Mob Rule in New Orleans: Robert Charles and His Fight to Death, the Story of His Life, Burning Human Beings Alive, Other Lynching StatisticsWells-Barnett, Ida B.
History
Mob Rule in New Orleans: Robert Charles and His Fight to Death, the Story of His Life, Burning Human Beings Alive, Other Lynching Statistics
Wells-Barnett, Ida B.
Lynching
The hunted Negro started off the levee toward the French Vegetable
Market, changed his course out the sidewalk toward Gallatin Street. The
angry, yelling mob was close at his heels, and increasing steadily as
each block was traversed. At Gallatin Street he turned up that
thoroughfare, doubled back into North Peters Street and ran into the
rear of No. 1216 of that street, which is occupied by Chris Reuter as a
commission store and residence.
He rushed frantically through the place and out on to the gallery on the
Gallatin Street side. From this gallery he jumped to the street and fell
flat on his back on the sidewalk. Springing to his feet as soon as
possible, with a leaden, hail fired by the angry mob whistling about
him, he turned to his merciless pursuers in an appealing way, and,
throwing up one hand, told them not to shoot any more, that they could
take him as he was.
But the hail of lead continued, and the unfortunate Negro finally
dropped to the sidewalk, mortally wounded. The mob then rushed upon him,
still continuing the fusillade, and upon reaching his body a number of
Italians, who had joined the howling mob, reached down and stabbed him
in the back and buttock with big knives. Others fired shots into his
head until his teeth were shot out, three shots having been fired into
his mouth. There were bullet wounds all over his body.
Others who witnessed the affair declared that the man was fired at as he
was running up the stairs leading to the living apartments above the
store, and that after jumping to the sidewalk and being knocked down by
a bullet he jumped up and ran across the street, then ran back and tried
to get back into the commission store. The Italians, it is said, were
all drunk, and had been shooting firecrackers. Tiring of this, they
began shooting at Negroes, and when the unfortunate man who was killed
ran by they joined in the chase.
No one was arrested for the shooting, the neighborhood having been
deserted by the police, who were sent up to the place where Charles was
fighting so desperately. No one could or would give the names of any of
those who had participated in the chase and the killing, nor could any
one be found who knew who the Negro was. The patrol wagon was called and
the terribly mutilated body sent to the morgue and the coroner notified.
The murdered Negro was copper colored, about 5 feet 11 inches in height,
about 35 years of age, and was dressed in blue overalls and a brown
slouch hat. At 10:30 o'clock the vicinity of the French Market was very
quiet. Squads of special officers were patrolling the neighborhood, and
there did not seem to be any prospects of disorder.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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