A Cowardly Murder
May 19, 1894
Summary
A group of white men kill a black man after he refuses them entry into his home.
Transcription
The following accounts will give an idea of the situation of Affairs in the South.
“At Gate City, VA last night a band of 11 masked men, terming themselves “regulators,” started out ostensibly for the purpose of ridding the town of the inmates of a house of ill repute. The women had been warned and we're anticipating trouble. For this reason they were not in the house when the Raiders expected to find them. They proceeded in search of the women, having entered two or three houses in the suburbs. Coming to the house of Samuel Wood, an inoffensive colored man, they were refuse admittance. The leader ordered the band to fire upon the house. The men were armed with Winchester rifles and revolvers, and about 30 shots were fired through the door of the cottage, killing would instantly. His wife and children remained in bed and escaped death. 3 of the men are under arrest. They are Jack Downey, RT Potter, and George Car. Downey and Potter have heretofore been regarded as Peaceable citizens. The remainder of the andg are hiding in the neighboring mountains.”
What think the white man of the country of this? what have colored meant to say about it?
Think you that anyone of that band of murderers will be punished?We shall see. The only fault with poor Samuel would was that he was 2 Peaceable. Alone with his family in his cabin during the silence hours of the night he hears a hammering app on the door reinforced by the sound of angry voices. A demand is made for him to throw white the portals of his humble
“At Gate City, VA last night a band of 11 masked men, terming themselves “regulators,” started out ostensibly for the purpose of ridding the town of the inmates of a house of ill repute. The women had been warned and we're anticipating trouble. For this reason they were not in the house when the Raiders expected to find them. They proceeded in search of the women, having entered two or three houses in the suburbs. Coming to the house of Samuel Wood, an inoffensive colored man, they were refuse admittance. The leader ordered the band to fire upon the house. The men were armed with Winchester rifles and revolvers, and about 30 shots were fired through the door of the cottage, killing would instantly. His wife and children remained in bed and escaped death. 3 of the men are under arrest. They are Jack Downey, RT Potter, and George Car. Downey and Potter have heretofore been regarded as Peaceable citizens. The remainder of the andg are hiding in the neighboring mountains.”
What think the white man of the country of this? what have colored meant to say about it?
Think you that anyone of that band of murderers will be punished?We shall see. The only fault with poor Samuel would was that he was 2 Peaceable. Alone with his family in his cabin during the silence hours of the night he hears a hammering app on the door reinforced by the sound of angry voices. A demand is made for him to throw white the portals of his humble
About this article
Source
Location on Page
Lower Right Quadrant
Topic
Contributed By
Carlos Serrano
Citation
“A Cowardly Murder,” Black Virginia: The Richmond Planet, 1894-1909, accessed February 19, 2026, https://blackvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/1538.