The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-07-03
Three Hundred Persons In
jured and Nearly 200
Negro Houses Burned
SEVERAL BEATEN TO
DEATH WITH CLUBS
White Women and Girls Joined in the
Rioting and Attacking Colored Wom-
en- - Eleven Companies of Militia
Now Preserving Order.

EAST ST. LOUIS, H.. July 3. \
night of rioting, during which at last %
Negroes are known to have been killed,
approximately 300 persons injured and
nearly POO Negro houses and more than
loo loaded freight cars belonging to the
southern Railway burned. was followed
early today by comparatively calm ter
500 Illinois national guardsmen had
taken charge Of this city.
Unconfrmed reports placed the number
of dead as high as 30 Burning Of Ne
gro homes began last night shortly before
dark and the mobs went from section to
section setting fires As the Negroes ran
from their cottages rioters fired at them
and it is believed that number were
burned To death Not only white men,
but white women and girls composed the
mobs which set upon the negroes and in
several cases beat them to death with
clubs White women and glrls attacked
co,orcd women on the streets and in the
street cars, pulled their hair out, tore of
their clothes and beat them with all sorts
OF weapons.
Eleven companies Of the Illinois VA.
tional Guard patrolcd the streets today
with orders to prevent any lolterns at
corners and any assembly OF people on
the streets Only one white man was
killed in last nights rioting and nc was
shot by Negro sniper Two Negroes
we're hanged during the night by MODS
and four were killed by snipcls. The
work of searching the ruins for bodle>
began before daylight and it was re
ported that eight bodies had been taker
out
Early today the guardsmcn, under com
mand Of Adjutant General Dickson
rounded up and Jailed more than ~
rioters. enc Of the results OF the fire:
was to plunge parts Of the city into dark
ness and surgeons at st. Mary hosplta
and the emergency operating room opened
in the city hall were forced to do thci
work while policemen held flash light
or candles over the tables. With the eN
ccption of isolated encounters betweel
whites and Negroes at widely separates
points the riotlng virtually ceased ahou
midnight All saloons have been close
indefinitely by the mayor.
Several times groups of shop girls OF
their way to work slipped through th'
police lines and kissed the soldiers, T.
their great embarrassment. The Amer
leans were surprised to see number .
children knccling in the street as tn
flag was carried by The soldierly bear
ing of the men impressed military oh
servers. They were lean and brown an
the new field packs gave them quite
different appearance from British or con
tinental soldiers
Fires which were started by rioter
in three Negro quarters at noon wer
famed by high wind and spread RAJ
: idly. getting beyond control. Troop
and police were hurried to the scene.
Adiutant General Dickson OF lliinoi
. asserted today that he feared tier
e might be more trouble tonight and di
n cu4scd with Mayor Mollman the advise
= bilty of calling for more troops. Befoi
noon today "A bodies had been recovcre
: including three whites. Seventy -fol
wounded Negroes were found.