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

al killing.
This bad situation, considerably
exaggerated by those interested La
placing the Negroes In the worst pos
sible repute, eliminated in an espe-
cially vicious holdup and shooting,
occurring on May rs. A mob demon
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 drifted back in
pairs and by families and in small
groups until the sections in which
they made their homes we're again
thickly populated. They seem to
have been emboldened or made des-
perate by their experience, and 1t Is
known that there was pretty we'll
planned scheme for Organization for
defense, If not for offense. A police
sergeant, Coffedge, an especially eff
Client 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
places--which was not the case.
That killing of Police Sergeant Cot
edge might be said to have been the
match that fired the powder, only,
as l have explained, there was moth
ing like SUDDEN explosion indicating
the presence of either match CT DOW
der. .,ut, choose what words we may.
the Staying Of tnat police officer was
the act that brought OH 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 bludgeons. The work may be
said to have been gone about with
method, yet there was no organiza-
ton In the sense of thele being a,
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 tho up
per hand of the killers and burners.
l 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 conservers Of the peace We're
not In sympathy with those who
were .ng and burning and man
hunting black people. AS tor the
police, they were clearly willing that
the utmost vengeance should be
mted out to as many blacks as pos
geant Coffedge. Whether these eX-
uation, 1t Is fact, and l rereat it
deliberately, that little effort was
made either to save the blacks, pre-
vent the killings and burnings vi
capture and punish the white butch
crs Many arrests were made, it Is
true, but not one among those ar
rested took the matter seriously. In
fact, 1T was one of the most horrible
features of the whole terrible affair
that while the Staying and the MAIN.
ing and the burning were proceeding
thdse engaged In them seemed to
take the matter as a Joke. Strange
as 1t may sound, do not believe one
man in ten-not one in hundred
showed any evidence Of Ill temper.
very few at least, seemed
angry. {
1t was different, though, with the
who took q hand in the bloody
business. They made black women
and girls their especial victims. 1t
Is not of record that any women
actually killed a ncgress, but their
stopped just short of shat.
One woman was armed with a butch
er's cleaver, another with the brass j,
faucet Of a beer barrel. Mostly,
though, tho women carried clubs and
stones, and these they used merci-
essly. 4.
The affair as a whole piled up
heavy bill Of cost for East st. Louis.
Every insurance policy on property
burned especially excepted such de-
East st. Louis can be
sued for neglecting to give adequate
protection. More than that, there IS
ground for suit on the part Of every
manned victim and on tho part Of }
The families Of every man killed.
Not only did East st. Louis, st. Clair !
county and the State OF Illinois fall
to give proper protection to life and
property, but many public officers
we're open in their sympathy with
those who did this thing to relieve
East St. Louis Of It's black popula-
lion.
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