Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1900-08-23
WHITE VS.. BLACK.
a Race War Breaks Out in New
York,
Murder of n Policeman by a Negro
Leads TO an Attack by a Mob
Upon Dozens of COIOred PeO-
pIe-Many of the Latter
Quite Badly In ured.

eral hundred persons formed at IL
O'Clock last night in front of the
home of Policeman Robert j. Thorpe,
Thirty-seventh street and Ninth ave
nue., to wreak vengeance upon the
negroes of that neighborhood be
cause one of their race had caused
the policeman'S death. Thorpe was
stabbed and bruised last Sunday by
several negroes while he was at
tempting to arrest colored woman.
The man who inflicted most OF the
injuries is said to be Arthur Harris,
a negro who came here several weeks
ago from Washington.
In a few moments the mob Sweiled
to l 800 people, and as they became
violent the negroes fled i'll terror to
any hiding place they could find.
The police reserves from four sta
tions. numbering 400 in all, We're
called out.
The mob of white men ragged
through the district and negroes, re-
gardlcsS of age or sex, We're indis-
.criminately attacked. Scores were
injured. 1t took the combined efforts
of the reserves, with as many more
policemen on regular patrol duty IN
the four precincts, to restore order.
Clubs were used until the policemen
were almost exhausted. Revolvers
were emptied into the air and in one
or two instances fired at the upper
stories of the negro tenements, from
which the negroes fired bricks, paw
ing stones and other missiles.
The trouble grew out of the death
of Policeman Thorpe as the result Of
murderous assault by negro early
Sunday. Thorpe was attempting To
arrest ncgress when Arthur Harris
and another negro attacked the po-
liceman with ra<ors. lie died the
following day.
The policeman's death aroused the
white residents of the district. Open
threats against the negroes We're
made and the blacks replied in kind.
While not condoning the otfense of
Harris, they insisted that he was only
one man and that the race ought not
to be blamed for his action.
The policeman's body was brought
to his home last night At once the
house became a sort of shrine and
from all over the vicinity men and
women called to pay their respects.
Many carried handsome floral offer
ings. As the night grew on the feel
ing against the negroes seemed to
grow. The fact that many saloons
round about were crowded had its ia-
tiuence, doubtless. on the rising tide
of anger. \ small group gathered
about the policeman'S home and Capt.
Eooney, of the West Thirty-scventh
street station, sent a small squad of
men. Trouble was not anticipated.
however. and the squad was more in
the nature of a guard of honor for
their dead comraGe.
\ few minutes before II O'Clock an
Irish woman, under the influence of
drink, came out of the place. She
set up a howl and began TO recite the
virtues of the dead policeman. She
said the negroes out to be killed.
Just then young negro walked by.
The white men made a rush for him
and he was quickly surrounded. He
was beaten and kicked and was res
cucd with great difficulty. If there
had been a carefully arranged plot
and this had been the agreed signal,
the outbreak could not have been
more spontaneous. Men and women
poured by the hundred from the
neighbOring tenements. Negroes
were set upon wherever they could
be found and brutalIy beaten. The
blacks at first offered resistance, but
they We're so soon outnumbered that
they fed.
For the next hour the streets were
filed with surging mob. 1t was Il
scene on very much the same order
as took place a few days ago in New,
Orleans. New York has seldom had
its equal The shouting of the men,
the shrieking of the women, the la
mentations of the children, the
shooting of revolvcrs, crashing of
windows and all made perfect pam
demonium.
The policemen did much clubbing,
but the injured men were all negroes.
Lloyd Lee was shot in the check re
ceiyed a scalp wound and a broken
arm. He said "A policeman shot and
,clubbcd him.
The police said the negroes were
arming with revolvers and knives.
A negro riding up Broadway on a
bike was pulled from his wheel and
severely beaten. The mob then took
the wheel and smashed il.
Many negroes were hustled into
the West Thirty-seventh street sta
tion for protection. None had cs-
capped without some kind of an in
jury and some of them were bleeding
from half dozen cuts.
The crowd thai surged into Broad
way seemed uglicr than that further
west. There was at ono time more
than 5000 persons in Broadway. Up
and down. into and out of the hotel;
and saloons, through Herald Square
and the side streets the mob rushed,
looking for negroes. Any unfortu-
nate black was set upon and beaten.
Not a single white man had been
arrested. Chief Devery said he would
take every precaution for preventing
repetition of the outbreak.
Barker Is Said to be Ineligible.
Lincoln, Neb., Aug. 16.-Wharton