Shortly before 9:00 p.m., nearly 150 white men, some with white handkerchiefs tied around their arms, surrounded the stable. They arrived in darkness, having turned off electric streetlights in the neighborhood. After some low murmuring and whispering, about three dozen of the men suddenly stormed into the little room and confronted the vote counters. The first man to step inside was former Wilmington mayor William Harriss, a politician with a grudge. Harriss had been replaced as mayor by Wright after the disputed municipal election the previous March. Harriss barged into the stable, shoving a
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