The Columbus commercial. (Columbus, Miss.) 1893-1922, 1917-07-05
13 COMPANIES NATIONAL
GUARD ARE PATROLL-
ING STREETS.
TWENTY
Negroes Are Leaving City
Few Return to Section That
Was Burned BY Mob.

East st. Louis, H., July 4,-Thir-
teen companies of national guards
men last night patrolled the streets
of East St Louis in an effort to pre-
vent recurrence of the race riots
here which since Tuesday morning
have resulted in a death list Of %
persons, the injury Of 10 or more and
the destruction by fire of $40 negro
homes covering l6 l-2 acres.
The community of 10000 persons
is terrorized by the events of the last
two days and fear the inability of
the guardsmen to cope with the situa-
ton was intimated when the chamber
of commerce demanded to know from
Adj .-Gen. Dickson why the troops
had not displayed more energetic ac-
tivity last night, Adj. Gen Dickson
explained that his force was handi-
capped by the small number of men
available.
The police force, which numbers
go, also was charged with negligence.
Today many negroes walked out
of town on the railroad tracks, many
crossed to the Missouri side, where
all was quiet and stifl others, as
sured of protection by the augmented
force of soldiers, returned to their
homes Some whose homes were
burned were cared for by the cham
ber of commerce in a camp hastily
arranged.
No systematic search of the ruins
has been made, but fear that scores of
dead might lie beneath gradually dis
appeared. Last night brought rumors
that many bodies had been thrown
into the river, but the waters gave
up no dead today and by night it
was doubted whether the death list
would much exceed the list in the
mortuaries
Michael Whalen, president of the
Central Trades and Labor Council
here, and likewise city clerk, gave
one explanation of conditions which
he thought led to the riotlng
Last summer" said Whalen,
800 white men went on strike in
the packing plants Of Armour q Co,
Morris 4 Co, and Swift & Co. Eight
hundred negroes from the south
came into the plants as strike break
ers. When the strike ended the ne
groes remained at work and an
equivalent number of white men
failed to get Their jobs back
"Since then there has been 8
stream Of negroes arriving. At
least $500 negroes have come from
the south in the last year Many Of
them failed TO obtain work, or to
hold jobs once obtained. Burglaries
highway robber es and petty crimes
began. The people became exasperat-
ed and determined to drive them out
of town"
Mr.. Whalen said that the chief
objection to the negroes was that
they would not unionize and would
not strike. Managers of plants men
toned by Mr.. Whalen asserted that
not a white man had been deprived
Of work because of the negroes
Even with the negroes ii was diff
cult to get enough labor, they said
They explained that rosy letters
written back home by the first ar
rivals. accounts for the continued in
flux from the south.
News that Gov. Lowden was com
ing, as well as 10 additional com
panies of guardsmen, tended TO re-
store confidence, despite a few in
cendiary fires, One hundred Of 1873
persons arrested last night were re
leased. Some others were fined for
carrying concealed weapons and the
remainder will be arragned. The
grand jury meets July 3. The lead
ers of the mobs are said to be known
and the grand jury will deal with
them.
The police force. which numbers
about go persons, so far as could be
learned, did nothing at all except
to stand among the spectators, and
If they did not encourage violence
they DID nothing ~ prevent il.