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Wilmington Riot

A large meeting of the white citizens of Wilmington, North Carolina, was held on the 9th of November, 1898. The purpose was to seize control of the city government from blacks, who outnumbered whites by about 17,000 to 8,000 and who had been elected to most public offices. The rioters demanded that the editor of the city's black newspaper take himself and his printing press out of town by 7:00 the following morning. When the deadline passed, a mob of 600 armed whites destroyed the printing material and burned down the building. In the ensuing race riot, some ten blacks were killed and three whites injured. The coroner ruled that the blacks had died due to gunfire from unknown parties. All of the city officials resigned and their places were taken by white Democrats.