Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-07-10

the sidewalk in twos, each with a gun
on his shoulder.
Coppedge was shot dead in cold blood
as he urged the negroes to dispense,
and Woodley suffered wounds from.
which he died Two other officers in
the machine were wounded. The driver
of the car sped it away through the
rain of bullets What became of the
NEGRO column after the murders is not
as yet known: and upon what expedi-
tion they were setting out is one of
the remaining mysteries of the case.
The generally accepted belief among
the whites is that they We're marching
to attack the white residence district
in revenge for the riot of May %, but
another theory is that they were bound
for the Free Bridge to punish the white
men employees at point near the
bridge, who had beaten negro earlier
lin the evening.
Says JOyriders Shot Into Church.
Another version of this happening
was produced last night by an East St.
Louis clergyman who had been quietly
raking an investigation He was told
by negroes, it is said, they were worsh-
| iping in the church in question Sunday
night, and that white jOyriders, passing
in a car, proceeded to shoot up the
church
The terrified worshippers dropped to
the floor and put out the lights, and
then some one rang the alarm bell The
band of armed negroes gathered and
were out looking for the automobile
from which the shots were fired. By
i'll chance, the story continued. Cop
pedge and the other officers arrived in
car wearing civilian clothes, and the
negroes, believing it was the other
machine returning opened fire.
b 1t also was said by negroes that Joy
riders during the evening fired into
| their homes, and that this was another
provocation for the assembling of the.
armed band.
When the news of the assassination
of Coppedge and Wodley spread over
the city, East ST. Louis saw red. There
was almost equal rage over the discov-
cry that there was a band of armed
negroes in existence as a menace to
white supremacy in the town These
were the immediate causes Of the sang
uinary debauch of Monday night. now
known to all the world; but they mere
ly detonated the dynamite that had
been accommodating for about three
months.
A prominent East st. Louis real es-
tate man, who would not permit his
name to be used, gave the following
summary of the causes leading UP to
the riot
I'VE have had a reasonable proper
ton of negroes with us for long time,
and it must be said that in a political
way they have not improved themselves
III the eyes of the people. Many Of
them have been for sale on election
day, putting up their votes to the high
est bidder. This did not help them any
liz the estimation of the people as to
their value as an asset to the city, and
it was largely responsible for the low
tone of politics here.
Says Negroes Were Impudent.
THE labor question was another fac
tor. War and other orders caused in
creased capacity in many plants and a
demand for additional workers. The
employers made a systematic attempt
to recruit men; it seemed to be in
doubt whether they gave any more eff
ort to getting negroes than whites. The
use of negroes as strikebreakers in
one packing house and an ore factory
was not calculated to lessen the tens
ion.
Many of us felt we were getting
more than a reasonable proportion of
negroes in comparison with our whitq
population. And, as l have been told
by dependable negroes, nearly everyone
armed himself as soon as he arrived
Those from the South we're intoxicated
with the new freedom they found in
East st. Louis, and Haunted themselves
ia manner that would have been in
, tolerable even in white man. This
/ impudence was much in evidence be-
/ fore the May riots, but after that it
seemed that as if some of the edge had
}been taken off their insolence.
/ Declares Militia Were Lax.
Il wish to point out that in these