New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-08-16
RACE WAR In THE BRONX
NEGRO CUTS WHITE NAN,
Rioting Ensues, and Many Persons
Dire Hurt.

In race rioting in The Bronx last night John
Ffnnessy. forty years old. of No. sos Jackson
ave. was stabbed in The abdomen. probably
fatally by negro, who escaped Fifty men
with billiard cues and liquor bottles and a dozen
detectives were chasing him at a late hour. The
stabbing resulted in a race riot, and a hundred
and fifty white men hunted negroes all night
around the scene of the stabbing, ar One-hun-
bred and ffty-ffth-st and Washington ave,
bruising and beating them and driving them
into their homes or elsewhere, until the police
became numerous enough 10 prevent further
rioting. The reserves had to be turned out. as
negroes and whites rushed TO the scene to help
their companions.
Two unidentified negroes did some drinking in
the saloon of Gustave Kanze, at the southwest
corner of One-hundred "a nd fifty tifth-st. and
Westinghouse, about dusk last night, and
had a quarrel with the proprietor about the
payment of the last round They settled, but
were surly and had to be put out. They threat
ened vengeance on the proprietor. They and
dozen other negroes were seen about $50 o'clock
opposite the saloon. Allen Price. of No. 10
Weir Court said he overheard threats to kill
Gus who he believed to mean Karze. One of
the negroes went to the saloon door and called
TO Kanze to come outside.
FIRST ACT OF VIOLENCE
messy went to the sidewalk The man who had
called went back to the other negroes, and a
knife was seen passed around among them. The
first man took it and went back to Finnessy.
He attacked the white man. stabbed him twice
in the left arm, and then gave him a vicious
dig in the abdomen, causing wound six inches
wide and two inches deep Fnnessy fell I'M
conscious on the sidewalk where he was left
for time. while fighting and rioting ragged all
about and around him.
The men in the saloon felt that trouble was
brewing when the negro called to Kane to
come out. and they seized billiard cues and
glasses and bottles, and rushed to the street.
The man who did the stabhing fed toward
Jerome ave, and q lot of the men went after
him.
XIII him Kill that niger! Stone him! Shoot
him. were some of the shouts that went up
from the pursuing crowd.
RIOTING BREAKS LOOSE.
The dozen negroes who had accompanied Fin
nessy's assaiIant were attacked by the mob of
men, aided by lot of white laborers of that
neighborhood who fled out of their homes with
all sorts of weapons. They rushed at the ne
groes, beat them with stones, sticks, billiard
cues, glasses and bottles, cut a. number of them
and bruised all, and drove them into the dark
ness or to their homes.
All the time women and children were fleeing
to their own or neighbors' homes and whites
and blacks running out of their houses
to help men of their own race. Many negroes
live on -hundred-a nd-sixty- fifth-st, near
Washington-ave. and many of them ran out
with knives and whatever they could
weapons the whites running out with similar
weapons None had revolvers, and no shots
were fired, but this is believed to be caused by
the fact that people about there are too poor to
have pistols.
The neighborhood was in state of terror.
Yells of brutal vengeance. Of triumph. OF ter
ror, OF pain, Of anger and of command came
from one side and the other as whites and ne
groes clashed and beat each other Policeman
Beton of the Morrisania station, ran UP with
a club but no one paid any attention to him,
and he ran to a telephone, calling on his sta
ton for aid and the Lebanon Hospital for an
ambulance and surgeon for Finnessy. Half a
dozen detectives ran down from Morrisania sta
ton, but they saw such hopeless riot before
diately, and the wagonful of men was run down
as fast as the horses could draw it.
MANY MEN HURT FIGHTING.
Dozens of white and colored men were cut in
the fight Many cut negroes, with faces bleed
ing, were seen running into their homes
bv. After a little time. they found themselves
SO inferior in numbers that they retreated. and
the white men, yelling triumphantly, fell on
them bodily and bruised and cut them until all
fed in terror.
Just as the last of the white men were return
ing from the chase four negroes, who knew
nothing 81 the trouble, walked into Kanze's sa-
loon. The white men rushed at the negroes,
beating them with fists and clubs, and when
they saw the police coming bolted the doors.
The pQlice broke in the door and rescued the
colored men. They kept the white men off until
they escorted the negroes out of sight.
>~Captain Ryrne of the Morrisania station,
o,yta Off n ~ - " n
sta bbed Finnessy and prevent any harm coming
10 him Finnessy was taken from the sidewalk,
where he lay bleeding during the rioting. and
taken to the Lebanon Hospital He was at once
nIaced on the operating table, but his chances
were regarded as SLIM
Charles Jackson. alleged slayer of Charles
Roxbury, the tea faster. is supposed to have be
loneed 10 the same crowd of negroes which
sailed Finnessy.