EIGHT MEN KILLED
Serious Rioting at
Wilmington Today.
DEAD ALL COLORED MEN
Several White Citizens Were
Wounded.
CITY AUTHORITIES POWERLESS
Committee of Safety to Take
Control of City.
MILITIA CALLED OUT
Special From a Staff Correspondent.
WILMINGTON. N. C., November 10. -- Events have moved quickly in Wilmington
this morning, and the white people have made good their threats to take vengeance
upon the negro newspaper which published the editorial derogatory to while women.
At 7:30 o'clock this morning, the negroes not having responded to the demand for the
removal of the press of the Record, Col. Waddell, the chairman of ihe white committee
of twenty-five, repaired to the Light Infantry armory, where he was to meet the
citizens by appointment. Eight o'clock was the last hour of grace for the negroes to
reply. and that hour passed without an answer being received. The citizens then
waited half an hour for reinforcements.
In ihe meantime armed men had begun to gather in the wide street in front of the
armory. They carried rifles and riot guns, nearly every man with a cartridge belt
around his waist filled with ammunition.
The assemblage included some of the most solid citizens of the town. At 8:30 o'clock
the word was given to fall in, and the men formed in line of fours. Ex-Representative
Waddell and members of the committee of twenty-five headed the procession, which
moved eastward on Market street in the direction of 7th and Nunn streets, where
the printing shop was located. All along the line of march the procession was joined
by citizens who hurried from the side streets, bringing their guns. When the
negro quarter was reached, the negroes could be seen a few blocks away, running
into their houses. The negro women and children watched the marchers from their
porches, but few negro men were seen.
Halt at Record Office.
Arriving in front of the publishing house, which is a two-story frame building, the
marchers halted and picket lines were thrown out across the street in both directions
and squads of men were sent to squares in the neighborhood. Col. Waddell,
as the leader in the movement, advanced to the door of the building, his rifle on his
shoulder, and knocked. There was no response, and, after waiting a minute or two,
the door was burst open. The citizens surged into the place and began the work
of destruction. The furniture was smashed and thrown into the street, amidst the
cheers of the onlookers. Both floors were gutted of movables, and then a curl of
blue smoke wound its way out of the windows and floated away on the light breeze.
The building had been fired.
Some of the crowd cheered and others uttered expressions of regret that fire had
been used. In a few minutes the inflammable structure was in a blaze and threatening
the light wooden buildings adjacent. A fire-alarm box was on the corner and someone
turned in the alarm. There was a wait of several minutes, during which the fire
had gained good headway, and the whole structure was a sea of red fire beneath a
dense pall of black smoke.
As the fire engine dashed down 7th street, with clanging bells, the crowd discharged
their weapons in the air, and a fusillade of gun and pistol shots, cheers and shouts
filled the air. The little children in a new free school house on the corner, who had
been frightened by the fire and the guns, added their frantlc screams of terror to the
babel, while the negro women were rushing about in search of their little ones.
The affair was soon over, and no one was hurt. The publishing house was destroyed,
but the neighboring property was saved. The editor, Manly, his brother and their
associates have fled, and could not be found by the citizens.
Sequel of Yesterday's Meeting.
Today's action was the sequel of yesterday morning's meeting at the county
court house and of a meeting of the committee of twenty-five yesterday afternoon.
At that meeting it was decided to send runners to bring in thirty of the most
prominent negroes to receive the verdict of the citizens. About fifteen came in at 6 o'clock
and Colonel Waddell presented the ultimatum.
It was that an answer shauld be given him at 7:30 this morning whether the press
would be removed and publication of the paper suspended. No discussion of the
situation was permitted, but the negroes were told to act promptly on the lines laid down
or suffer the consequences. They departed and one of their number -- Henderson, a lawyer
-- said he thought the demands would be met favorably.
Last night was an anxious one for the citizens in the residence section. About 8
o'clock a street car came into the business section and reported that negroes had fired
into it and that the passengers had returned the fire. In less than three minutes
another car, loaded with armed men, was speeding to the scene of the trouble, and
messengers had been scattered to give the alarm. The offenders escaped, and there
was no more trouble; but the entire eastern end of the town was aroused.
I went through the section and found armed men on every corner, with patrols
on the dark streets, and armed guards on the street cars. The ladies and children
were on the verandas, and every house was alight, while every one wanted to know if
the negroes were up. I then went over into the negro district -- to the center of it.
I found a group of thirty or forty young negroes assembled, but they were not
armed and not violent. Passing on to the printing house, which was destroyed today,
it was found to be deserted and dark. Talking with some of the older negroes of
the quarter, they told me that they did not contemplate trouble; that their women and
children were taking to the woods and that they sincerely hoped for peace. All night
long the whites kept guard about the business and resident sections, but no incident
occurred to disturb the night.
Return to the Armory.
After destroying 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 battle should occur.
Upon an occasion several months ago the negroes had massed in front of this office
to prevent the threatened expulsion of its editor, and it was not known today whether
they would offer resistance or not; but no resistance was offered and not a negro
raised his hand or voice to protest. Those in the immediate vicinity of the burning
structure packed up their furniture to move out. but no one molested them.
The leaders of the expedition say that it was not intended to burn the building, as
there was a negro church on one side and light frame dwellings on the other. They
say the fire was the work of rash men or an accident, and was not set with the
concurrence of the committee of twenty-five.
The next move on the board is to ask the mayor and chief of police to resign, in
accordance with the suggestion of yesterday's mass meeting. This action will be taken
during the day.
At 10:30 o'clock the scene of excitement shifted to another section of the city.
Scarcely had the marchers disbanded at the armory before the word passed along
that the negro laborers of the great cotton compress, 300 cr 400 in number, who
were engaged in compressing cargoes of cotton for several foreign steamships, had
knocked off work and were assembling. The armed men hurried to the river front
and took positions at the head of the streets leading down to the docks. The
negroes were gathered in groups of fifteen or twenty, huddled together and apparently
very frightened. Their wives had run to them reporting that the whites were
burning the negro quarters and shooting, and begged them to come home, so the
whole force quit work. The leaders told the negroes that no harm was intended
them, and advised them to return to work, but they were thoroughly frightened.
The negroes freely expressed themselves, saying that they were hard-working men
and that the whites ought not to stir them up and terrorize them in that way.
Panic Among the Negroes.
Within an hour the negroes were in such a state of panic and fear that some of the
more conservative citizens thought best to try to calm them. Colonel Sprunt, the
owner of the cotton compress, took one of the boss laborers in his buggy and drove
him around town to show him that no harm was intended to the negroes. They
seemed to have the idea that the whites were burning and murdering all tnrough
their quarter, and were afraid to go back to work. There was not the least move of
aggression on the part of the negroes. There was no violent talk or threats in the
gatherings on the river front, but, after a while, the negroes worked themselves into
a state of mind where they believed they were to be sacrificed to some racial cause,
and said they were ready to go if they had to.
In all this disturbance the local authorities have made no show of asserting themselves.
Not a policeman is around, and the mayor and chief of police are keeping out
of sight. The preservation of order is practically vested in the committee ot twenty
live, and they are now trying to quiet the situation and to hold in check the reckless
element among the whites, which would go to any length. The saloons are to be
closed. The rapid-fire machine gun, on a wagon, drawn by two horses, and manned
by a crew, armed with Winchesters, was brought down in front of the post office,
but on advice of the leaders was halted there.
The Killing Begins.
Soon after 11 o'clock word was brought that reinforcements were needed at 4th and
Harnett streets, in the negro section of Brooklyn. The men were sent. Twenty
minutes later the news was brougnt that there had been a collision between the
whites and blacks, and that two negroes had been killed, one wounded and two white
men wounded. More men have gone to the scene witn the rapid-fire gun.
Three unknown negroes are lying dead in the middle of the street at 4th and Harnett.
One white man, name unknown, wounded in shoulder, and another white man, William
Mayo, shot in stomach, will probably die. The negroes retreated after the firing, and
the whites are holding position at 4th and Harnett, while reinforcements have been
sent for. Conflicting stories are told of the starting of the trouble and as to who was
the aggressor. One account is that the negroes were quarreling among themselves,
and the whites interfered to disperse them. Another that the negroes impeded the street
car and were ordered by a policeman to disperse, and, upon refusing, were fired
upon. The scene of the trouble is in the worst negro district, about a mile from the
business section.
The negro dead will probably number four. The white man Mayo has died. The
situation is quiet at the scene of the trouble now. The negroes have gone into
their houses. Squads of men are now halting all negroes on the street and taking
their pistols from them whenever found.
Trains Bringing Reinforcements.
Special trains are being run into Wilmington from other towns with reinforcements
or arms. Goldsboro has started 500 men. Laurinburg has started 150 and other
towns have offered help if needed. The Light Infantry, a regular state militia
organization, will probably take command of the situation here and its officers direct
the patrolling and guarding of the city. I understand the governor has given his
sanction to this plan, and if it is carried out will be salutory.
The local detachment of United States naval reserves, in fatigue uniform and
dragging their new 1-pounder rapid-fire gun, are now at the scene of the trouble,
together with the Light Infantry and several hundred armed citizens. But there is
nothing to shoot at, the negroes having disappeared.
The committee of twenty-five went into session about 1 o'clock to devise means of
preserving order. Several propositions were put forward, but the plan which seems to
meet with most favor is the appointment of a committee of safety, to consist of six
or ten men, who will have supreme charge of the city, superseding the mayor and all
others. These men would comprise the most conservative citizens. The realization
is now dawning upon the community that the reckless white man is as much a source
of danger as the negro to the peace of Wilmington, if not more so.
Efforts will be made to hold the reckless in check. The reinforcements sent from
Goldsboro' have been turned back after consultation. All was quiet on the firing
line at 1:30 o'clock.
Eight Negroes Killed.
Between 1 o'clock and 2 o'clock there were several skirmishes. The total casualties
at 2 o'clock were: Eight negroes killed, two wounded. Three white men wounded --
Mayo, Chadwick and Piner. Mayo not dead, but shot through the lungs. About
1:30 o'clock p.m. two white men passing a house were fired upon. A detachment
immediately surrounded the house and took away five negroes. It was at first proposed
to kill them on the spot, but finally decided to put them in jail. Another negro in the
house broke and ran, but after proceeding half a square was shot dead. The negro
who shot Mayo was recognized, it was claimed, and a detachment found him at
his house. He was riddled and left dead.
Letter Came Too Late.
Colonel Waddell, chairman of the committee of twenty-five, received at noon today
the following letter:
"We, the colored citizens to whom was referred the matter of the expulsion from
this community of the person and press of A. L. Manly, beg most respectfully to say
that we are in no wise responsible for, nor in any manner condone the obnoxious
article that called forth your actions. Neither are we authorized to act for him in this
matter; but in the interest of peace we will most willingly use our influence to
have your wishes carried out.
"Very respectfully,
"THE COMMITTEE OF COLORED CITIZENS."
This letter, instead of being delivered in person to Col. Waddell at 7:30 this morning
as required, was placed in the mail, and did not reach him until after the printing office
had been destroyed. The negro to whom it was intrusted for delivery put it in the post
office and wrote on the envelope "Please deliver at residence," but he did not get it
in time. N. O. M.
