Talbot County GaArchives News.....Two Negroes Shot Apparently Without Cause September 22 1904 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Carla Miles cmhistory@mchsi.com November 13, 2003, 3:38 pm The Talbotton New Era The Talbotton New Era Thursday, September 22, 1904 Page Two Two Negroes Shot Apparently Without Cause Deed Said To Have Been Committed By Four White Men – Hired A Hack From The Livery Stable – Mass Meeting Called For Saturday – Citizens Indignant Without any apparent cause in the world, two Negroes were shot and dangerously wounded in this county Tuesday afternoon. About dark a hack filled with white men left the livery stable in Talbotton headed in the direction of Prattsburgh. It contained four white men but it is stated that one left the hack shortly after reaching the outskirts of town and only three remained. About two miles from town a Negro boy about fourteen years of age was going down the road on a mule to drive up some cows from the pasture. He passed the hack and not a word was said to him. When about forty yards away, someone from the hack shot him with a shotgun twice, the shot filling his back. The boy is very dangerously wounded, but it is thought by the physician in attendance that he will recover. The hack then proceeded on to Centerville and a Negro named Ed Martin was shot there, Martin says he was at home and the hack stopped at the house. Someone called him to come out and he did so. They told him to get in the hack and drove down the road for a mile. The hack was halted and he was told to get out. They then told him to get down on his knees and when he did so, he was shot with a shotgun, the load striking him at an angle and making a terrible wound on the side of his head, one eye being shot away. As soon as Sheriff Richards received the news, he formed a posse of thirty or forty citizens and commenced a hot pursuit of the hack. They were traced for ten miles and could be traced no further. The hack, which was used, was hired from the livery stable here. It returned about two o’clock Wednesday morning being brought in by some stranger who had never been seen in Talbotton before. It is thought that the shooting grew out of the freeing of the prisoners who had been held in jail here for several days as being members of “The Day Before Club.” But why they would shoot Negroes who were in no way connected with the alleged club and were not accused, none are able to understand. The better citizens of the county are very much wrought up over the matter and steps have been taken to see that the matter is thoroughly investigated and that the guilty parties are brought to justice. They think it is a terrible thing that Negroes apparently innocent of having done any wrong act should be murdered in such a manner. On the streets yesterday, citizens were expressing themselves in the most open manner and demanding a strict enforcement of the law. The following petition was circulated during the morning and was signed by about a hundred of the leading citizens of the town and county. Not a man to whom it was presented hesitated to attach his signature. Every business house in the town was closed. “We the undersigned citizens of Talbotton and Talbot County do hereby agree to close our stores and suspend our business today at 11 o’clock, and at said hour to meet in the courthouse for the purpose of investigating the shooting of two innocent Negroes, by a set of lawless persons, and to take such action in the matter as becomes all good citizens who regard law and order and desire to see justice done to each and every citizen of this county, regardless of race or condition.” The meeting as called was largely attended. Dr. E.L. Bardwell was selected chairman and N.P. Carreker, Secretary. The following resolution was offered by Mr. A.P. Persons and was unanimously adopted. “Whereas it appears that on Tuesday afternoon September 20, 1904 two Negroes were shot in Talbot County without apparent cause; and whereas we know that the citizens of said county favor protecting the innocent and upholding the law. Therefore, we, as citizens of said county, moved by a spirit of common fairness and humanity, do urge and request all the citizens of said county to meet at the courthouse in Talbotton on Saturday, September 24th at the hour of 10:30 o’clock a.m. for the purpose of taking action as may be deemed proper and right.” It was desire to have the meeting on Saturday in order that all the citizens of the county could have an opportunity to be present and give their assistance in helping to sift the matter to is core. Nothing of this kind has ever happened in Talbot County before. It is deplored on all sides and if the guilty parties can be apprehended, which is almost certain to be done, an example is very likely to be made of them. The great majority of the citizens of Talbot County are in favor of law and order, in the preservation of peace and the protection of the innocent. They feel that they have been outraged and are going to do all in their power to remove the stigma, which has been cast upon their hitherto almost (word blurred) county. The Talbotton New Era Thursday, September 29, 1904 Page Two Mass Meeting Denounces Shooting Of Negroes The mass meeting to investigate the shooting of the two Negroes in this county on the 20th and to take steps to bring the guilty parties to justice was very largely attended Saturday morning. Every store, office and other place of business in the city was closed at 10:30 o’clock and the citizens from the town and county gathered at the courthouse where the meeting had been announced to take place. The meeting organized by the election of Dr. E.L. Bardwell as Chairman and Captain N.P. Carreker as Secretary. Upon motion of Captain Monroe Dixson, the Chair appointed a committee of twelve, one from each Militia District in the county, to prepare suitable resolutions. Hon. Henry Persons was made chairman of the committee. The committee returned and announced that they were ready to report. Captain Henry Persons arose and stated that before presenting the resolutions, which had been prepared to the consideration of the meeting, he desired to have the attention of the audience for a few moments. Captain Persons is a man seventy years of age. He has represented the Fourth Congressional District in Congress and has been Ordinary of the county for several years. He is a man of wide influence and had the respect and confidence of the entire population of Talbot County. As he arose to speak, the large assembly was almost motionless and every ear was strained to catch the words, which were to fall from the lips of the distinguished speaker. He began by saying that he had been a citizen of Talbot County for years and that he had always been proud to claim it as his home. That whenever he went to distant portions of the state, or to other states, it was a (rest of sentence is blurred) county was one of which the people might feel justly proud. He said the name of the county had been synomous with good government, a high standard of morality, and obedience to the laws of the land. He alluded to the fact that the first Supreme Court ever held in Georgia had convened in Talbotton and that the first Chief Justice had practiced law in this county for years before going to the bench. “We have furnished four judges of the Supreme Court, three Solicitor Generals, a Governor and have had more to do with the making and execution of the laws that any other county in the state. We have been proud of our county. I love every foot of her soil and every soul of her population, but every community has its criminals and it seems that we are not to be the exception. But quicker would I believe that these old valleys would be turned into mountains, the creeks reverse their courses and the ancient forests change their woods, than that the people of Talbot County would condone the recent outrage which has cast a blot upon the fair page of the county’s history.” He then dealt more fully with the recent crime and showed by reading editorials from various papers throughout the state that the matter was in the very front of the public mind, that the eyes of the state and nation were upon us and that to maintain her fair name, the county had to act bravely, quickly without fear. He then introduced the following preamble and resolution. “While we understand and appreciate the fact that they many rumors, reports and publications as to the existence of “Before Day Clubs” and other secret organizations have alarmed some of the people of this county, and while we are opposed to any organization for the purpose of committing crime, or for the purpose of engaging in any form of lawlessness, and while we stand ready to aid and assist in suppressing all unlawful organizations and are in full sympathy with those who fear them, and wish to suppress them yet we believe there is and has been unnecessary alarm and that “Before Day Clubs” do not exist in Georgia to the extent that some fear and believe. We believe that the law is able to protect the citizens and should do so. Therefore, the people of Talbot County in mass meeting assembled having no other motive than the preservation of law and order and earnestly desiring to promote the welfare of the community and encourage a spirit of fairness and justice, do greatly deplore the unfortunate occurrence in which two Negroes were shot on the 20th of September 1904 in the county of Talbot. Therefore, be it resolved that while we take this action without regard to any particular individual, yet we believe that the officers of the law can obtain sufficient information to enable them to proceed against the violators of the law and we urge the enforcers of the law to proceed without fear, favor of affection to take such steps as will enable them to bring the offenders before the county in order that they may be dealt with as the law directs and that the Governor of the State be ask to offer a suitable reward for the arrest and punishment of the offenders. We ask the law abiding Negroes of Talbot County to join with us in our attempt to suppress crime of every kind in our county.” When the resolutions were put to a vote, they were unanimously adopted by a rising vote. The meeting then adjourned on motion of Mr. Roderick Leonard, seconded by Mr. T.H. Persons. Public sentiment in Talbot County was clearly shown by this meeting to be in favor of guaranteeing to Negroes protection, so long as they remain in their proper sphere, at all cost. The relation between the races in this county is the most friendly. The Negroes are as a rule, obedient, respectful and kind. The treatment which they receive from the whites is all that they could ask for or expect and they are contented and happy. The Talbotton New Era Thursday, September 29, 1904 Page Six A Proclamation Georgia: By J.M. Terrell, Governor of said State Whereas, official information has been received at this Department that on September 20th, 1904 in the county of Talbot, some unknown persons shot and seriously wounded Jack Price and Ed martin, and escaped and are now fugitives from justice. I have thought proper, therefore, to issue this my proclamation, hereby offering a reward of One Hundred, each, Dollars, for the apprehension and delivery of said unknown persons with evidence sufficient to convict, to the Sheriff of said County and State. And I do, moreover, charge and require all Officers in this State, Civil and Military, to be vigilant in endeavoring to apprehend the said unknown persons in order that he may be brought to trial for the offense with which he stands charged. Given under my hand and self of the State, this the 27th day of September, 1904. J.M. Terrell, Governor By the Governor Philip Cook, Secretary of State **Note - there is a related news story to this one on the newspaper page entitled "No Before Day Club". This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/gafiles/ File size: 12.4 Kb