The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1917-08-24
Captain OF Illinois Artillery Among
Those Killed In Race
War.
BLACKS OF CITY JOIN FIGHT
Large Number Shot Down by Members
Of Mob In AutomobiIes-Iiiinois
Soldiers Surround Camp OF
the Twenty-Fourth In.
fantry.

Houston, Tex. Aug. 24.-Twelve
white men, civilians, police officers and
National Guardsmen, were killed and
more than score Of persons wounded
in the outbreak Of negro soldiers Of
the Twenty-fourth United States infan-
try. It Is not known how many negroes
are dead
Capt. ]. w. Mates, Battery A, Sec
ond Illinois field artillery, was among
the dead, being killed when he tried
to demonstrate with the negro soldiers
who were ruhning rampant
Race Feeling Cause Of Riot.
Race feeling, smoldering in Houston
since the arrival Of four companies Of
the Twenty-fourth United States In.
fantry, negro regiment, broke loose.
Streets near the negroes camp were
turned literally into a shambles. Ne
groes armed with army rifles fred In
discriminatory into crowds Of white
people, shot up the white residents
houses and passed on to vent their hate
on others.
Among the Injured are:
@. N. Wright, civil engineer, shot
in the thigh.
T. Binford, city detective, shot in
the leg.
The riot near Camp Logan soon
spread and negroes In the black quar-
ter Of the city armed themselves and
went forth.
Child Shot Down.
Two white men were reported killed
In the San Felipe district, populated
almost entirely by negroes. One man
was shot dead as he sat In his buggy.
His horse was killed. In another por-
ton Of the town little girl was shot
down and woman sustained injuries.
White men, communicating automo-
biles, started through the residential
section collecting rifles and shotguns
Then they started for the seat Of the
riots
The negroes began to hunt for cover.
At eleven O'Clock not a negro was to be
seen anywhere in the city, with the ex-
ception Of about 100 men OF the Twen-
ty-fourth infantry.
Armed Crowd Gathers.
A riot meeting was held In the CEN
ter Of the town. Clambering in the
back seat of an automobile, man har-
angued the crowd. It was not long
before throng had gathered, armed
with automatic pistols, shotguns and
rifles.
A short time before midnight they
began to get away. Machine after
machine, each carrying four to eight
men, whirled down the streets Of
Houston toward Camp Logan. Moth
ing has been heard from them since.
The first Houston knew of the trou-
BILE was at p. m. A few scattering
shots were heard. Everybody began to
ask what the trouble was. Then the
telephones began to sing.
"Send help! Send help! The neg
roes are shooting up the town."
Ambulance Stopped.
Three automobiles loaded with po-
lice officers started for Camp Logan.
They halted at the city limits and
confined their activities to warning
people not to go near the camp. An
ambulance that ventured near to pick
up the wounded girl was stopped by
the cOlOred troops.
The tires were shot full of holes the
driver told to turn around; few shots
were fired in the air, and the machine
came tearing back ON fat tires.
The Illinois National Guardsmen
stepped into the fray then. Companies
were marched to the camp site of the
negro companies. Other companies
went to the San Felipe district, where
a portion of the army negroes had
gone.
The camp site was surrounded, and
not man, white or black. was allowed
to enter or leave.
Word was received that the San
Felipe quarter was surrounded by the
Illinois troops and that they were
waiting to capture the negro company.