Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-24
HOUSING CREEK REFUGEES
Two Hundred and Fifty Chartered al
the Auditorium.
PROBLEM FOR CITY OFFICIALS
Given supper ana shelter and VIII
he Fed In MornInR, but n Fu-
ture Course IN as Yet
Undecided.

About go Greek refugees from South
Omaha who had sought a haven OF safety
in CouncIl Bluffs were cared for Tuesday
night by the police. They were quartered in
the Auditorium, which was heated and
lighted for their accommodation and in the
evening were provided with a supper OF
hot coffee and bread.
Many OF the Greeks came to this side
OF the river late Sunday night while the
others followed yesterday morning and at
intervals until early in the afternoon the
police estimated that there were about 400
Of them in the city.
What to do with several hundred men,
the majority of whom had no place to stay,
was a problem which at once presented
itself to Major George II. Richmond, chief
of police. He decided that II would be out
of the question to permit this number Of
strange men TO roam the streets, 50 detail
Ing the entire day force of police on the
work he had the Greeks rounded up and
escorted to police headquarters.
At one rool hall on West Broadway, near
the Northweste tracks, which Is con-
| Quoted by Greeks, over 100 OF the refugees
we're found congregated. These as a starter
| were escorted to police headquarters and
then the officers went out to round up
more. From the other pool rooms run by
Greeks and from the railroad yards nearly
! 300 more refugees were gathered together
, and taken to police headquarters where
they filled the large patrol room and the
two floors Of the city jail.
The men were perfectly tractable and
evidently realized that the authorities of
! this city were disposed to treat them prop
erly and were anxious to provide them
shelter for the time being. Through an in
terpreter Major chmon made known to
| the refugees that he could not permit them
to wander about the streets and that he
would try to make arrangements for some
place where they could stay over night.
After q conference with several Of the
directors of the Auditorium company ar
rangements were made to house the
refugees in the large auditorium building
for the night. Fifty gallons of coffee were
ordered from a nearby restaurant and this.
together with plenty of bread, was served
to the refugees at the auditorium at s
o'clock last evening. Officers were placed
on guard at the building to see to it that
the men remaired there.
After they had been gathered at police
headquarters a number of the refugees ex-
pressed a desire to leave for other cities
! where they had friends or where they ex-
| necteQ TO secure WOTk. ABOUT lV III ali
left in the afternoon and evening for Lin
coin, P~lattsmouth, Des Moines, Denison and
Kansas City. Each batch was escorted to
the depots by members of the police force.
who stayed with them until they boarded
the trains. None of the refugees. as far
as It could be learned. expressed any wish
to return to South Omaha.
But few OF the refugees were armed, as
from the nearly 400 men taken to police
headquarters the officers secured but four
teen revolvers. twenty-one razors and two
dirk knives. One man. when asked If he
had any weapon concealed on his person,
produced a pair of curling tongs. Chief
Richmond stated last evening that the re-
volvers would be confiscated.
The men will be provided with another
meal Of coffee and bread at the auditorium,
but what disposition will be made of the
refugees after that is a problem which the
city authorities will be called upon to solve
this morning.
Most of the Greeks seemed grateful for
the treatment accorded them, and although
nominally under guard at the auditorium,
were evidently perfectly willing to adapt
themselves to the circumstances Among
the refugees were a number of youths,
some OF them mere boys, Many of the
refugees were laborers from the packing
houses and railroad yards in South Omaha
1t is said that most of them had more or
less money with them. A few among the
number were we'll dressed.
Late in the night prominent men among
the Greeks in Omaha came over to Council
Bluffs and arranged for board and lodging
at hotels for their fellow countrymen until
they could be permanently cared for else
where.