The Topeka state journal., 1905-07-15
BATTLE IN AIR.
Police Fight With a Mob on
Roofs of Buildings.
Race Riot Breaks Out at ssSan
Juan Hill.''
STREET CARS HELD UP.
Conductors and Motormen Hide
Under the Seats.
Many Injured But No Deaths
Are Reported.

New York, July 15.-San Juan Hill,
the district bounded by Amsterdam
and West End avenues and Sixty-first
and Sixty-third, called so because of
its notoriety as d battle ground, was
the scene last night of a furious race
riot which required $50 police to quell
after many shots had been fired and
several persons had been seriously in
jured.
The trouble began shortly after 8
o'clock when a policeman arrested Ed
ward Connolly for attacking Henry Will
l1ams, a negro, and was pursued to the
station house with his prisoner by a
mob of Connelly's friends hurting show
ers of stones and other missiles. When
the station house reserves turned out
and the neighborhood was in an uproar
and whites and blacks engaged in des-
perate struggles. Torrents of missiles
were hurled from roofs and windows
Within ten minutes not less than a
thousand men, boys and women, black
and white, were engaged in furious
combat. The small party of police
were powerless and reinforcements
were summoned. On their arrival d
Gordon was drawn around the whole
district and strong patrols made repeat
Ied charges down the streets in an effort
TO restore order. They succeeded in
making a few prisoners and We're forced
to retreat, fighting every inch of the
way and pursued to the station house
by bowling mob.
| The worst fighting was in Sixty-sec-
| ond street, where, from every window
and roof, rained missiles, while hun
dreds of shots were fired. Roundsman
Patrick Walsh was knocked down by
Joseph B. Smith, negro who leaped
upon him, and after attempting to shoot
| him struck him repeatedly with the
butt of his revolver. Walsh was finally
rescued by his companions. Inspector
Mclaughlin arrived shortly before nine
O'Clock and realizing how widespread
| was the danger sent hurry calls for re-
serves from as far north as 150th street
and as far south as Leonard street,
from the east side and from the west
side In all there were more than ESQ
men under command of the inspector
within twenty minutes.
Squads of men were sent along the
roofs of the houses in Sixty-second
street where the fighting seemed heav-
lest. They walked from West End ave
nue. to Amsterdam, clearing the roofs,
and found that many chimneyS had
been torn to pieces to furnish ammuni-
ton. More arrests. were made and sew
eral whites and negroes were rescued
from gangs of assailants, but desultory
comba continued. Inspector Nc
passing through rescued Michael
Jacoby, a white man, who was beaten
by two negroes.
The rioting spread to Fifty-seventh
street and to Sixty-eighth street. al
though the hardest battles were fought
between Sixty-f1rst and Sixty-third
street. For more than half an hour
cars on the Amsterdam avenue line
! were blockaded. Colored men pursued
by whites took refuge on cars as they
passed. and were followed by showers
of bricks and stones as they fed. Every
| window in many, cars was broken and
passengers took shelter in neighboring
houses. Conductors and motormen hid
under seats, leaving the cars to the
mercy of the mob. Commissioner Nc
Adoo arrived at IL o'clock and made a
tour of the battlefield, the fighting by
that time having ceased. He said the
riot could not have taken place had not
the rough element been permitted to
carry arms. They appeared to have a
regular arsenal of weapons
| In all seven whites and two negroes
had their injuries attended to, but
scores of others less seriously hurt were
taken to their homes by friends.
Five whites and six negroes, among
| them women, were arrested.
| A picked body of 80 policemen was
detailed to occupy the disturbed region
| during the night.