The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-07-03
MANY DEAD IN EAST ST. LOUIS RACE RIOT
tcontinued from Page One,

men was sent to the Black" bridge to meet any attack that might be att tempted.
 At the same time another truckload of soldiers was rushed to corner near the postoffice where negroes barricaded in upstairs quarters had been firing at soldiers standing guard in the street below.
 The worst property damage was done along the tracks of the Southern Railroad company, where the South ern warehouse and between 100 and l50 cars. many of them loaded with merchandise, were consumed by flames. The damage here was estimated at be- tween $so0,ooo and s5oo,ooo.
 The Broadway theatre, valued at $100.o00, was entirely destroyed and at II D. m. the flames were moving steadily along the tracks, almost un- hindered.
 Colonel Tripp stated at 11so to- night that 23 companies of state troops would be in the city before midnight, all but three companies which were then on guard The combined strength of the troops to combat trouble to- morrow, he said, would be several thousand. Colonel Tripp early tonight rescued a negro from the mob and City Attorney Fekete later rescued an- other.
 Two young white girls tonight boarded street car and dragged a negro woman to the street. The negro woman attempted to break away, but one of the young girls took off her shoe and pounded her over the head. National guardsmen rescued her. N At S:30 o'clock a mob of 300 armed men charged into negro district on Third street with flaming torches. Be- fore they could start asnew blaze, however, 200 guardsmen charged with fixed baycnets. The troops fired a vol ley over the heads of the mob, which dispersed.
 A battle between whites and blacks broke out at the east entrance to the St. Louis municipal bridge. Guards men hurried there in trucks and end- ed the combat. One of the white men killed tonight was Tom Moore of Granite City. He was standing beside soldier when bullet struck him. Two white men tied rope around | the neck of a negro and started to and the white men fell flat on their
 backs. The negro dropped to the ground dead.
 | AS three negroes were trying to es- cape from burning building a mol l spied them. One negro was hanged to telephone pole and the other tw1 l were shot The three bodies were Ter; I in the street.
 l The disorder, which began when a mol of POO negroes fired on an automobile
 load of policemen last night, killing one reached a climax in the broad dayligh ! this afternoon In this outbreak thre' l negro men and one white man wer' l killed, two white men and two negroes lwere shot and wounded, and 20 others st badly beaten and stoned that they wer' l taken to hospitals.
 NEGROES PROTECTED l Tonight, with the saloons closed an' street car service stopped by order o
 the authorities, national guardsmen be | gan escorting truckloads of negroe:
 across the river.
 l The two white men who were shot ant l the one who was killed were victims 0 stray bullets.
 | Sixteen guardsmen were disarmed b, | members of the mob, who calmly aske' 1 the soldiers to give them the weapons Hest the guardsmen "hurt someone in tn crowd"
 Mayor Mollman ordered the saloon 1 closed at noon and it was hoped tha thls measure would prevent any seriou outbreak tonight.
 The immediate cause of the riotin, 4 IOQdE was llG OuluI cdh ol iCSiOc lSit | last night, but for several days ther
 had beer evidences of bad blood, ant on Saturday night several minor cashe between whites and blacks occurred The clashes Saturday night apparentl 1 alarmed the negro quarters of the city or at least gave agitators a chance t organize the blacks for fighting. Whel word was telephoned to police headquar ters that the ringing of a church bel had called the armed negroes together an automobile loaded with police left flo the scene to dsperse the crowd The ot ficers were gretted with a volley. Detec tive Sergeant Coppedge was killed an
 three policemen were wounded One de
 tective Frank Wodley, now is in tn
 hospital in critical condition. The pc
 lice chauffeur also was wounded. Ja
 Long, white man. was wounded in q
 earlier attack.
 Police endorsements early this morn
 ing dispersed the mob of negroes an
 shortly after a. m. Mayor Molina
 asked Governor Lowden to send nations
 guardsmen here to preserve order.
 Two companies of the guard arrive
 about s:3o, and were assigned to dut in the negro quarters Up to that hou
 the streets were quiet and It scene as thcugl the day would pass quietly. The first trouble occurred when negr appeared at Broadway and Collinsvill avenue one of the busiest corners i the elty and an important street ca transfer point A white man fired at hil five times. Two of the shots took el feet, one in the arm and one in tn leg As the crowd. thinking the negr was dead. fell back, he Jumped up an ran.
 ;l A little later white man standing front of the Illmo hotel, fired at nt gro, but missed him, and wounded white man. Louis Haege, aged 65. The police arrested the man who fire tho shot, but the threatening mob force the officers to release him. CROWDS INFURIATED
 One of the National Guard compane
 then was ordered from the negro quarte ' to the business section, but the arrive