New-York tribune., 1900-08-16
WEST SIDE RACE RIOT.
MOB ATTACKS NEGROES FOR
POLICE.NAN'S DEATH.
BATTLE SPREADS INTO BROADWAY
SCORES HURT COLORED MEN
DRAGGED FROM STREET CARS
HUNDREDS OF POLICEMEN
FIGHT THE MOB.
FIGHT THE MOB.

race riot OF formidable proportions broke
out last night on the West Side A mob OF
white men. which grew with great rapfdity
from few score 70 pany hundreds ragged
through the district and negroes. regardless OF
age OF sex, were indiscrimiuately attacked
Scores were injured. The police reserves from
the West Forry-seventh-st-. West Thirtisth-st..
West Thirty-sevsnth-st and West Twentieth-
St stations numbering four hundred OF more
mea. were turned out II took their efforts.
combined with as many more policemen on reg
ular patrol duty in the four precincts. restore
order.
Clubs were used until the policemen were
almost exhausted RevoIvers were ernptisd into
the air, and in one or two instances fred at
the upper stories OF the negro tenerents. from
which the negroes defensively fred bricks paw
ing stones and other missiles That many negroes
were not killed outright is miraculous cor the
mob at times frenzied-
The trouble grew out OF the death oe Police
man Robert J. Thorpe. o. the West Thirty-ssv-
enth-st- station, as the result OF = uaurderous
assault BY negro early on Sunday morning az
Eighth-ave. and Forty-hrst-st. Thorpe was at
/ tempting 20 arrest a colored woman when Ar
| thur Harris and another negro attacked the DO
| lcenan with razors- They literally slashsd the
policeman into ribbons He died the rolloztuz,
/ day.
/ The policenan's death aroused the white resi-
! dents OF the district included from Twsutieth-st
/ 10 Forty-second-st. and from Nlnth-avs. 10
sixth-ave- Open threats against the negroes
/ were made. and the blacks replied IN kind
/ While not condOui1g the offence 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 taken TO his home
/ last night in Ninth-ave. between Thirty-stxthl
/ and Thirry-sevsnth sts- At once the house BE-
! came a sort OF shrine. and from all over the
/ neighborhood men and women called 20 pay
/ their respects Many carried handsome floral
/ pieces As the night grew on the hatred OF the
| negroes seemed 70 grow. The fact that many
/ saloons roundabout were crowded had its in
| huence. doubtless, on the rising tide o< anger
I small group gathered about the policenan's
home. and Captain Cooney. OF the West Thirty
/ seventh-st. police station. sent small squad OF
men Trouble was not anticipated, however,
! and the squad was in the na-ure OF a guard OF
honor for their dead comrade.
THE TROUBLE STARTS
! woman under the influence OF drink came out OF
The place. She set Up a howl and began to re-
/ cite the virtues OF the dead policeman She first
told OF the beautiful flowers which had been
| sent, and then began 10 call down al the curses
| she could muster on the negroes
The black basres ought 10 be kilt"' she
shrieked. Just tFen a young negro. not more
than seventeen years old. walked by Tie white
men made rush for him. and he was quickly
| surrounded He was beaten and kicked, and
was rescued only with great difficulty II there
had been a carefully arranged plot and this Rad
| been the agreed signal the outbreak could not
have been more spontaneous. Men and women
poured by the hundred from the neighborinz
/ tenemerts. Negroes were set upon wherever
| they could be found and brUtalIy beaten The
| blacks at first offered resistance, but they were
| so soon outnumbered that they fed without
| delay
| For the next hour the streets for blocks were
/ filed with a rioting, surging mob. II was
scene on very much the sane order as took
/ place few days ago in New-OrIsans- New
/ York has seldom had It's equal. The shouting
| OF the men, the shriektns OF the women the
lamentations OF the children, the shooting OF re-
voIvers and crashing of windows al made a per-
| feet pandemonium-
Acting Captain Cooney at once ordered out
/ his reserves. but his were only haIf-hearted
/ IN their work Some OF them even went so far
/ as 70 quietly encourage the whites in their dis
/ orderly work.
Nathan Arlington eighteen years Old a
/ colored youth. OF No 315 West Forty-dfrh-st
/ rode Up EIghth-ave. on his wheel and Into the
| riOting crowd OF whites He instantly sur
/ rounded. pulled from his wheel and brutauy
beaten Some observers said that half dozen
policemen on the corner made no effort 70 save
him The leader OF the mob was a young man
/ in gray suit, and could easily have been ar
| rested One OF the white men had the tsraerity
/ TO ask a policeman for his club kin the
/ young negro
I'd like 10 give it 10 YOU the policeman r.
piled
The negro IN some way got 20 his feet and ran
/ up on the stoop or No. sos Eighth-ave- He was
again attacked, the police looking on Postal
messenger No 59s husky boy saw the negro's
I drove the crowd back and got the negro into the
house The policemen then made show OF
I authority and dispersed the crowd
Captain COoney at once called out the reserves
from the adjoining precincts The policemen in
other parts did much clubbing. but the injured
men were all negroes.
MUCH CLUBBING BY POLICEMEN.
LLOYD Lee OF Thirty-seventh-sr and Seventh
/ ave was shot in the cheek and received a scalp
wound and broken arm near his home. He said
I a policeman had shot and dubbed him. He was
taken TO Bellevue Hospital
John B Mallory. eighteen years old an IN
teIigent young negro and student in 3 civil
engineering class, going hsme from the
Colored Engineers Club at Twenty y-ntnth-st.
and Seventh-ave.. with Gordon Jones. another
student about his age The sang Jumped on