Mob Rule In New Orleans — Died in Self-Defense

+DIED IN SELF-DEFENSE+

The life, character and death of Robert Charles challenges the thoughtful consideration of all fair-minded people.

In the frenzy of the moment, when nearly a dozen men lay dead, the victims of his unerring and death-dealing aim, it was natural for a prejudiced press and for citizens in private life to denounce him as a desperado and a murderer.

But sea depths are not measured when the ocean rages, nor can absolute justice be determined while public opinion is lashed into fury.

There must be calmness to insure correctness of judgment.

The fury of the hour must abate before we can deal justly with any man or any cause.

That Charles was not a desperado is amply shown by the discussion in the preceding chapter.

The darkest pictures which the reporters could paint of Charles were quoted freely, so that the public might find upon what grounds the press declared him to be a lawbreaker.

Unquestionably the grounds are wholly insufficient.

Not a line of evidence has been presented to prove that Charles was the fiend which the first reports of the New Orleans charge him to be.

Nothing more should be required to establish his good reputation, for the rule is universal that a reputation must be assumed to be good until it is proved bad.

But that rule does not apply to the Negro, for as soon as he is suspected the public judgment immediately determines that he is guilty of whatever crime he stands charged.

For this reason, as a matter of duty to the race, and the simple justice to the memory of Charles, an investigation has been made of the life and character of Charles before the fatal affray which led to his death.

Robert Charles was not an educated man.

He was a student who faithfully investigated all the phases of oppression from which his race has suffered.

That he was a student is amply shown by the _Times-Democrat_ report of the twenty-fifth, which says: "Well-worn textbooks, bearing his name written in his own scrawling handwriting, and well-filled copy-books found in his trunk, showed that he had burned the midnight oil, and desired to improve himself intellectually in order that he might conquer the hated white race."

From this quotation it will be seen that he spent the hours after days of hard toil in trying to improve himself, both in the study of textbooks and in writing.

He knew that he was a student of a problem which required all the intelligence that a man could command, and he was burning his midnight oil gathering knowledge that he might better be able to come to an intelligent solution.

To his aid in the study of this problem he sought the aid of a Christian newspaper, the _Voice of Missions_, the organ of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

He was in communication with its editor, who is a bishop, and is known all over this country as a man of learning, a lover of justice and the defender of law and order.

Charles could receive from Bishop Turner not a word of encouragement to be other than an earnest, tireless and God-fearing student of the complex problems which affected the race.

For further help and assistance in his studies, Charles turned to an organization which has existed and flourished for many years, at all times managed by men of high Christian standing and absolute integrity.

These men believe and preach a doctrine that the best interests of the Negro will be subserved by an emigration from America back to the Fatherland, and they do all they can to spread the doctrine of emigration and to give material assistance to those who desire to leave America and make their future homes in Africa.

This organization is known as "The International Migration Society."

It has its headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama.

From this place it issues pamphlets, some of which were found, in the home of Robert Charles, and which pamphlets the reporters of the New Orleans papers declare to be incendiary and dangerous in their doctrine and teaching.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Copies of any and all of them may be secured by writing to D. J.

Flummer, who is President and in charge of the home office in Birmingham, Alabama.

Three of the pamphlets found in Charles's room are named respectively: First, _Prospectus of the Liberian Colonization Society_; which pamphlet in a few brief pages tells of the work of the society, plans, prices and terms of transportation of colored people who choose to go to Africa.

These pages are followed by a short, conservative discussion of the Negro question, and close with an argument that Africa furnishes the best asylum for the oppressed Negroes in this country.

The second pamphlet is entitled _Christian Civilization of Africa_.

This is a brief statement of the advantages of the Republic of Liberia, and an argument in support of the superior conditions which colored people may attain to by leaving the South and settling in Liberia.

The third pamphlet is entitled _The Negro and Liberia_.

This is a larger document than the other two, and treats more exhaustively the question of emigration, but from the first page to the last there is not an incendiary line or sentence.

There is not even a suggestion of violence in all of its thirty-two pages, and not a word which could not be preached from every pulpit in the land.

If it is true that the workman is known by his tools, certainly no harm could ever come from the doctrines which were preached by Charles or the papers and pamphlets distributed by him.

Nothing ever written in the _Voice of Missions_, and nothing ever published in the pamphlets above alluded to in the remotest way suggest that a peaceable man should turn lawbreaker, or that any man should dye his hands in his brother's blood.

In order to secure as far as possible positive information about the life and character of Robert Charles, it was plain that the best course to pursue was to communicate with those with whom he had sustained business relations.

Accordingly a letter was forwarded to Mr. D. J.

Flummer, who is president of the colonization society, in which letter he was asked to state in reply what information he had of the life and character of Robert Charles.

The result was a very prompt letter in response, the text of which is as follows: Birmingham, Ala.

, Aug.

21, 1900 Mrs. Ida B. Wells Barnett, Chicago, Ill.

: Dear Madam--Replying to your favor of recent date requesting me to write you giving such information as I may have concerning the life, habits and character of Robert Charles, who recently shot and killed police officers in New Orleans, I wish to say that my knowledge of him is only such as I have gained from his business connection with the International Migration Society during the past five or six years, during which time I was president of the society.

He having learned that the purpose of this society was to colonize the colored people in Liberia, West Africa, and thereby lessen or destroy the friction and prejudice existing in this country between the two races, set about earnestly and faithfully distributing the literature that we issued from time to time.

He always appeared to be mild but earnest in his advocacy of emigration, and never to my knowledge used any method or means that would in the least appear unreasonable, and had always kept within the bounds of law and order in advocating emigration.

The work he performed for this society was all gratuitous, and apparently prompted from his love of humanity, and desires to be instrumental in building up a Negro Nationality in Africa.

If he ever violated a law before the killing of the policemen, I do not know of it.

Yours, very truly, D. J.

Flummer Besides this statement, Mr. Flummer enclosed a letter received by the Society two days before the tragedy at New Orleans.

This letter was written by Robert Charles, and it attests his devotion to the cause of emigration which he had espoused.

Memoranda on the margin of the letter show that the order was filled by mailing the pamphlets.

It is very probable that these were the identical pamphlets which were found by the mob which broke into the room of Robert Charles and seized upon these harmless documents and declared they were sufficient evidence to prove Charles a desperado.

In the light of subsequent events the letter of Charles, which follows, sounds like a voice from the tomb: New Orleans, July 30,1900 Mr. D. J.

Flummer: Dear Sir--I received your last pamphlets and they are all given out.

I

want you to send me some more, and I enclose you the stamps.

I think I will go over in Greenville, Miss. , and give my people some pamphlets over there.

Yours truly, Robert Charles The latest word of information comes from New Orleans from a man who knew Charles intimately for six years.

For obvious reasons, his name is withheld.

In answer to a letter sent him he answers as follows: New Orleans, Aug.

23, 1900 Mrs. Ida B. Wells-Barnett: Dear Madam--It affords me great pleasure to inform you as far as I know of Robert Charles.

I have been acquainted with him about six years in this city.

He never has, as I know, given any trouble to anyone.

He was quiet and a peaceful man and was very frank in speaking.

He was too much of a hero to die; few call be found to equal him.

I am very sorry to say that I do not know anything of his birthplace, nor his parents, but enclosed find letter from his uncle, from which you may find more information.

You will also find one of the circulars in which Charles was in possession of which was styled as a crazy document.

Let me say, until our preachers preach this document we will always be slaves.

If you can help circulate this "crazy" doctrine I would be glad to have you do so, for I shall never rest until I get to that heaven on earth; that is, the west coast of Africa, in Liberia.

With best wishes to you I still remain, as always, for the good of the race, ---- By only those whose anger and vindictiveness warp their judgment is Robert Charles a desperado.

Their word is not supported by the statement of a single fact which justifies their judgment and no criminal record shows that he was ever indicted for any offense, much less convicted of crime.

On the contrary, his work for many years had been with Christian people, circulating emigration pamphlets and active as agent for a mission publication.

Men who knew him say that he was a law-abiding, quiet, industrious, peaceable man.

So he lived.

So he lived and so he would have died had not he raised his hand to resent unprovoked assault and unlawful arrest that fateful Monday night.

That made him an outlaw, and being a man of courage he decided to die with his face to the foe.

The white people of this country may charge that he was a desperado, but to the people of his own race Robert Charles will always be regarded as the hero of New Orleans.