The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1900-08-17
ANGRY NEW YORK mob
Rs"e War Started Over the Killing
of a Policeman by a Negro.
1t Took Over Four Hundred Police
man to QueII the Disturbances
Scores of People were In
jured, Some Seriously.


jured, Some Seriously.
New York, Aug. 16.-A mob of sew
eral hundred persons formed at IL
o'clock Wednesday night in front of
The home of Policeman Robert j.
Thorpe, Thirty-seventh street and
Ninth avenue, to wreak vengeance up
en- the Negroes of that neighborhood
lecause one of their race had caused
the policeman's death. Thorpe was
stabbed and bruised last Sunday
night by several Negroes while he
was attempting to arrest a cOlored
woman. The man who inflicted most
Of the injuries is said to be Arthur
Harris, Negro, who came here sew
eral weeks ago from Washington.
In few moments the mob swelled
to 1000 people or more and as they
became violent the Negroes fled in
terror into any hiding place they
could find. The police reserves from
four stations, numbering 400 in all,
were called out.
The mob of white men, which grew
with great rapidity, ragged through
Ct age or sex, were indiscriminately
attacked. Scores were injured. 1t
took the combined efforts of the re-
serves with as many more policemen
en- 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 sto-
res of the Negro tenements from
which the Negroes defensively fired
bricks, paving stones and other mis-
siles.
The disturbance grew out of the
death of Policeman Robert j. Thorpe,
of the West 37th station, as the re-
suit of a murderous assault by Ne
gro early Sunday in Eighth avenue
and 41st street. Thorpe was attempt
ing to arrest a Negress when Arthur
Harris and another Negro attacked
the policeman with razors. He died
the following day. The policeman's
death aroused the white residents of
the district, included from goth to
42d street, and from Eigth to Sixth
avenues. Open threats against the
Negroes were made and the blacks re-
piled in kind. While not condoning
the Offense 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 Wednesday night in
Ninth avenue between 36th and 37ta
streets. At once the house became
a sort of shrine and from all over
the vicinity men and women came to
pay their respects. Many carried
handsome floral offerings. AS night
grew on feeling against the Negroes
seemed to grow. The fact that many
saloons roundabout were crowded
had its influence doubtless on the ris-
ing tide of anger. A few minutes be-
fore II o'clock an Irish woman under
the influence of drink set up a howl
and began to recite the virtues of
the dead policeman. She said the
Negroes ought to be killed. Just then
a young Negro walked by. The white
men made a rush for him and he was
quickly surrounded. He was beaten
and kicked and was rescued with
great difficulty. If there had been d
carefully arranged plot and this had
been the agreed signal the outbreak
could not have been more spontane.
Gus. Men and women poured by the
hundreds from the neighboring tene-
ments. Negroes were set upon wher-
ever they were found and brutally
beaten. The blacks at first offered re-
sistance but they were so soon out
numbered that they fed without de
lay.
For the next hour the streets were
filed with rioting, surging mob 1t
was a scene of very much the same
order as took place a few days ago
in New Orleans. The shouting of men,
the shrieking of women, the lamen-
tations of the children, the shoot
ing of revolvers, crashing of windows
and all made perfect pandemonium.
Finally the 400 policemen succeeded
in quelling the mob and restoring or
der.