Jasper County Democrat, Volume 6, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 July 1903 — BLACKS KILL AT ALTAR. [ARTICLE]

BLACKS KILL AT ALTAR.

Georgia Planter Who Seek* to Brodl Up Revival Ie Shot. “ Negroes in Harris County, Georgia, killed John Cash, a white man, who ear tered a church for colored people Sunday and tried to break up the services. CanJi was a planter and the negroes have a church near his home. A revival has been in progress at the church and Sunday night there was a great congregation and much shouting. The noise disturbed Cash and iie decided to break up the meeting. He eutered the church In a threatening manner and ordered the negroes to get out. “He’s profaning God’s house. Kill him!” shouted the religion frenzied negroes. “Be merciful,” cried the preacher, but the negroes were overwrought and began firing at Cush, who stood near the pulpit. Probably 500 shots were fired, many of them striking Cash, who fell in a pool of blood at the altar. All during the fusillade the negroes kept shouting, “Kill the profauer!” while the preacher pleaded, “Be merciful.” Only one negro, Henry White, has been arrested, but it is not believed he will be prosecuted. Henry White’s father once killed a white man who was leading a whitecap party. Leading negroes of Philadelphia met and decided to send a petition to Czar Nicholas of Russia through Count Cassini, the I^u.vsi an ambassador, asking him to appeal to President Roosevelt to take steps on behalf of the colored race in this country. The Czar is expected by the negroes to ask about race troubles iu this country in return for America’s Interest in the Ivishenev .affair. A mob of fifty inarched from Larkinville, Ala., Monday night and took Andrew Diggs, colored, from the Scottsboro jail and thence to the woods to be lynched. Diggs had been arrested for attacking Mi.<s Alma Smith, white, at Lnrkinville. Sheriff D. O. Austin resisted the mob until he was shot down and the keys taken from him. At Peoria, 111., a special grand jury convened to consider the case of John McCray, the negro who a week ago shot and instantly killed Detective Murphy. McCray is in the Galesburg jail, wheTe he was taken to prevent lynching at the hands of a mob that surrounded the jail for two nights. The people were only appeased by promises of a speedy trial.