The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-09-09
MODS IN ILLINOIS
IN DESTRUCTIVE RAID
Militia Ordered From All the
Nearby Towns.
GOVERNOR TAKES COMMAND
Fooled in Attempt to Lynch Two Ne
grocs, Angry Whites Start Trou-
ble-Set Fire to Negro District
and Hamper Fire Department.

bIe-Set Fire to Negro District
and Hamper Fire Department.
Springfield, Ill.-Race riots ragged
here as the result of an attempt to
lynch two negro prisoners in q
county Jail. Two persons have been
killed and many wounded and much
property destroyed.
Using the Fire Department to dis
tract the attention of the mob, the
Sheriff borrowed an automobile,
slipped the negroes from a e a door
of the jail, and got them away to
Bloomington.
This greatly enraged the whites.
who found out the owner of the auto
mobile, went to his place Of business,
destroyed it, and also the automobile.
The anger of the whites grew with
each outbreak and pursuit of negroes
was begun.
At l o'clock a. m. the sky over the
east end of Springfield was agloW,
and it was reported that several
houses in the east end, where the ne
sroes live, were afre. The fire COM
panies were helpless to fight the
blaze, az the rioters refused to allow
the fire apparatus to approach the
burning houses.
Governor Deneen has taken com
mand of the situation in person. He
ordered troops from surrounding
towns, and they arrived in special
trains.
The local forces have been on duty
since the first outbreak. A eating
gun was placed at the head of one OF
the streets, closing it entirely to
traffic.
AT the time the riot began. Eugene
". Chain, the Prohibition candidate
Tor President, was addressing a meet
ing in the Court House yard. A ne
gro, pursued by a mob, came dashlng
I'D the platform, and in e~ndeaVor1ng
10 protect the man from his pursuers
Mr.. Chain was struck in the face with
a brick, and badly injured. How
ever, the negro had gained time to
make his escape.
The mob then proceeded to break
up the meeting, and in the fight that
followed a number of mel were hurt.
At 9 o'clock p. m. the situation was
so serious that Mayor Reece ordered
all the saloons closed.
Shortly after II o'clock the Mayor
attempted to address the mob at Fifth
and Monroe streets. The shout was
,aised: Throw him into the fire."
The Mayor was seized and roughly.
handled. He was rescued by friends,
who came to his assistance through a
shower of bricks and other missiles,
and hustled him into a nearby cigar
store.
The mob showed it's animosity to-
ward the Mayor because of his ap-
pointment of negroes on the police
force. During the afternoon 1t was
alleged that Police officers LOOMS
and Burton, both colored, had made
themselves obnoxious to the crowd.
There was desultory firing at mid
night. Along East Washington street,
locally known as the ~"leVee," there is
not a negro resort that has not been
'aided by the mob.
It is believed that a number Of
men have been killed, and that their
bodies will be found at daybreak. 1t
is known that a large number were
wounded, either by gunshots or by
bricks and stones.
The dead: G.. j.. Scott, shot by
stray bullet; Louis Johnson, shot
through the abdomen.
The injured: Angelo Aliganinia,
shot through rightarm; John Brown,
niltiaman, hand badly slashed; Alex
lnder Bettwinis, saloon keeper, struck
With brick; E. F. Brinkman, cut on
head; Albert Byerline, shot through
left hip; Patrick Campbell, police
nan, beaten by negroes, injuries IA
al; Fred Davis, cut on head; Oscar
Dahlkamp, policeman, hit over right
eye with brick; Claud Knapp. mill
:iaman, struck by flying brick; Thos.
Reaveley, cut on arm by a negro;
Harry PAIRING, Fifth Infantry, shot
in head; David Miles, cut On head;
George Winters, shot in hip, cut on
head; Will Stuart, negro porter,
beaten by mob; R. T. Sturgess, will
lose arm from cuts; Albert Sidener,
shot under eye, will die; Henry Stei-
ger, shot in leg; Sherman Smell, shot
In neck.
While the mob was w%recking the
Loper restaurant in the very heart
Of the business district of the city,
there was trouble in other parts. On
East Washington street, one of the
Tough districts, there was a fight,
and two or three stores were
wrecked. Negro saloons were the es-
pecial object of the vengeance of the
mob.
The negro residents, with few ex-
ceptions, had fled for safety when
the trouble began, but those who re-
NAMED in the neighborhood received
rough treatment. Some Of them were
armed and showed fight.
In one of these melees AL Byer-
line, George Suisse and Angelo ALI
GAMMA were shot. All Of them are
seriously injured. Several white per-
sons we're shot by negroes firing from
windows along the streets.