Evening star., 1917-09-12
.BLAMES SOLDIERS
FOR HOUSTON RIOT
Civil Committee Charges Ne
groes Planned Indiscriminate
Slaughter of Whites.
CRITICIsEs POLICE CHIEF

Negro soldiers Of the 24th United
| States Infantry had planned q
riot OF bloodshed among the white resi-
dents Of Houston two days before the
deadly outbreak occurred which cost
the lives OF fifteen Houston citizens
August 23, according to the report OF
! the civilian board of inquiry. which has
reported to the Houston city council
The report also criticises Superintend-
ent of Police c. L. Brock for his in
| ability to enforce discipline" among the
| police, and declares that "he is not
| qualified for the position he holds"
| The committee is of the opinion that
| the riot undoubtedly was precipitated
| by two arrests of negroes made by the
| police, although sufficient evidence
was presented at the hearing to reveal
! the fact that serious disturbance was
| intended by some of the negro soldiers
before leaving Houston, and the arrests
sooner and perhaps intensified the
| crimes which followed"
To "Slay Whites Indiscriminately."
Continuing the committee says that
the ''undisputed and convincing testi-
mony of witnesses prove that the negro
soldiers went forth to slay the white
population indiscriminately, that no
negro was hurt or molested by them
not one negro home was fired into and
that the negroes were warned before
and during the riot to stay off the
streets.
The testimony of the captain In
charge of the fire station at Camp Lo
gan and one of his assistants is that
when the shooting began in the negro
camp one of the negro guards stationed
at the fire station remarked that the
troops were going to shoot up Houston
that they had planned to do so on the
preceding Tuesday night, but could not
get quite ready.
This testimony and the testimony OF
numerous other circumstances in the rec
ord convince US (and our opinion is shared
by Inspector General John l.. Chamberlain
of the United States Army, who so ex-
pressed himself to us) that the prior
conflicts with the police were mere Incl
| dents OF the riot: that the riot was un-
questionably contemplated prior to that
| date; that it probably would have occur
red. though possibly not so severe. had the
alteration between police officers and the
negro Sergt. Baltimore, not taken place. =
Alleged Feeling of Hostility.
| the arrival of the negro troops in Hous-
ton there was manifested by at least
some Of them a feeling of hostility and
defiance of the state law requiring the
separation of white and negro races in the
street cars; that when on leave of absence
from the camp the soldiers usually fire.
quented those sections of Houston and
those establishments where the lewd and
lawless elements of the negro population
are to be found: that the negro soldiers
while on guard duty at Camp Logan, were
arrogant and insulting toward white Ia
borers, seizing the most trivial circum-
stances as an excuse to curse and abuse
them; that the discipline existing at the
camp was grossly lax In moral conditions,
lewd negro women. some mere children
thirteen years of age. being permitted to
freely visit the camp and remain there
over night. and that such women were
permitted to bring parcels into the camp
without inspection by the sentries. keep
ing the soldiers literally supplied with
whisky and other intoXicants.
Police Superintendent Criticised.
Concerning the superintendent OF po-
| lice, the report says: For Mr.. Brock as
an individual We have the highest
regard, and 1t is no reflection on
his personal character to say that, in our
opinion, he is not qualified for the posi-
ton he holds, position the duties and re-
sponsibilities of which will become more
important and grave when Camp Logan is
occupied. His course toward Officer
Sparks (Officer Sparks arrested Sergt.
Baltimorel shows his inability to enforce
discipline in difficult cases; his course on
the night OF the riot shows that he is not
a safe leader in an emergency.k