Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-07-29
CHICAGO RACE
RIOTS SPREAD;
. "a ARE KILLED

AT HILL RIELEU
Continued from Page one.)
worn out with fghting or arrested.
A number of white rioters invaded
the downtown quarters. beat ne
groes found on the street, and
dragged covering porters from
night restaurants and hotels 70 the
streets. logging them unmerci-
fully.
Among the injured during the
night were three members of the
Seventh regiment, who were beset
by negroes while on the way to
their armory. Corporal w. T
Riggs was shot in the back;
Charles T. Williams was shot in
the side, and j n. Rinkus- was
slashed with a razor Major Fred
Haynes was found probably fatally
beaten, presumably by negroes. An
automobile containing Adjutant
General Dickson was fired on, but
without injury to the occupants.
Go To North and West Sides.
An exodus of negroes to the
north and west sides began as the
9gliting was at its height. Some
10000 negroes already live in those
parts of the city and the police
took precautions to stop any re-
sentiment shown by whites at the
added population of Africans. This
hegeira was stopped at daybreak,
the police say.
Taxicab drivers, as news of the
feud spread. refused to take pas
sengers into the maelstrom and
residents who lived along the car
lines that were stopped had long
walks through the field of battle.
AS far as the police could learn. |
these persons suffered no affront if |
they went quietly on their way.
The various ARRAYS owed their /
initiative about equally to the two I,
races, although white men seemed !
to be the prime aggressors, the ne
groes starting their assaults more
as counter-offensives. Most of the |
SThite rioters were young men and |
Sgths;
The police devoted much of their !
activity to clearing the streets of |
negroes. and many of the fatali-
ties resulted from their recalci-
trancy against the order to dis
perse. In one crowd at Thirty |
fifth and State streets whose street F..
car line is known as the African I
Central, former Alderman De
Priest, a negro, was with a crowd /
of blacks ordered to scatter. They
refused despite the pleading of the .
former alderman and two negro
police sergeants and the officers
fired into the assembly, killing four
and barely missing the former al
derman.
A police captain in the black belt
ascribed the trouble to the hood
1umism of negroes who came to +
Chicago during the last two years
to make up the shortage in labor
caused by the war He said his j.
experience showed that the older
negro residents sanely- refrained
from such clashes.
Hospitals Filled.
AS the night wore on, hospitals
in the region became filed and
doctors were all overworked caring
for the injured. A negro body was
taken into 4he establishment of a
white undertaken and soon crowd
threatened to attack the place
News of this spread and there
after dead negroes would not be
accepted by white mortdaries. Il
When the streets had been clear
ed in the negro quarter, the more
persistent rioters marched down I
town and sought out negroes at
their work The police in these
instances did not offer protection
to the blacks. One baud entered
a restaurant across the street from
the city hall, wrecked part of the
dragged a covering
negro from the kitchen and beat ]
him into Inconsistencies with a
five-gallon bottle Afterwards sew
eral bIuecoats arrived and dis
persed the crowd. 7
Conditions Improving.
Conditions in the riot district
were reported improved at a con r
ference held by Governor Lowden,
Mayor Thompson and Adiutant ]
General Dickson at 1890 p. m I
Dickson, after a tour OF
the south side reported that riot c
ing was slowly subsiding and that I
the immediate use of state troops 7
would not be necessary. Fifty pa F
trolmen were withdrawn from the }
Black belt" and assigned to their \
regular duty in the loop district. +
General Dickson said: Il found the |
situation improving throughout T
the danger district. The police are r
better distributed than they were I
and last night Better {
protection is afforded, and there is @
marked improvement in the feel |
ing of both the whites and blacks.
The police seem to have the situa- (
l. 4