Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-07-04
ST. LOUIS POLICE
CALLED >C0WARDS
Civil Officers and Militiamen
Censured for Not Suppress
sing Race Riots.
FURTHER TROUBLE EXPEC TED
Death List May Not Exceed
%; Stories of Brutal
Killings Related.

EAST ST. LOUIS, H., July 3-Thir-
teen companies of national guardsmen
tonight patrolled the streets of East
st. Louis in an effort to prevent n re-
currence of the race riots here. which
since yesterday morning. have re-
suited in n death list of 2S persons,
the injury OF 75 or more and the de-
struction by fire of $40 negro homes.
covering IL y acres of ground
The entire community Of eighty
thousand persons IL terroriZed by the
events of the last two days and that
they fear the inability of the guards
men to cope with the situation was
intlmated tod.y when the chamber
OF commerce demanded to know from
Adjutant- General Dickson why the
troopers had not displayed more ener-
getic activity last night Members OF
the chamber were not slow to charge
the soldiers with inefficiency bord-
ering on cowardce. but Adiutant-
General Dickson explained that his
force was handicapped by the small
number of troops available at thar
time.
Police Accused.
The police force. which numbers
sixty, also was charged with negil-
gence In attempting to quell the vio-
lence. or all tho Incidents of the
riot related today not one told Of "A
single act Of bravery on the part OF
the police or guardsmen. Anxious
citizens who inquired OF individual
militiamen why they did not stop the
looting and murder which were going
on In many instances under their very
eyes. received grins for their reply.
Some of the soldiers were dlsarmed
by rioters.
Many Flee City.
Today some of the negroes walked
out of town on the railroad tracks,
more crossed to the Missouri sde,
where all was tranquil, and still
others assured OF protection by the
augmented force OF soldiers, returned
to their homes but they did 80 In fea r
and trembling. Some whose homes
were burned were cared for in a
camp hastily arranged by the cham
Der of commerce.
Killings Cold -BlOOdcd.
A newspaper reporter. who was in
the thick Of the trouble last night. re-
| lated particularly brutal story. A
white man observing a covering
negro approached and said:
come Win me into THIS alley,
you'll be safe there. there's n soldier
there"
His tones were inviting and the
negro followed. once in the alley
the white man calmly shot his vic
| tim thru the head and sauntered back
into the street, presently joining a
mob intent on a ropeand lamp post
| lynching.
No systematic search of the ruins
was made today. but fear that scores
of dead might lie beneath gradually
disappeared. Last night brought
forth rumors. too. that many bodies
had been thrown In the river, but the
| waters gave up no dead today and
! by night II was doubted whether the
! death list would much exceed the list
| in the mortuares.
Congress Pctitioncd.
An appeal for immediate congress
sional investigation of race riots in
East st. Louis yesterday was con-
talned in a memorial sent to Repre-
/ sentativos James X. Mann and Claude
Kitchen in Washington by an emer-
| gency meeting of the Negro Nat