluments of office.
“I have tried to do my duty to roy
country as I knew if, my church and
school. I have never shirked my dnri
as I saw it. I tried to do my duty a*
a fifteen-year cld soldier boy in the
Second South Carolina cavalry, com¬
pany I. If there are any old soldiers
present belonging to my old command
they can testify to the fact that I was
always found at the front.
“I find that jn.many things I made
mistakes; that the two races cannot act
together in the formation of a govern¬
ment and that the country should have
white supremacy; that the Anglo-Saxon
should predominate, and hereafter I
intend to-stand shoulder to shoulder
with the white people to do all in my
power to have a government that will
protect every one alike, bnt let it be
made by the white people. I solemly
promise to do all in my power and
shall heartily co-operate with them in
’ Toubebt.”
doing this. E. L.
UONYICT FARM BOUGHT.
Tract Contain. 3,334 A ore* and Colt the
State 3(30,000.
Georgia’s new prison farm will be
near Milledgeville, the prison commis¬
sion having purchased the Newell
tract, as has already been published.
This tract includes land owned by
Captain T. F. Newell and Messrs.
Hendricks, (
Bethune, MoCoinb and
Roberts.
Judge Turner states that the farm
is a tine body of land, comprising
3,334 acres, lying between the Georgia
and the Central railroads in Baldwin
county. It is susoeptible of as high a
state of cultivation as any land in mid
dfe Georgia.
The tract costs $25,000, 0 f which
sum the city of Milledgeville has
agreed to give $5,000 so that the farm
will cost the state only $20,000 for
purchase money. Some of it is well
wooded and watered. It contains
some rolling laud and a great many
acres of bottom land. It will make
excellent crops.
The legislature appropriated $50,000
for the purchase of a farm and the es¬
tablishment of the famale, the young
and the old convicts on it. After
paying for the farm the commission
will have $25,000 with which to pur¬
chase additional land if desired and
to move the convicts and house them
oud keep them until they become self
sustaining, if ever.
Large stockades must be built.
Large barns will be needed and also a
mill for grinding grain, making meal
and flour. The state will probably
plant cotton as well as grains and
grasses and vegetables.
An option was secured by the com¬
missioners on a water power adjoining
the Newell farm and also an option on
another farm of 2,000 acres.
The location of the farm is central,
and with ttvo railroads running through
it or close to it, it will be very accessi¬
ble from all parts of the state.
The removal of the convicts will
begin next spring, when the present
lease expires. There are abont 2,300
convicts in the penitentiary, all told,
and of these there will be possibly
800 for the farm. Whether the farm
can be made to do'more than pay ex¬
penses is to be proved. Some think
it is possible for the state to raise
large quantities of meat and grain as
well as cotton and make the farm more
than self-sustaining.
The first year’s results are not ex¬
pected to be very flattering, as there
will be so much expense in making all
the preliminary preparations, and the
state will have to support the women,
children and decrepid convicts until
the food crops are made.
STRIKERS WIN FIGHT.
Chlcago-Virden 'Coal Company Agrees to
Pay the State Scale at Once.
Tlie differences between the Chicago
Virden Coal company at Yirden and
Auburn, Ill., and the striking miners,
have been settled, and the shafts will
soon be in operation.
The company agreed to pay the state
scale of 40 cents per ton, but did not
want to tear down the stockade.
Finally, the company accepted the
offer of the miners that they would
take it down and charge the company
nothing for their labor.
Adjutant General Reese, of Spring
field, notified Sheriff Davenport Sat¬
urday that the remaining troops
guarding the Chicago-Yirden Coal
Company’s shafts at Virdeu should be
removed. Since the difference between
the coal company and the miners have
been settled, troops are no longer
needed.
General pressure is being brought
to bear by influential persons that
nothing shall result from the grand
jury’s investigations.
CIRCULARS ARE ISSUED
Advising Negro©* to Commit Crime When
Opportunity Olfer*.
Postoffioe Inspector Ray, of New
Orleans, was in Chattanooga, Tenn., a
few days since, and it was learned
that, growing out of the recent race
troubles in North Carolina, the post¬
offioe authorities had discovered that
an organized scheme had been set on
foot by parties unknown for the pur¬
pose of instigating the negroes of Mis
sissippi, Alabama and portions of Geor¬
gia to deeds of violence. Circulars
have been sent out signed by the
•‘Rosebud Club,” in which negroes
are urged to criminally assault white
women whenever they have an oppor¬
tunity aud to perform other dastardly
crimes.
TRAIN ROBBERS CAUGHT.
Six Men Landed In Jail at Moorhead by
Minnesota 'Officer*.
A dispatch from Moorhead, Minn.,
says: Six of the men engaged in the
hold-up of the Great Northern coast
train near Fergus Falls were captured
Friday by Chief of Police Murphy. .
Four of the men arrived at the Ex¬
change hotel together and the others
came about an hour later aud inquired
for the first four. Each had a large
revolver. Two sets of burglar tools
and two dark lanterns, three sticks of
dynamite and four dynamite caps were
found on them, Each man had three
handkerchiefs. The six had about
$ 200 .
NO. 19
CITIZENS OF NORTH CAROLINA
TOWN TAKE FULL CHARGE.
NEGROES AND WHITES IN BUTTLE.
Kichfc Heaths the Result-Negro News¬
paper Office Destroyed By a Com¬
mittee of White Men.
Following up their success at the
polls, the white citizens of Wilming¬
ton, North Carolina, held a ma|S
meeting last Wednesday and appointed
a oommittee of twenty-five of the
leading business men to wait upon
Aleck Manly, editor of The Record,
the colored newspaper which pub¬
lished editorials derogatory to white
women, and ordered' him to leave the
town within twenty-four hours aud
take his newspaper outfit with him.
The time limit expired Thursday
morning without an answer from Man¬
ly, whereupon the committee of white
men repaired to the office of the Rec¬
ord, broke down the door and com¬
pletely demolished everything in the
office. While the destruction of the
outfit was going on some one set fire
to the building aud it was destroyed,
although it was not the intention to
use the torch.
The publishing house wsb destroyed
but the neighboring property saved.
The colored editor, Manly, bis broth¬
er and their associates fled and could
not be found W the citizens.
After destroy ng the printing house
the marchers returned to the armory,
where they had left a rapid-fire
machine gun,mounted in a wagon,ready
to be dispatched to the scene if a bat¬
tle should occur.
Riot In Another Section.
At 10:30 o’clock the scene shifted to
another section of the city. Scarcely
had the marchers disbanded at the
armory before word was passed along
that 300 or 400 negro laborers of the
great cotton compress Jtarl knocked off
work and were assembling.' The
armed men hurried to the river front
and took positionh'at th8 bead of the
streets leading to thft'dock* ’ Til6
negroes gathered in 'groups of 15.or
20, huddled together and apparently
very much <excited. They were soon
in a state of panic. Their wives had
hurried to them with reports that the’
whites-were burning the negro quar¬
ters and were shooting the people.and
begged their husbands to come home.
So the whole force quit work.
The white leaders endeavored to
calm the excited men, told them no
harm was intended and advised that
they return to work. There was no
violent talk nor threats by the negroes.
In all the disturbances the local au¬
thorities made no show of asserting
ihemselvas and not a policeman ap¬
peared. The preservation of order
was practically vested in the commit¬
tee of 25. The rapid fire machine
gun on a wagon, - manned by a crew
armed with Winchesters, was brought
down in front of the postoffice, but on
the advice of the leaders, was halted
there.
At 11:30 a. m. serious trouble oc¬
curred in the First ward, Two white
men and three negroes were killed.
Large companies of armed citizens
.
rushed to the scene. Near by cities
were telegraphed to for help.
About 1:30 o’clock two "white men
passing a house were fired on. A de¬
tachment immediately surrounned the
house and took away five negroes. It
was at first proposed to kill them , on
the spot, but it was finally decided to
put them in jail. Another negro in
the house broke and ran. After pro¬
ceeding half a Square he was shot
dead.
City Under New Government.
A later special received from Raleigh
states that Thursday night the city of
Wilmington was in the hands of a new
municipal government, and law'and
order is being established. Thursday
afternoon the board of aldermen re¬
signed one by one. As each alderman
vacated, the remainder elected a suc¬
cessor named by the citizens’ commit¬
tee, until the entire board was changed
legally. They resigned The in response to
public sentiment. new b'oard is
composed of conservative democratic
citizens. The mayor and chief of po¬
lice then resigned, and the new board
elected their successors, socording to
law.
Ex-Representative Waddell was
elected mayor and E. G. Paralee
chief of police. The first act of the
new government was to swear in 250
special policemen, chosen from the
most reputable white citizens, They
are vested with all the authority, and
will take possession of the city. The
white citizens will remain on guard,
however, throughout the town, to pre¬
vent possible attempts at incendiarism.
The new government will devote its
attention to restraining the feeling
among the whites, as well as to keep¬
ing down lawlessness among the
negroes. Further trouble of a serious
nature is not expected.