Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-15
Mayor Cutchin's Statement.

Mayor Cutchin's Statement.
| After the mob had been quieted and dis
persed and several dsturbers were under
arrest Mayor Cutchin issued the following
| signed statement:
| THE regrettable occasion of last night,
| when nine Greek restaurants and three
| Greek shoe-shine parlors and one or two
Syrian shops were attacked and wrecked
from the front by mob of several hum
| dred people. has brought the blush of shame
! to every good citizen of Roanoke. The oc-
currence took place soon after the mid
night hour, when the lights in all the bust
ness places had been turned off and the
| city was in semi darkness, the small po-
| lice force, numbering seven men on duty,
| being scattered over the city, with a popu-
lation of 35, 600, without any facility for con-
| centrating the officers to the scene. The
three policemen nearest the spot were en-
compass ed with the police justice in a very
small space and were unable to cope with
the crowd in any particular
The mayor and chief of police were both
at home asleep, and no means Of reach
ing the latter or the policemen not on duty;
the mob quickly grew to immenshe proper
tons and on the arrival of the mayor
and chief of police they found themselves
with seven men to handle crowd OF over
1850. The crowd falling to dispense on being
requested and ordered to do SO, after re-
peated efforts on the part of the mayor a
| fire alarm was rung In, and the hose turn
| ed on the crowd in order to scatter the
same the police could get TO work. Dur
| being thrown into the various places wreck
| ed. scattered over several city blocks
Stones were also thrown at the mayor,
| the police justice the chief OF police ana
the policemen, several OF these being hit
and bruised. 1t was impossible to find any
one who did the throwing, the crowd show
| ing a disposition to shield each other. Citl-
| zens volunteered to aid the police, but II
was impossible for the chief of police TO
| avail himself of their services for lack or
| equipment Some half a dozen Virginia
Institute students volunteered 10
| the mayor and werA furnished by him with
| riot guns to protect the jail and keep back
safely lodged in jail. After this was done
| two of the day policemen having reported
| for duty, making nine men in all, the chief
| of police soon had the situation well In
| hand and had arrested and locked up every
one exciting to violence and disorder. but
| not until after the wrecking had been done.
Greeks Were Lawabiding.
ut was but a short while before the
police had cleared the streets and the city
was again quiet. There are quite num-
| Der of Greek residents in Roanoke engaged
| in the restaurant busin SIS: and they nave
| been quiet peaceful and lawabding, and
| have given no trouble to the authorities.
| There is no resentment against the Greeks
| on the part of the city government nor
| any of the lawabidng citizens of Roanoke.
| THE city government Offered the Greeks
| every protection in Its power last night
| and will continue to do so, and ample
| or proper reparation Will no DOUBT De MACS
for any damage sustained by those VINO
| have suffered at the hands of the mob.
THE Greeks. like everybody else IN
Roanoke shall have a square deal so far as
| it lies in the power of the city admins
| tration The city is quiet today, and no
| further trouble is anticipated and no fur-
| Their disturbance will be permitted None
of the Greeks suffered any bodily violence
| last night. The restaurant keepers are al
| ready cleaning up their places, and Will De
| open for business again tomorrow the
whole trouble started over the dispute
about cents between Creek restaurant
| keeper and a customer in Greek lunch
room in which trouble neither one OF the
| parties was seriously injured. 49,.
"A most vigorous prosecution OK inc
parties now under arrest and any VINO
| NAV be later apprehended will be insti-
| tuted through the proper legal channe .is;
The Judge of the corporation court VIII
be asked to convene special grana JURY
| to thoroughly investigate the mater
(signed) JOEL II, cUTcHiN,
| II ,,eu, of the report from Roanoke, Va,
| that o,r!et .as been restored that the police
have obtained mastery over the oisoIuerly
element which Saturday n.sht attacked GER
| tain Greek restaurants and shoe-shlnlne es-
| IA blishn,ents in that place, and that the OF
fcials of the town have promised TO use
every effort to punish the perpetrators OF
the attack the State Department officials
see no cause for Intervention by them at
this stage, and certainly Will not move or
their own Instance.
If the matter is made the subject OF
formal complaint by the Greek consul gen
eral at New York. who in the absence of a
regular minister, is clother with semi-Giplo-
matte functions his complaint will be for
mally transmitted to the governor of Nlr-
ginia as is usual in such cases. However,
there is no reason to supp ose that the ag-
grieved and injured Greeks in Roanoke will
be denied access to the civil courts, where
they may prosecute claims against the mu-
nicipality for the damages sustained by
them precisely as the owners of the
japanese restaurants and lighthouses In San
Francisco, who suffered from mob violence.