The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-08
WAS AN OFFICIAL CRIME.
CONCLUDED FROM FIRST PAGE

CONCLUDED FROM FIRST PAGE)
result. probably. in total of ten deaths
and upwards of thirty wounded and it
might have been prevented had there been
ten policemen at the Jail last night to pre-
vent the assembling of that crowd. or to dis
perse it even after it had gathered. Ten
policemen armed only with their clubs could
have charged through that crowd at any
time up to within ten minutes of the trag-
edy. and the mob would have melted away
like water
George A. Cunningham, another of the
best known citizens of Evansville, Endorsed
this statement of Mr.. Posey. That's
right" he said. ten policemen-ten deter
mined officers-could have prevented all that
bloodshed."
The other men in the room nodded their
heads approvingly in grim silence.
This, then, is the explanation of the trag-
edy that has cast such gloom over Evans
Vile and such a blight on her fair name.
KRAFT BLAMES DURBIN.
Sheriff Kratz, when / saw him at the Jail
this evening, gave different explanation
All this horror would have been averted,"
hessaid. eff Governor Durbin had come to
my assistance when 1 first called on him.
and sent four or five companies of the mi
litia.'
Sheriff Kratz maintains that he did all in
his power to control the situation, but that
he was helpless. Nevertheless, when the
mob attacked the militia he was back in the
Jail. and had not faced the crowd during
the evening. nor had he called on it to dis
perse. Mayer Covert. at this critical mo-
IL
to cope with the situation and speak as one
having authority in demanding that law
and order be preserved.
The mayor and some of his friends init
mate that the tragedy might have been
averted had Sheriff Kratz done all in his
power to check the mob, and had dealt with
1t summarily Saturday and Sunday nights
when it first surrounded the jail The sher-
III, as has been stated, shifts the blame to
Governor Durbin. while some OF the people
say there would have been no bloodshed
If the troops had not been called out. or at
least If the local company had not been
the one first ordered under arms
And so it goes: but the thoughtful cti-
zens, the representative men of the town,
place the responsibility on the local author
tiles. They made this sufficiently plain at
the conference this evening. They do not
charge that Mayor Covert willfully shirked
his responsibility, Tor that Sheriff Kratz
did not do his duty as he saw it, They
simply say that the local authorities should
have been able to control the situation, and
that the blame rests on Evansville alone.
COVERT ON THE RACK
General Mckee talked rather pointedly to
ha In fon he n
him as if he were a witness on the stand
He asked just what arrangements the
mayor had made to preserve order tonight
the number of officers available and the
disposition that would be made of them
He learned that the force numbered seven
ty-five or eighty and that no special prepa-
rations had been made for tonight The
mayor evidently expected General Mckee
to take charge of affairs. He had but
thirty special police. 'Why haven't you
S30?' asked the general.
I'VE have sworn in all we could get that
we could depend on" answered the mayor
"Have you tried these men here" indicat-
ing the assembled citizens with a sweep of
his arm The mayor admitted that he had
not.
Have you called on the Governor for adj
ditional troops?"
He had not.
do you want more troops?"
He did.
"Then 1 wish you would write a mes
sage to Governor Durbin making such a
request"
The mayor wrote three messages before
he composed one that met the general
approval. Mayor Covert and the assembled
citizens did not know at this time that
the troops from Indianapolis were already
en- route to this city.
The general desired to force the mayor
to assume the responsibility of asking aid
from the State, and in this he was success
full. He indicated to Mayor Covert that
the local authorities must prevent the as
sembling of mcbs and that the state troops
would take a hand only when the situation
proved too much for the city The gen.
eral could not patrol the. city; his men
could make no arrests. All they could do
was to fire into mobs as last resort.
'UP TO" THE MAYOR.
The plain words OIL General Mckee met
the approval of the citizens, and they, too,
indicated that it was up to the mayor to
handle the situation. The mayor saw the
point, ana III the COURSE OIL uItten HILL
utes a programme was outlined for the
night. The mayor and committee of fif-
teen citizens will keep in touch with Gen.
eral Mckee throughout the night, and the
police force, enlarged as much as possible,
will patrol the city to prevent the congre-
eating of crowds. Three companies of the
militia will surround the Jail and court
house. while the others remain encamped in
Sunset Park. on Riverside avenue. a
reserve force. Quartermaster General Per-
! nv has arranged for subsistence for the
troops.
To return to the mob-what II has done
and what it may do. Two quantities enter
| into the problem that are to degree un-
known and add largely to its complex ma
| ture. In the first place. the murdered pa
trolman. Massey. belonged to several secret
societies. the Knights of Pythias. Masons
and Ancient Order of United Workmen
! among others. There are numerous rumors
| that his brethren in some of these orders
are terribly aroused over his murder and
! purpose to make the negroes of Evansville
pay a heavy penalty for the crime.
Second. three or four of the men who
were killed in last nights clash with the
militia and over half of those who were
wounded belonged 10 labor unions. Evans
Vile is a great union center. The hostile at
titude of labor unions toward the militia IL
we'll known and there is undoubtedly a