Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-15
The RACE RIOT At ROANOKE
CREEK RESTAURANTS lombard
ED AND WRECKED BY MOB.
Trouble Started Over Five Cents.
Quiet Restored Only After Fire
men Turned Hose on Crowd.

ROANOKE, Va, July 15.-Nine Greek
restaurants, three Greek shoe-shining places
and two Syrian shops, located on Salem
and Railroad avenues and Nelson and JEFF
ferson streets, were wrecked by mob that
had its own way in the streets for several
hours early Sunday morning. The trouble
began about midnight Saturday and con-
tinued until $50 o'clock yesterday morning.
The proprietor of the Belmont, Greek res
taurant on Salem avenue, and an American
customer quarreled over cents and a fist
fight followed. The American left the place.
reported the occurrence to his friends and
the party returned to the place and bonn
barded it with bricks, demolishing the win
dows doors. lights and some of the dishes.
The Greeks fired a number OF shots
through the door, but none took effect.
While the crowd was gathering man COW
cred with blood was brought from another
section of town to physicians office, d.
rectly opposite the restaurant and the
crowd, believing this man had been hurt by
the Greeks, grew more boisterous. Sergt.
Overstreet, with two patrolmen. tried to
quiet the crowd, but was powerless. The
bombardment continued. Police Justice
John Randolph Bryan arrived on the scene
and ordered the arrest of a man. When the
police attempted to make the arrest they
were warned to let the man alone Justice
Bryan with a drawn revolver, said he
would kill the first man that assaulted a
policeman. The police released the man
they were arreStng.
1000 Men on Streets.
Later Mayor Cutchin arrived and begged
the mob to dispense. BY this time there
were 1000 men in the streets and the
mayors words were greeted with boots.
these being punctuated with brickoats ana
rocks, which were hurled at the executive
and at the restaurant across the avenue,
The mayor was struck on the tho
S I'D nlead with the people TO go
home. a.. ,,err, sent in and
, fire company rushed to the sGene. As .iie
engine and wagons paS Stoned and Chief
streets nv Wapeoner was SO badly hurt that
he ia walking on crulciies. .,o 1900
Whom the hose was unWound there were
w or,es of Cut the hose! and Shoot
iouu =" the latter remark being aimed at the
sremen one man stuck a knife In the hose,
hnt he was driven off by the big stream of
water Stones continued to fly through the
air and Police Justice Bryan and Policemen
Manning King, Overstreet and King were
struck. Sergt. Overstreet was knocked
senseless by a rock that hit him back of the
ear A number of men arrested by the police
were rescued by their friends.
After the fire engine arrived In front or
the Belmont restaurant the mob scattered
and soon glass was crashing an other direc-
tons.
The mob proceeded through Salem avenue
smashing the front OF every building occu-
pied by Greeks Then 1t went into Jefferson
street, where two big restaurants and a
shoe shining place were wrecked, the plate
mirrors that covered the walls being demol-
ished. Eggs. fish and dishes were thrown
into the street. The crowd then went on
Railroad avenue, where oos Greek place