Murdered Him: A Scandalous Outrage in Alabama
June 4, 1898
Summary
An African American man died at the hands of two white men as the result of a fight caused by a small bicycle accident.
Transcription
Assassins take his life.
He defended a lady.
A plaintive statement of the case.
Boligee, Green County, Ala. May 26th, 1898.
Mr. John Mitchell, Jr.,
Editor of the Richmond Planet,
Sir:—Please send broad-cast to the world the account of the savage crime that was committed at Eutaw, Green County, last Monday, May 23rd.
On Sunday night, Mr. William Steel was going to church in company with Miss Julia Dishmore, and met Dr. Gunter and Charlie Norton (white) riding a bicycle. Dr. Gunter ran his wheel into Miss Dishmore and Steele asked him what he meant by doing so.
Hot words followed.
Gunter started up the street and William Steel started on to church. After Gunter had gotten a short distance up the street, he turned around and called Steel, telling him that he wanted to see him. The quarrel was renewed and blows followed.
The white man worsted.
Dr. Gunter received a slight wound on the back of his neck with a knife. In about an hour and a half a mob of white bucks surrounded the church and inspected the congregation. The sheriff and his deputy accompanied them. They entered the church with their guns.
Failing to locate the one that cut Gunter, on Monday morning they resorted to the lowest level of brutes—equaled only by Weyler. They wen tot innocent men who knew nothing about the quarrel and were in church and drew 30 or 40 guns on them and mobbed them shamefully and gave them an hour to leave town. After slipping up on 8 or 9 and mobbing them like beasts, they thrust them in jail after beating them with clubs and everything they could handle.
Clerks participated.
All the merchants furnished their clerks to carry on the mobbing. The sheriff stoff and did not try to prevent the lawless savages from carrying on their hellish work.
They scoured the town until about 6 o’clock when they found William Steel. He was surrounded and they, yet about 75 men with guns, shot him in the broad open day time just for slightly cutting Gunter who is able to be out now.
The lawyers and men nominated on the Democratic ticket for lawmakers and officers of the County were in the mob. It is equal to the Lake View affair. They did not even mask their faces, but went boldly.
Sent out false reports.
Now they have sent their lies all over the state saying that William Steel resisted until the last and they had to shoot him and take him. It is all the blackest lie that was ever told. The man was as harmless as a child. He immediately gave up and cried for mercy at the hands of the brutes until the last. They have also reported it that Gunter may die; but he is able to be out and would have been but they are keeping him in for a sham. They have a spite at those Steel boys because they will not let them beat and knock them about and for every colored man that they cannot manage to run over.
There are several whom they beat who are as innocent as labs but they have a longtime grudge at them because they were not afraid of them. They are in a dangerous condition and may die.
Uncle Sambo.
He defended a lady.
A plaintive statement of the case.
Boligee, Green County, Ala. May 26th, 1898.
Mr. John Mitchell, Jr.,
Editor of the Richmond Planet,
Sir:—Please send broad-cast to the world the account of the savage crime that was committed at Eutaw, Green County, last Monday, May 23rd.
On Sunday night, Mr. William Steel was going to church in company with Miss Julia Dishmore, and met Dr. Gunter and Charlie Norton (white) riding a bicycle. Dr. Gunter ran his wheel into Miss Dishmore and Steele asked him what he meant by doing so.
Hot words followed.
Gunter started up the street and William Steel started on to church. After Gunter had gotten a short distance up the street, he turned around and called Steel, telling him that he wanted to see him. The quarrel was renewed and blows followed.
The white man worsted.
Dr. Gunter received a slight wound on the back of his neck with a knife. In about an hour and a half a mob of white bucks surrounded the church and inspected the congregation. The sheriff and his deputy accompanied them. They entered the church with their guns.
Failing to locate the one that cut Gunter, on Monday morning they resorted to the lowest level of brutes—equaled only by Weyler. They wen tot innocent men who knew nothing about the quarrel and were in church and drew 30 or 40 guns on them and mobbed them shamefully and gave them an hour to leave town. After slipping up on 8 or 9 and mobbing them like beasts, they thrust them in jail after beating them with clubs and everything they could handle.
Clerks participated.
All the merchants furnished their clerks to carry on the mobbing. The sheriff stoff and did not try to prevent the lawless savages from carrying on their hellish work.
They scoured the town until about 6 o’clock when they found William Steel. He was surrounded and they, yet about 75 men with guns, shot him in the broad open day time just for slightly cutting Gunter who is able to be out now.
The lawyers and men nominated on the Democratic ticket for lawmakers and officers of the County were in the mob. It is equal to the Lake View affair. They did not even mask their faces, but went boldly.
Sent out false reports.
Now they have sent their lies all over the state saying that William Steel resisted until the last and they had to shoot him and take him. It is all the blackest lie that was ever told. The man was as harmless as a child. He immediately gave up and cried for mercy at the hands of the brutes until the last. They have also reported it that Gunter may die; but he is able to be out and would have been but they are keeping him in for a sham. They have a spite at those Steel boys because they will not let them beat and knock them about and for every colored man that they cannot manage to run over.
There are several whom they beat who are as innocent as labs but they have a longtime grudge at them because they were not afraid of them. They are in a dangerous condition and may die.
Uncle Sambo.
About this article
Source
Location on Page
Upper Right Quadrant
Topic
Contributed By
Cali Hughes
Citation
“Murdered Him: A Scandalous Outrage in Alabama,” Black Virginia: The Richmond Planet, 1894-1909, accessed December 7, 2025, https://blackvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/1395.