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42 pages

English

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African-American journalist and activist Ida B. Wells played a major role in shedding light on the widespread practice of lynching in the United States. In this gripping account, Wells details the riots that erupted in New Orleans in 1900 following the death of a white police officer at the hands of African-American activist Robert Charles and which eventually resulted in the deaths of nearly 30 people, with hundreds more wounded.

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Sociologie, société et politique

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Publié par	The Floating Press
Date de parution	01 février 2014
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781776529131
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0100€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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MOB RULE IN NEW ORLEANS
ROBERT CHARLES AND HIS FIGHT TO DEATH
* * *
IDA B. WELLS

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Mob Rule in New Orleans Robert Charles and His Fight to Death First published in 1900 Epub ISBN 978-1-77652-913-1 Also available: PDF ISBN 978-1-77652-914-8 © 2013 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
*
Introduction Mob Rule in New Orleans
Introduction
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Immediately after the awful barbarism which disgraced the State of Georgiain April of last year, during which time more than a dozen colored peoplewere put to death with unspeakable barbarity, I published a full reportshowing that Sam Hose, who was burned to death during that time, nevercommitted a criminal assault, and that he killed his employer inself-defense.
Since that time I have been engaged on a work not yet finished, which Iinterrupt now to tell the story of the mob in New Orleans, which,despising all law, roamed the streets day and night, searching for coloredmen and women, whom they beat, shot and killed at will.
In the account of the New Orleans mob I have used freely the graphicreports of the New Orleans Times-Democrat and the New OrleansPicayune . Both papers gave the most minute details of the week'sdisorder. In their editorial comment they were at all times most urgent intheir defense of law and in the strongest terms they condemned theinfamous work of the mob.
It is no doubt owing to the determined stand for law and order taken bythese great dailies and the courageous action taken by the best citizensof New Orleans, who rallied to the support of the civic authorities, thatprevented a massacre of colored people awful to contemplate.
For the accounts and illustrations taken from the above-named journals,sincere thanks are hereby expressed.
The publisher hereof does not attempt to moralize over the deplorablecondition of affairs shown in this publication, but simply presents thefacts in a plain, unvarnished, connected way, so that he who runs mayread. We do not believe that the American people who have encouraged suchscenes by their indifference will read unmoved these accounts ofbrutality, injustice and oppression. We do not believe that the moralconscience of the nation—that which is highest and best among us—willalways remain silent in face of such outrages, for God is not dead, andHis Spirit is not entirely driven from men's hearts.
When this conscience wakes and speaks out in thunder tones, as it must, itwill need facts to use as a weapon against injustice, barbarism and wrong.It is for this reason that I carefully compile, print and send forth thesefacts. If the reader can do no more, he can pass this pamphlet on toanother, or send to the bureau addresses of those to whom he can ordercopies mailed.
Besides the New Orleans case, a history of burnings in this country isgiven, together with a table of lynchings for the past eighteen years.Those who would like to assist in the work of disseminating these facts,can do so by ordering copies, which are furnished at greatly reducedrates for gratuitous distribution. The bureau has no funds and is entirelydependent upon contributions from friends and members in carrying on thework.
Ida B. Wells-Barnett Chicago, Sept. 1, 1900
Mob Rule in New Orleans
*
SHOT AN OFFICER
The bloodiest week which New Orleans has known since the massacre of theItalians in 1892 was ushered in Monday, July 24, by the inexcusable andunprovoked assault upon two colored men by police officers of New Orleans.Fortified by the assurance born of long experience in the New Orleansservice, three policemen, Sergeant Aucoin, Officer Mora and OfficerCantrelle, observing two colored men sitting on doorsteps on Dryadesstreet, between Washington Avenue and 6th Streets, determined, without ashadow of authority, to arrest them. One of the colored men was namedRobert Charles, the other was a lad of nineteen named Leonard Pierce. Thecolored men had left their homes, a few blocks distant, about an hourprior, and had been sitting upon the doorsteps for a short time talkingtogether. They had not broken the peace in any way whatever, no warrantwas in the policemen's hands justifying their arrest, and no crime hadbeen committed of which they were the suspects. The policemen, however,secure in the firm belief that they could do anything to a Negro that theywished, approached the two men, and in less than three minutes from thetime they accosted them attempted to put both colored men under arrest.The younger of the two men, Pierce, submitted to arrest, for the officer,Cantrelle, who accosted him, put his gun in the young man's face ready toblow his brains out if he moved. The other colored man, Charles, was madethe victim of a savage attack by Officer Mora, who used a billet and thendrew a gun and tried to kill Charles. Charles drew his gun nearly asquickly as the policeman, and began a duel in the street, in which bothparticipants were shot. The policeman got the worst of the duel, and fellhelpless to the sidewalk. Charles made his escape. Cantrelle took Pierce,his captive, to the police station, to which place Mora, the woundedofficer, was also taken, and a man hunt at once instituted for Charles,the wounded fugitive.
In any law-abiding community Charles would have been justified indelivering himself up immediately to the properly constituted authoritiesand asking a trial by a jury of his peers. He could have been certain thatin resisting an unwarranted arrest he had a right to defend his life, evento the point of taking one in that defense, but Charles knew that hisarrest in New Orleans, even for defending his life, meant nothing short ofa long term in the penitentiary, and still more probable death by lynchingat the hands of a cowardly mob. He very bravely determined to protect hislife as long as he had breath in his body and strength to draw a hairtrigger on his would-be murderers. How well he was justified in thatbelief is well shown by the newspaper accounts which were given of thistransaction. Without a single line of evidence to justify the assertion,the New Orleans daily papers at once declared that both Pierce and Charleswere desperadoes, that they were contemplating a burglary and that theybegan the assault upon the policemen. It is interesting to note how thetwo leading papers of New Orleans, the Picayune and the Times-Democrat , exert themselves to justify the policemen in theabsolutely unprovoked attack upon the two colored men. As these two papersdid all in their power to give an excuse for the action of the policemen,it is interesting to note their versions. The Times-Democrat of Tuesdaymorning, the twenty-fifth, says:
Two blacks, who are desperate men, and no doubt will be proven burglars, made it interesting and dangerous for three bluecoats on Dryades street, between Washington Avenue and Sixth Street, the Negroes using pistols first and dropping Patrolman Mora. But the desperate darkies did not go free, for the taller of the two, Robinson, is badly wounded and under cover, while Leonard Pierce is in jail.
For a long time that particular neighborhood has been troubled with bad Negroes, and the neighbors were complaining to the Sixth Precinct police about them. But of late Pierce and Robinson had been camping on a door step on the street, and the people regarded their actions as suspicious. It got to such a point that some of the residents were afraid to go to bed, and last night this was told Sergeant Aucoin, who was rounding up his men. He had just picked up Officers Mora and Cantrell, on Washington Avenue and Dryades Street, and catching a glimpse of the blacks on the steps, he said he would go over and warn the men to get away from the street. So the patrolmen followed, and Sergeant Aucoin asked the smaller fellow, Pierce, if he lived there. The answer was short and impertinent, the black saying he did not, and with that both Pierce and Robinson drew up to their full height.
For the moment the sergeant did not think that the Negroes meant fight, and he was on the point of ordering them away when Robinson slipped his pistol from his pocket. Pierce had his revolver out, too, and he fired twice, point blank at the sergeant, and just then Robinson began shooting at the patrolmen. In a second or so the policemen and blacks were fighting with their revolvers, the sergeant having a duel with Pierce, while Cantrell and Mora drew their line of fire on Robinson, who was working his revolver for all he was worth. One of his shots took Mora in the right hip, another caught his index finger on the right hand, and a third struck the small finger of the left hand. Poor Mora was done for; he could not fight any more, but Cantrell kept up his fire, being answered by the big black. Pierce's revolver broke down, the cartridges snapping, and he threw up his hands, begging for quarter.
The sergeant lowered his pistol and some citizens ran over to where the shooting was going on. One of the bullets that went at Robinson caught him in the breast and he began running, turning out Sixth Street, with Cantrell behind him, shooting every few steps. He was loading his revolver again, but did not use it after the start he took, and in a little while Officer Cantrell lost the man in the darkness.
Pierce was made a prisoner and hurried to the Sixth Precinct police station, where he was charged with shooting and wounding. The sergeant sent for an ambulance, and Mora was taken to the hospital,