Page:The leopard's spots - a romance of the white man's burden-1865-1900 (IA leopardsspotsrom00dixo).pdf/445

 "We give you till seven-thirty to-morrow morning as the leaders of your race to carry out these demands," he said gravely.

"But we have no authority, sir," replied the negro preacher to whom he handed the paper.

"Your authority is equal to ours—the authority of elemental manhood. If you can not execute them in peace, we will do it by force."

"We must decline such responsibility unless"—the negro started to argue the question.

"The meeting stands adjourned!" quietly announced Gaston, taking up his hat and leaving the room followed by his Committee.

At seven-thirty next morning no answer had been received. Gaston called for seventy-five volunteers to execute the decrees.

Within thirty minutes, five hundred men swung into line at eight o'clock, and marched four abreast to the office of the negro paper. It was promptly burned to the ground, its editor paid its cash value, and with a rope around his neck, escorted to the depot and placed on a north bound train.

As Gaston handed him his ticket for Washington he quietly said to him,

"I have saved your life this morning. If you value it, never put your foot on the soil of this state again."

"Thank you, sir. I'll not return."

While this guard, under strict military discipline, was executing this decree, a mob of a thousand armed negroes concealed themselves in a hedge-row and fired on them from ambush, killing one man and wounding six. Gaston formed his men in line, returned the fire with deadly effect, charged the mob, put them to flight, driving them into the woods outside the city limits, and placed the town under informal but strict martial law. By ten o'clock