The sun., 1903-07-13
NEGRO BLOCK GOES TO WAR.
FIRST WITH A POLICEMAN, THEN
WITH WHITE NEIGHBORS.
Police Reserves Hunt the Roofs I'm West
sixty-second street for ThrOwers or
Brieks-POltceman on Post FuriOusly
Pelted While Making an Arrest.

Sixty-secOnd Street for ThrOwors or
Bricks-POlioeman on Post FuriOusly
Pelted While Making an Arrest.
William johnson, a stalwart negro, who
lives at 23S West Sixty-second street, which
is in the middle Of the densely populated
block between Amsterdam and West End
avenues, was engaged at s o. clock yesterday
afternoon in a strenuous argument with
several other negroes on the front stoop
Of the tenement house at 24O. Policeman
Benjamin O'Connor, whose thankless task
1t is to keep the white and colored residents
OF the block from fighting, warned johnson
that he was talking too much and too loud.
He suggested that johnson retire to his
own house and keep quiet There were a
few words over whether johnson would go
home by himself or whether the policeman
should escort him by the nape OF the neck.
the upshot OF which was that the negro
jumped at the policeman and the two
rolled over on the sidewalk together.
When they reached the gutter the police
man was on top, with club drawn, and
johnson had nothing to do for the moment
but submit. Following time-honored
custom of the block when any one is ar
rested, the residents took to the roofs on
either side of the street. where for just such
occasions bricks, stones, clubs and other
missiles are kept handy. By the time
O'Connor had yanked his man to his feet
and started for the station house with him
the bombardment began. A brick hit
O'Connor on the shoulder, a club knocked
his helmeto fl, and crowd of negroes who
had gathered around the officer and his
prisoner seemed bent on freeing the latter.
I'll. a-LA eN- l. .,N1e nv.I
the crowd cheered him. O'Connor worked
his way with his prisoner to the vacant
lot on the north side of the street, near
West End avenue, and Policemen Downey
and Kelleher, who had adjoining posts,
came to the rescue. O'Connor was then
in bad way From the tenements siding
on the open lot a storm Of bricks and clubs
n grip on Johnson's collar, and the three
officers opened way for themselves and
their prisoner with their clubs.
In West End avenue crowd OF white
men belonging to the element In the neigh
borhood who carry on a constant warfare
from the policemen. They told the officers
that they would hang him to lamp post,
and made other cheerful threats which
they didn't mean. After a good deal OF
trouble the policemen got their man to the
station house. where he was locked up on
charge Of disorderly conduct.
The arrest of johnson meanwhile, had
stirred up the neighborhood. Negroes
who ventured around into West End and
Eleventh avenues were assaulted. and
white men who came up on the Sixty-second
street block were greeted with showers OF
brickbats from the roofs. When the three
policemen returned to the block they were
greeted with a rain OF stones. The block
was in such turmoil that the reserves
from the Sixty-eighth street, station. the
Forty-seventh street station and the West
Tooth station we're sent for. About twenty
policemen scurried up to the roofs Of the
houses to catch some of the stone throwers.
They got one man, William Brocket OF
222 West Sixty second street.
By 7 O'Clock the block had regained its
normal condition and the reserves were
| withdrawn.