Robert Charles
Robert Charles
July 23rd,
1900
New Orleans, Louisiana
On July 23rd, 1900,
Robert Charles and his roommate were sitting on the steps of a home at 2815
Dryades Street, a little before midnight, when three police officers approached
the two men. Sergeant Jules Aucion, August Mora, and Joseph Cantrelle had received
a report of two African-American men sitting on the front steps of a
predominately white neighborhood home and they were sent to investigate the
issue. As the officers approached the men, they began to question them, wanting
to know what they were doing and why they were there. Robert attempted to
explain that they were waiting for a friend and would leave soon; as Robert was
talking, he stood up, taking the officers by surprise. Officer Mora reached for
his baton and began to beat Robert with
it, Officer Mora reached for his gun and aimed it at Robert. Robert had also
grabbed his gun and the men stood eye to eye, gun to gun. Both men fired and
both men were shot in the leg. Robert hopped away from scene of the crime,
leaving a trail of blood behind him.
At around three in the morning, just
hours after Robert shot Officer Mora, Captain John Day and several other
officers arrived at 2023 Fourth Street, Robert’s apartment with the intention
of arresting Robert. Robert had other plans he opened the windows and began firing
on the waiting officers. Hitting Captain Day in the chest and another officer
in the head; the other officers ran for cover and Robert was able to escape,
again. By this time, it seemed as though the entire city of New Orleans was in an
uproar, crying out for a lynching. . The anger in the crowd seemed to grow more
and more intense until something had to be done. The crowd soon turned into an
angry mob, who was out for blood. The mob, which was full of white New Orleanians,
began to walk down the streets, terrorizing every African American they could
find, shooting many at point blank range. During this brutal attack on the
African-American population of New Orleans, two African-American schools were
burned to the ground and a dozen or more African-American’s were shot or injured.
The mayor of New Orleans begged the citizens
to allow the officers to do their jobs and to remain peaceful as the
African-Americans they were attacking were innocent of the crimes of Robert
Charles. While the mayor did his best to ensure the safety While the mayor did
his best to ensure the safety of his city; officers discovered that Robert was
hiding out at 1208 Saratoga Street and on July 27th 1900, they
surrounded the home, Sergeant Gabe Porteous, Corporal Lally, and several
officers attempted to enter the home but Robert, who was hiding in a closet,
opened fire with a .38 rifle, shooting Porteous and Lally. Robert then began to
fire on anyone who dared pass in front of the home; the police who had, had enough
decided to set fire to the home to force Robert out. Robert, upon learning that
the house was on fire, attempted to surrender; as he opened the front door of
the home, he was met with a hail of gunfire from a medical student named
Charles Noiret. Robert fell to his knees, dying instantly. The mob then
descended upon him beating him to a bloody pulp and dragging his dead body up
and down the streets.
At the end of this four-day massacre,
Robert had murdered six people and injured ten. Once the mobs anger was finally
pacified, the local newspapers began to claim that the police had been cowards,
who instead of running into the gun battle, had run away, which had instigated
the violence in the city. Although Robert committed this terrible deed, he was
also a major civil right activist in the area, who wanted freedom and rights
for all African-Americans. Robert encouraged his fellow African-Americans to
leave the United States and return to Liberia to escape racial discrimination.
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