Jasper County Democrat, Volume 6, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 September 1903 — SOUTHERN. [ARTICLE]

SOUTHERN.

As the result of the murder of Joseph A. Sanders, a merchant of Jeanerette, La., by Louis Nicks, a negro, several score of negroes were ordered to leave town immediately by the white people. Several of the negroe* left and others will go at once. Judge Thoma* G. Jones of the United State* Court in Montgomery, Ala.' received a petition signed by several hundred negroe* of Coosa and Tallapoo.n counties asking him to suspend the sentence of George and-Bfarancos Cosby, who pleaded guilty to holding negroes in a condition of peonage. The petition stated that thes* cases have caused a bitter feeling between the two races. The petitioners believe that th* peonage system I* broken up and further say that the Cosbys were good citizen* of the community. It is indicated that there will be several mas* meetings held before long in the interest of harmony.

Thomas Shank, organiser of the miners’ union, was decapitated by a trail* at Huntington, W. Va. Just aa the sheriff waa placing the black cap upon Samuel Stiles, a negro preacher, sentenced to be hanged at Cuero, Texas, an order from the Governor arrived granting a respite. Caleb Powers was sentenced to death on his third trial for complicity in the assassination of William Goebel, Gov-ernor-elect of Kentucky. On two previous trials he had been sentenced to life imprisonment and has served three years.