The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1919-09-20

ty of us. Only once did I see a police
man, who glanced at us curiously, but
said nothing and passed slowly on.
And when we had finished our talk,
the group would melt into nothingness
and / would proceed on my quest.
l saw no women at ALL And the
men-why, those men were not out to
start something" They were armed,
most OF them, and were quite frank
about it, but they did not want a
fight. They said they were out to see
! IT mob were coming, and, if there
were, they were going home to barri-
cade themselves; then, if the mob
tried to get in, there was trouble ahead
AS one put it: "A man would be less
than man if he didn't fight for his
family and his home" Their state of
mind was not primarily fight. 1t was
fear, perfect hysteria of dread lest,
as more than one expressed it, "a new
East st. Louis was at hand. And, as
with all hysteria, small occurrence
would have set them off in a frenzy.
Dynamite! They were TINT Again
and again I was asked: "Is a mob
gathering on Pennsylvania Avenue?
Will they come up and burn us out?
Is the Park cordoned?" For they did
not dare go downtown far enough to
see if the troops were really there
| Over and over, l heard the pathetic
question: do the white folks care
Does anyone care? Are they really
doing anything." I told them that the
best of the whites did care, but that
we were helpless. I told them also
that measures had really been taken
! 9ft0rnn0n who
that there really was military, as we'll
man remarked: "Well I reckon some
buddy do care, or white lady
wouldn't come out to tell us about it,
listed; I gave the country my hand,
and was ready to give more. When
| was in France, I was a man and a
soldier, but when I get back here, I'm
not citizen; I'm not man, even
said bitterly; it went deeper than bit
terness. He spoke like man with a
broken heart. Another said: "They
say this is to protect the white women
! My father was in charge of whole
| plantation and family of white
women during the Civil War. They
| weren't afraid to leave the white
| women with us then, and colored men
are no different now"
| Many Of them expressed a liking for,
| and confidence in, the captain of the
| precinct, and, when a man of one race
| speaks well Of a man of another, dur
ing a race riot, that means something.
But they spoke of the lack of colored
police, and of the fact that colored
men were being dropped from the force
| and that none had been appointed
since 1910. 'You know they said,
that we could talk better to colored
police. They would reason with the
people and not just knock them round.
They know who the people are and
what is going on, and they could stop
| lot of trouble without arrests But
they don't want to give us chance"
l saw but one noisy Negro, half
| Witted and misunderstanding fellow,
| talking loudly and belligerently Him
two cOlOred men seized and thorough
| ly shook, telling him that if he did not
"shut up and get home" he would Ger.
| tainly find things happening to him.
Once an excited colored boy came fly
| ing on bicycle with the news that a
white mob had formed inside the cor
don and was on its way. Lets 60
| meet them,' said one young hothead.
This was at once negatived. we'll
watch and see if they are coming, and
! if they are, we will go home and lock
/ the doors. That's what Captain Doyle
! said, and he knows what's what" So,
for few tense moments, we stood
peering into the drizzly gloom, not
knowing what might after all be about
to come. But all was quiet, and we
silently drifted on our ways.
And thus it went for two hours. l
met them-not savages, not red-hand.
| ed murderers, but citizens, hunted
and terrified, looking more or less
| hopelessly to their Government for
| aid; human beings craving the hand
| of brotherhood, and cut to the very
heart. I thought of Belgium. l. re.
| membered that my country stands
abroad for liberty, justice, and the
! rights of men, though she has them not
at home. How blind we are, we An
| glo,Saxons, who talk of Freedom and
| have not yet freed our souls. But
! still I hope and dimly see a dawn-red.
| it is true, but still far-off dawn.
A white man once said to me: "You
talk like Negro. You seem at times
| to Identify yourself with them. Have