The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1917-07-03
500 White Men Arrested.

ficult for the police and national guard
10 restore order.
500 White Men Arrested.
Five hundred white men were ar
rested by police and guardsmen during
the night
Hundreds of negroes arc employed in
the big mills at Granite City and many
OF them live in East st. Louis. Some
OF the mills desiring to save their men
from attack would not allow the ne
groeS to leave for their homes, at the
end OF the day
Squads OF soldiers sent out last night
to bring IN firearms in possession OF
any whites or blacks, returned to police
headquarters with dozens OF reyolvers
Of all makes, shotgunS and rifle. With
some OF the guns were brought their
owners who the guardSmen believed
were dangerous 10 allow at liberty.
Youth Carried Meat Cleavet.
One youth was discovered TO have a
meat cleaver tied under his coat lie
said II would have been used to kill a
"nlgger' II opportunity had been OF
iered. IF YOU hadn't arrested me I'd
sure have copped off a couple OF coons,
he said
AdJutant General Dickson ordered
troops distributed in small groups
throughout the city today, instructed
TO dsperse every gathering of persons
for any purpose whatever.
Crowds Not Allowed TO Gather.
We intend TO sec to II that crowds
DO not have opportunity to gather to-
dSy said Adlutant General Dickson.
In this way II will he possible to nip
in the bud any disturbance today or
tonight Persons who refuse to move
on when told to do so will be arrested
without ceremony and locked up"
In answer 10 a question as TO why
the troops on the ground when trouble
developed did not use force to pu, down
the rlotlng. General Dickson said the
purpose for which the soldiers were
sent here had been gained without fir
lng a shot and that wholesale blood
shed would have been the result of any
firing on the part of the troops
Five hundred rioters. the ring
leaders OF the biggest mob, | am in
formed, are under arrest" said Cen
eral Dickson. this was accomplished
by surrounding the rioters and forcing
them to submit without shooting or
employing the bayonet"
General Dickson said after the 500
were taken into custody the disturbance
at once took on a less serious aspect.
Homeless Are Moved.
II was decided to remove the home
less who could not be cared for here
to the Missouri side.
The first convoy. numbering sixty
five men, women and children. present
cd a pitiablc spectacle as they started
across the free bridge with their mill
tarye guard
fNcy were in all stages Of dress and
undress and carried what WORLDLY
possessions they had saved battered
suit cases, great rolls OF bedding. dolls
saved by the children, a few chickens
pots and pans, baby carriage with
two pickanlnnies in It quite unconscious
OF their tragic circumstances
Business Men Meet.
Adjutant General Dickson and Col,
onel Trip, assistant adu,ant general
today met with 100 leading business
men to discuss the situation
~ Samuel McGlynn. a lawyer. made
speech in which he denounced the con-
duct OF the national guardSmen las.
night, saying that ii they had obeyed
orders and done their duty there would
have been NO serious rioting The
guardsmen, he said, did not try to
break up the crowds. and in fact fra
tenlred with the rioters.
Court Martial Promised.
Adjutant General Dickson said that
II he learned Of any case in which
guard'man failed to do his duty he
would be tried by court martial at
once.
Colonel Tripp said that up to g.
o'clock last night he had only fifty
guardsmen with which TO handle the
rioters.
Policemen today tried to prevent the
taking OF photographs Of fire ruins and
black bodies still lying in the streets.
Causes OF Rioting
The causes deeply underlying the
disturbances are said to I've oi interest
10 many other northern communities
where negro labor has been brought in
from the south to replace men enlisted
IN the armed forces OF the United