The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-07-03
Estimates of Killed Range
From 100 Up; Fire
Damage Great.
TROUBLE IS STARTED
BY "JOY-RIDE" SHOT
Blacks Fire on Police After
Drunken AutOists Be-
gin Battle.

Scores OF negroes were killed and
negro settlements wsre swept by
fire last Monday night after
fresh outbreak Of race riot;ng.
Estimates Of tho number Of
dead range to 100 and UP to the
guess Of $50 made by States At
to~ney schaur,loefel, after an au.
tonobile dash through the streets,
Dead bodies lie in the streets;
many wese doubtless destroyed in
the flames.
With rope and torch white
rnobs moved. Five negro sections
were set abiaze, tho fifth, which is
known as "Reynolds' Row." hav.
ing been fired at I o'clock this
morning.
The rioting presumably started
after negroes had fired upon
police automobile. Il is said BY
negro leaders that the blacks
thought the police were "joy-
riders" who had just fired at them.
Fires were burning In five parts OF
East ST. Louis at | o'clock this morn
ing and at least 20 dead negroes and
crowded hospitals testified to the ter
ror that rcigned here tonight while
mob after mob swept the streets.
seeking negroes whom they might slay.
At this hour 1t was impossible to
make an accurate estimate of the
number OF dead. Estimates run up
to 100 and higher. but are purely con-
jectural. The exact number slaught-
cred probably never will be known. as
1t is thought that many bodies were
consumed in the flames OF their burn
ing homes
,Adiutant General Frank s., Dickson
OF Illinois arrived from Springfield and
took charge of the situation shortly
after midnight. He went into confer
ence Immediately with military and
city authorities to outline n plan OF
procedure today.
At n. m. the fires were under con-
troll and rioters for the most part had
dispersed and gone to their homes.
Five hundred rioters, the ringlead
ers OF the biggest mob am informed,
now are under arrest" sad General
Dickson. This was accomplished
without shooting or employing tho
hayonct."
CHASTITY Amusement.
The mob obtained chastly amusc.
ment in the lynchng of one negro.
Two white men tied a rope around tho
neck of the black aud started to pull
him high into the air. The rope broke
and the two white men fell flat on
their backs. The crowd laughed The
negro dropped to the ground dead.
Az three negroes were trying to
escape from n burning building
mob spied them. One negro was
hanged to n telephone pole and the
other two were shot. The three dead
bodies We're left lying In the street At
$3.50 o'clock 300 armed men charged
into negro district on Third street.
Nearly every member OF the mob car
ried flaming torch. Before they
could start new blaIe, however. 200
Ruardsnien charged with fixed bay
onets. The troops fired a volley over
the heads of the mob. which then dis
persed
City Attorney Thomas ]. Fekcte
estimated the fire damage at $3,OO0,-
600 which was believed by some to be
too high.
Lights Fail; Terror Follows.
Terror spread among the black men
and women when all the lights in both
refuge buildings suddenly went out.
but the cutting off of the current was
attributed to the destruction OF cleo
tric wires in the downtown district.
At st. Mary's hospital 1t was stated
that about 40 negroes had been
brought in injured and that six white
men were being cared for there. Al
most an equal number OF both whites
and blacks were receiving care at the
Deaconness hospital
Aged Negroes Rescued.
An attempt was made to lynch an
aged negro. He was strung up to a
pole. but was rescued just In time to
save his life. Miitiamen rescued an
other aged negro as he was being
dragged through the streets.
Flames Light Streets.
This city tonight presents weird
| and terrible sight. Vast clouds Of
smoke roll across the sky. flames make
some OF the downtown streets as light
as day, and now and then a yelling
mob rushes down a street in pursuit
OF negro or in search Of new excite
ment. National guardsmen. loaded
In automobile trucks. dash after tho
mob. and in a few minutes the shout.
Ing dies down.
The mobs in East. st. Louis were
I(Continued on Page FouR.l