The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-07-03

to police headquarters that the ring
ing of a church bell had called the
armed negroes together, an automo-
bile loaded with police left for the
scene. The officers were greeted
with a Volley. Detective Sergeant
Coppedge was killed and three po-
licemen were wounded. One, Detec-
tive Frank Wooley now is in a hos
pital in a critical condition. The
police chauffeur also was wounded.
A white man was wounded in an
earlier attack.
Two companies Of the guardsmen
arrived early in the morning and
were assigned to duty in the negro
quarter. Up to that hour the
streets were quiet and it seemed that
the day would pass without a re-
newal of the rioting.
inflame Mob.
AS the morning wore on crowds
began to congregate in the streets,
and encouraged by the absence of
troops from the downtown section
agitators began infiaming the mob.
The first trouble came when a negro
appeared at Broadway and Collins
Vile avenue, one of the busiest corn
ers in the city. A white man struck
the negro in the face and others in
the crowd knocked him down and
kicked him. AS he lay PROSTATE an
other white man fired at him five
times. Two of the shots took effect,
one in the arm and another in the
leg. AS the crowd, thinking the
negro was dead fell back, he jumped
up and ran.
A little later a white man stand
ing in front Of the limo hotel fired
at a negro, but missed him and
wounded another white man. The
shot, but the threatening mob forced
the officers to release him.
One of the national guard COM
panies was then ordered to the bust
ness section, but their arrival SEEM
ed to arouse the increasing mobs to
further aggression.
White men stopped street cars,
dragged off the negroes and pelted
them with stones and paving blocks.
BY / o'clock eight injured negroes
were in hospitals, and the police and
guards seemed to have completely
lost control.
At 1880 the rioting grew more SER
ious. A car was stopped, the trolley
was pulled from the wire and white
men invaded the coach looking for
negroes. One was taken off, beaten
and kicked, and then shot. He died
in an ambulance. While this dis
turbance was raging Belleville car
appeared. White women and white
girls boarded it and Selling Shrek
ing negro women, dragged them in
to the streets, where they were
pounded and kicked.
A few minutes later, as a crowd
was attacking negroes, one black
uH n tho haa1 Tho crowd
cheered as policemen put him in an
ambulance.
National guardsmen witnessed this
scene, but did nothing to dispense
the mob.
Beaten to Death.
On negro was taken from the car
which women rioters first invaded,
was beaten in the head with a heavy
club. He died in an ambulance.
Some of the men in the mob began
to fire as the negroes were dragged
from the cars. William Keyser, a
hardware merchant, was standing in
front of his store, watching the riot
ing when a stray bullet pierced his
lung. He died on the way to hos
pital. BY this time four companies
Of troops were patrolling the streets,
apparently with little effect on the
mob. AS the mob seemed further
than ever from control, orders were
given to hurry as many negroes as
possible out Of the city and the
exodus began.
Still the rioting continued and 1t
became apparent that the mob was
bent on blood. One negro, who had
gone to the Union station was shot
and killed as he was waiting for a
train to take him out of town.
About o'clock a mob raided a
pawn shop and carried away rifles
and revolvers.
Fires Break Out.
The fires started about o'clock
! in the evening and spread rapidly.
BY $3.50 flames visible for miles were
shooting into the sky. Hundreds of
negro women, most of them carry
ing bundles that held their most
precious belongings and leading
small children, crossed the bridge.
As the crowds from st. Louis reach
ed the east side they noticed that
an awestruck silence had settled on
the townspeople who stood in the
streets watching the glow Of the
flames.
Telephone wires had been cut
early in the evening by the fire de-
partment. AS the telegraph and tele-
| phone poles caught fire. other wires
went down.
Military Rule.
After military rule had been pro-
claimed the soldiers put more vigor
Into their efforts to quell the mob.
Seventy-five white men attacked q
negro in front of drug store on
Broadway and attempted to drag
him to a pole, beating him as they
dragged him along. The troops
charged the mob with fixed bayonets
and the rioters scattered Before
the troops arrived the negro was
shot twice With this show of force
the rioters in part quieted down.
/ There are twelve companies of
guardsmen here.
At $3.50 O'clock fire broke out in
the district known as "The Valley
at Third street and ST. Louis ave-
nue.. This fire came perilously near
10 the railroad yards Of East st.
Louis. At 8 o'clock four negroes
were shot by snipers at Ninth and
Missouri avenues.
An attempt was made to lynch an