The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1917-05-27
RACE RIOT COSTS
LIFE; MANY HURT
Home Defence Leaguers Help
Battle Mob on San
Juan Hill.


Benjamin Hamilton. a negro. of 2+5
West Sixty-second street. went into
saloon at Amst erdam avenue and Sixty
fifth street. in the San Juan Hill section
of the upper West Side. last night about
Z o'clock in company with white man.
The negro ordered a lemon and seltzer
and the bartender refused to serve him.
Hamilton insisted and the drink was
finally set before him and he drank II.
Then the bartender said the price was
so cents-and an alteration started that
in turn caused race riot which ragged
for almost two hours through West Six
ty-third street to West End avenue and
along Amsterdam avenue between Sixty
second and Sixty-third streets.
Rcvolvers. bricks and knives were
used by whites and blacks. and before
the Home Defence Leaguers and regu-
lar police reserves of the West Tooth
street, West Sixty-eiGhth street and
West Fifty-seventh street stations gained
control of the situation, more than 1900
men. women and children had taken
part in the fighting. one man had been
killed. nine wounded had been sent to
hospitals and score of others who
suffered minor wounds were being
treated in the tenements that line the
streets of that neighborhood.
In the fierce fighting that followed the
arrival of the reserves from the three
stations many of the Home Defence
Leaguers. who were on reserve in place
of the regular officers, received their
first taste of the more strenuous side OF
a policeman's life. They went into tho
battle side by side with the veteran po
trolmen and stood up we'll against thu
nt,ls ,f hi aalrr nj xn-frf oil lie
Their swinging nightsticks and hard fisti
accounted for many of the bruises will
which the combatants went limpnt
away.
The man who was killed was a Negro
'laborer. 80 years old. Of 210 Wes
Sixty-fourth street
Among the injured were
Gabriel Gillotte, 81 years old. OF 49,
West End avenue, a member OF III,
Home Defence League. on police duty
beaten by mob of negroes; fractured
nose. decorations of head. possible inter
nal injuries: taken home.
Patrolman Edward Hanson of 4sl'
Jerome avenue. Long Island City. at
tached 10 the West Sixty-eighth stree
, station. cut on the right hand with
razor taken to Roosevelt Hospital
Defence Lacquer Beaten.
Hamilton told the police that he aban
doned the argument with the bartende
after few moments. paid the so cent
demanded for the drink he had ordere
and left the saloon AS he stepped ou
2 OF the door. he asserts tvo white me
who had been pushing him suddenl
struck him in the face. knocking hir
Q down. He arose and started to run an
: a gang OF men and boys. whites, VIII
II were loung!ng around the gas tank
8 across the street, began throwing stone
z at him. Hamilton turned and curse
d them and the gang started in pursuit
d Frank Higman, member of III
Home Defence League on duty at a.
= corner. started toward the crowd to prs
l. tect the negro. and the white men surge
~ across the street, knocked Higman dow
10 and. taking his nightstick. beat him @
70 the head with it, Leaving him lying O
n the pavement. they streamed 1outh dow
N Amsterdam avenue in pursuit of Hami
% ton, yelling. stop that niger! +
"a stabbed man"
"a Gillotte was on duty at the corner
=, Sxty-third street and. thinking the neg
- had murdered some one. started to inte
cept the man. Hamilton ran into Bob
, cafe at the corner and into the ba,
{. room. and Gillotte pushed through Il
swinging doors and went after him. I
m fought his way through a crowd
blacks that hurled bottles at him al
tried to stab him. seized Hamilton al
A dragged the man to the street
m Patrolman Miraglio relieved elliot
h, of his prisoner and started with him
no the station house. He hadn't gone mo
ne than a block before a crowd of negro
H. swept from neighboring saloons and re
1d taurants and attacked Gillotte.
fought them of for several minutes, b
or was soon overwhelmed and dropped u
ma phoned to the West Sixty-eighth strs
-. station and Patrolmen Francis Mea,
he Leo ], Hoy Sherry. Kelly and Hans
left for the scene of the riot.
Policeman IL Rescued.
Before they reached there Phi
Muckenbeck. a member of the Hol
es Defence League. heard Giiiotts's or
:. for help and charged the crowd
- negroes-more than fifty OF them-s
gle handed. Using his feet and n
se- and nightstick he cracked heads a
i'd kicked shins, disregarding the hail
in bricks and the revolver shots. a
me fought his way to Gillotte's side, VIII
res he stood over the PROSTATE man @
re- forced the negroes back inch by In
ac- When they finally scattered Muck
beck pushed Gillotte into taXicab q
by sent him to the Roosevelt Hospital, @
then jumped into another machine 8
set out for the police station,
70 Meanwhile Patrolman Meade '
-: fighting a crowd In front OF >237 W
SlXty-third street.
he Hills attempted to stab Meade,
was prevented by Patrolman Hoy, v
grappled with him. Meade stopped fig
1ay ing long enough to fire a shot at ii
has The bullet struck the head Of the mel
ing who was killed.
ces When Muckenbeck reached the "
he Sixty-eighth street station he repol
ar: the seriousness of the situation and c
Dempsey asked for the reserves OF
West Tooth and West Sixty eighth st
; stations. After their arrival the I
fed into the tenements. Several arr
: followed.