Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-01-14

Four Hundred Ready TO Fire.
Four hundred men Of the I'd lnfan
try were ready 70 fire into from 30t
10 500 negro soldiers who were riotinl
in the Iwilei district last night be
tween z and O'Clock and but fol
the discretion OF the negroes. who rec
ognized the bugle call To Load" the
riot which began because women Of
the district would not associate with
the negroes would have possibly end
ed much more seriously.
The order. according to officers In
charge OF the I'd Battalion, I'd Infantry
was given in good faith. At the time
the negroes we're tearing down lanais
throwing bedding and furniture from
windows and driving the women out
OF their homes. First the bugles blew
Fix bayonets," and the rioters paid
no attention Next came the call 70
Load and this sobered the mob
which vanished within a few minutes
Before this general fighting had been
and the negroes.
The Iwilei district today is a scene
OF near-desolation Windows are
broken, lanais are torn down, mat
tresses, furniture, bedding, women's
clothing and household articles are
strewn about the ground.
Each Biames Other Regiment.
Officers OF the 9Th Cavalry and OF
the 25th Infantry all refuse to place
the blame on their own men and those
in command Of each or the negro regi-
ments seem to believe men of the
other regiment were principals in the
riot
After a "luau" at the armory yes
terday afternoon given by the 25th In
fantry TO colored soldiers OF the 9Th
Cavalry. here on the Sherman en-
route to the Philippines, one OF the
colored soldiers got into fight In the
lwilei district Later In the evening
a mob gathered, and at 7:15 they be
gan concerted attack on the women
OF the district.
Early during the riot the women put
out all the lights in their houses, and
later, II is charged, negro soldiers cut
the light and telephone wires.
Soldiers rushed up to tho darkened
houses, battered in windows and
doors, grabbed the occupants, whom
they sent flying out into the mud head
first and then proceeded to wreck tho
interiors, chiicking out furniture hel
ter SHELTER. FL
Within a few moments Iwilei Was
scene Of wild rioting. The soldiers
forced their way into the houses. tore
down the lanais aSi used the timbers
to beat open doors with and attacked
the women. Policemen sent in alarms
at once and Immediately the military
authorities took the situation in hand.
Came In On Double Time.
From Fort Smarter, about three
miles out, one company of the I'd
Battalion. I'd Infantry. did double-time
into town, the other three companies
OF the battalion following them at the
usual march pace. When the first con.
tiueent arrived In Iwilei the riot was
still in progress and their efforts to
stop 1t were Intellectual.
Under Lieut.. Thomas E. Cathro OF
the 9Th Cavalry, Is men Of that regt
ment went In the police patrol from
the dock to Iwilei and shortly after
o'clock went In unarmed to try to
stop the trouble Lieut.. Cathro said
the police would not aid him and he
could do nothing,
Except that my men OF the 9th
Cavalry" he said today, left the place
when ordered, and the detachment
with me were powerless. Once. in
fact, II looked as though We were
ourselves In serious danger"
II was in the midst of this kind OF
rioting that the other three compa
mics of the I'd Infantry arrived and
just when the situation looked hope
less loaded their guns and prepared
TO shoot into the negroes. Threaten
ed with death, the riotersl gradually
left.
During the trouble the women hid
or escaped. In terror of the negro
soldiers, they jumped through win
dows, crawled under other houses
ran through alleys and one and all
went to the police station.
Women Lose Possessions.
The women were despoileh of every.
thing they had. Money. jewels and
clothes were taken. One woman came
to the police station with but zone
garment left ON her body. the rest
having been torn off by negro who
attacked her.
This morning Chief Of Detectives
Arthur McDuffie counted the money
placed in his hands by such of the
women as escaped without Ibeing rob-
bed, and II amounted to more than
$1,000.
In one woman's room member of
the I'd regiment found a bag of gold
coins as big as a mans two fists,
which he thinks contained almost a
thousand dollars. This was returned
to the woman.
Immediately after the riot Lieut.
Frank A. Sloan, I'd Infantry, with I a
detachment, took charge of the prin.
cipal approach to the place and no one
was allowed to enter without signed
pass. Guards at all streets and en-
frances demanded passes of every one
entering.
PstrolIed All Night.
Almost before the rioting was over
Lieut.-col. BENJAMIN W. Atkinson and
his staff, I'd Infantry, rode to the
police station on their horses to find