Unfettered

vious crisis, was at last thoroughly aroused to action. The ills of which the Negroes had complained, and concerning which he had always counseled moderation, were now brought home to his own door. A

or miles around exhorting the Negroes to repair to a designat

roused to the point of action. Their long pent-up feelings of resentment now became rampant and they gathered

t of reckless dare-devil bravery that burst forth upon occasion and was dangerous. They telephoned to all nearby stores, requesting that firearms and munitions of war be denied to all woul

er reporters were warned to send out no accounts of the trouble that would create the

imminent, and an urgent plea was made for several comp

n quelling the uprising of the Negroes. There was no desire among the whites for bloodshe

roes, they had to search for another. They decided to impress i

oes by the appointment of the whites, being thus placed in a position where it was to his interest to keep on g

ssemblage the teacher a

, sir," said

was Stephen's

acher to Stephen and from Stephen to the teacher, bent on catching whatever might pass between them. The

ess this gathering?" aske

rum?" queried

the white people's re

, I 'specks," said Stephen, tur

affair in too personal a manner for you men to commit your interests blindly to him. In times like these you need a man who is in such a frame of mind that he can weigh

on of Stephen. He, seeing that the teacher was engaging the

and you mus' leave dis groun' at on

is voice and said in ton

came to see you. Uncle Stephen is a good man, but I don't think he is that much better than the

superiority of one Negro over another. No man who attempts to lead them can have any measure of success unless he is thoroughly democra

ander, because he desired to prevent free speech on this occasion when

uble, an' ain't 'zactly at hisself. Go er

ough the crowd, which had now

iquor was at the root of the murder, and that in a measure the colored people were responsible, because it was their vote that kept liquor from being voted out of the county at a local option election held a short while previous. To this the Negroes nodded ass

n the fact that the Negroes were practically cut off from all other Negroes, and the battle would really be between that little handful of Negroes and the whole body o

gh his hearers were won ov

e the teacher had concluded he dropped his gun and ammunition and walked away quite rapidly. Arriving at the place where the white soldiers were

ple, an' I reckin it's best. Dare aint no use'n er whole lots er fol

ce grew loud

d stan er show befo' me, fair fist an' skull fight. Pick out any two men an' sen um to me an' I'll lick um. Gentlemens, on dat plan I'll take the whole regurmen

w awaited

his grief, regarded him as unbalanced by trouble. No

Gentlemens, dare uster be bettah blood dan dat. I was in de war wid my marster, an' he showd goo

to report that the Negroes had disbanded and would give no more trouble. Stephen's two

nds supported him between them and bore him from the spot, Stephen repeating over and over in a broken voice: "Boys, dey don't figh

moved to the city of R-- with all of its aggregation of vice, of

we fain would follow them, but cannot just