Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1917-07-21
barrel house broils, with an occasion


This bad situation, considerably
exaggerated by those interested In
placing the Negroes In the worst pos
sible repute, eliminated in an espe-
cially vicious holdup and shooting,
occurring on May 2S A mob demcm-
stration was made against the Ne
groe. and many families were run
out of town after two or three were
slain.
The blacks were not wise enough
to stay away. but driftcd back in
pairs and by families and in small
groups until the sections in which
they made their homes were again
thickly populated. They seem to
have been cmboldened or made des-
pcra;e by their experience. and ii is
known that there was Il pretty we'll
planned scheme for organization for
defense, If not for oi1ensc. \ police
sergeant, Coficdgc, an especially eff
cient and brave man, was shot to
death while riding in an automobile
with three other persons. 1t was
known that Negroes fired on the auto
party, thinking the officers were about
TO raid their miserable abiding
pia'SS " hiNu WIS HoI inc case.
That killing of Police Sergeant Cost
edge might be said to have been the
match that fired the powder, only,
as | have explained, there was moth
ing like a SUDDEN explosion indicating
the presence of either match CT pow
der. .,ut, choose what words we NAV.
the Staying of tnat police officer was
the act that brought on the whole
sale butchery OF blacks.
The blacks resisted when an at
tempt wa made to- arrest some Of
their number for killing and for
other crimes. Then came the men
a.. the women with firearms, ropes
and bludgcons. The work may be
said to have been gone about with
method, yet there was no OrganiZa-
ton in the sense of there being Il
leader or obeying directions. Get a
niger suddenly became the order
Of the day fer Monday, July 2. and
that order held good for almost
twelve hours before the Illinois Ma
tional Guard, fourteen companies OF
which were rushed to the scene from
all over the State, could get the up
per hand OF the killers and burners.
am not doing violence TO the plain
truth when l say there was prac-
tically no effort on the part Of either
police or militiamen to protect the
blacks. 1t is not even pretended that
these conservcrs Of the peace were
not in sympathy with those who
were .ng and burning and man
black people. AS for the
police, they were clearly willing that
the utmost vengeance should De
mted out to as many blacks as pos
sible because Of the killing OF Ser
geant Cofedgc. Whether these eN.
plantations dol or do not meet the sit
uation, it is a fact, and l repeat it
that little effort was
made either to save the blacks, pre-
vent the killings and burnings 4.
capture and punish the white butch
crs. Many arrests were made, 1t is
true, but not one among those ar
rested took the matter seriously. In
fact, it was one Of the most horrible
features OF the whole terrible affair
that while the staying and the maim-
ing and the burning were proceeding
those engaged in them seemed to
take the matter as Joke. Strange
rs it may sound, do not believe one
man in ten-not one in hundred
showed any evidence OF Ill temper.
very fow at least, seemed
angry.
1t was different, though, with the
who took hand in the bloody
business. They made black women
and girls their especial victims. 1t
80
actually killed a negress, but their
stopped just short Of shat.
One woman was armed with a butch
,r's cleaver, another with the brass
faucet of beer barrel. Mostly,
though, the women carried clubs and
stones, and these they used merci-
Iessly.
The affair as whole piled up
heavy bill of cost for East st. Louis.
Every insurance policy on property
burned especially excepted such de-
struction. East st. Louis can be
sued for neglecting to give adequate
ground for suit Oh the part of every
victim and on tho part Of
the families of every man killed.
Not only did East st. Louis, st. Clair
and the State OF Illinois fall
TO give proper protection to life and
but many public officers
were open in their sympathy with
those who did this thing to relieve
East st. Louis OF its black popula-
ton.
$3.50 = .'- '....