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
But now came the real excitement. The train had slowed down almost to a
standstill, in the very heart of town. Somebody shouted: "There he goes,
on top of the train!" And sure enough, somebody was going. It was a
Negro, too, and he was making a bee-line for the front end of the train.
A veritable shower of bullets, shot and rifle balls greeted the flying
form, but on it sped. The locomotive had stopped in the middle of the
square between La voisier and Newton Streets, and the Negro, flying with
the speed of the wind along the top of the cars, reached the first car
of the train and jumped to the tender and then into the cab. As he did
several white men standing at the locomotive made a rush into the cab.
The Negro sprang swiftly out of the other side, on to the sidewalk. But
there were several more men, and as he realized that he was rushing
right into their arms he made a spring to leap over the fence of Mrs.
Linden's home, on the wood side of the track. Before the Negro got to
the top one white man had hold of his legs, while another rushed up,
pistol in hand. The man who was holding the darkey's legs was jostled
out of the way and the man with the pistol, standing directly beneath
the Negro, sent two bullets at him.
There was a wild scramble, and the vision of a fleeing form in the
Linden yard, but that was the last seen of the black man. The yard was
entered and searched, and neighboring yards were also searched, but not
even the trace of blood was found. It is almost impossible to believe
that the Negro was not wounded, for the man who fired at him held the
pistol almost against the Negro's body.
The shots brought out almost everybody--white--in town, and though there
was nothing to show for the exciting work, except the arrest of the
Negro, who doesn't answer the description of the man wanted, Gretna's
male population had its little fan and felt amply repaid for all the
trouble it was put to, and all the ammunition it wasted.
+BRUTALITY IN NEW ORLEANS+
Mob rule reigned supreme Wednesday, and the scenes that were enacted
challenge belief. How many colored men and women were abused and injured
is not known, for those who escaped were glad to make a place of refuge
and took no time to publish their troubles. The mob made no attempt to
find Charles; its only purpose was to pursue, beat and kill any colored
man or woman who happened to come in sight. Speaking editorially, the
_Picayune_ of Thursday, the twenty-sixth of July, said:
+ESCAPED WITH THEIR LIVES+
At the Charity Hospital Wednesday night more than a score of people were
treated for wounds received at the hands of the mob. Some were able to
tell of their mistreatment, and their recitals are briefly given in the
_Picayune_ as follows:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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