Threatened Race Riot at Rhems (1907)

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Threatened Race Riot (1907)

Page Title: Threatened Race Riot at Rhems | Slug: threatened-race-riot-rhems-1907

(Full Newspaper Context)

Newspaper Context 1907

(Article Clipping)

Article Clipping 1907

Archival Transcription

RACE RIOT THREATENED AT RHEMS.

KILLING OF NEGRO IN WILLIAMSBURG AROUSES BLACKS—SHERIFFS GRAHAM AND SCURRY RESPOND.

GEORGETOWN, May 20:—In response to a telegram from Rhems stating that a race riot was imminent there, Sheriff C W Scurry and a small posse of citizens set out early this morning by private conveyance for the seat of the disturbance. Telephonic reports later in the day were to the effect that conditions were not nearly so threatening and that things were apparently assuming a normal state. Fears are still felt that the outward show of quietude may be a mask for some ugly disturbances during the night, and the white men, who in that locality are numerically about one to fifty blacks, are prepared for any emergency.

The disturbance started with a personal encounter on Saturday night between one of the clerks in F Rhem & Sons’ big store and a negro by the name of Tony Scott, who was acting in an insolent and unruly manner. A number of other white men took part in the affair and the result was that the negro died from the injuries sustained in the fight.

The funeral took place on Sunday and four or five hundred negroes, it is said, composed the funeral cortege, vowing vengeance against all white people for the deed that had been committed.

These threats and the surly looks of the blacks are the cause of apprehension among the white people, many of whom are scattered in remote and isolated places throughout the neighborhood.

Historical Significance

Why This Matters: This record documents the tragic death of Tony Scott and the massive community mobilization that followed. With over 500 African American citizens joining the funeral cortege in a show of solidarity, this event highlights the profound resilience and collective resistance of the Black Mingo and Williamsburg County communities against extrajudicial violence during the Jim Crow era.

Archival Citation

“Race Riot Threatened at Rhems,” The County Record (Kingstree, S.C.), May 23, 1907. [Source: Historical Newspapers of South Carolina]
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