Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1919-07-25
Washington Race Riot.

|
wife of sailor, had been attacked, a band
OF more than hundred soldiers, sailors
and marines last Saturday night invaded
southwest Washington and beat several
colored persons before they were finally
dispersed by provost guard, detach-
ment of marines and reserves from three
police stations.
Pennsylvania avenue, scene of inaugural
and triumphal professions, for two hours
Sunday night was turned into an arena
over which hung the sinister spirit of race
riot. Along the thoroughfare. from Seventh
street to Fifteenth street northwest, groups
of soldiers, sailors. marines and white
civilians opposed with fists and clubs
other groups composed of negroes who
with seeming willingness, threw them
selves into dozen of melees. Scores of
negroes and their opponents were injured,
some seriously.
Practically helpless in the face of fight
ing so widely distributed, the police, eked
out by handful of soldiers from the Sixty
third infantry, detailed as provost guard,
did little more than stand while the fight
ing was going on. That no deaths resulted
is remarkable. and attributable solely to
the fact that few weapons were employed.
most of the encounters being with fists.
AS the result of free-for-all and indi-
vidual combats. at least fifteen negroes
were seriously hurt. and perhaps an equal
number of military and civilian whites
locked up, all ON the charge of disorderly
conduct.
Forced to return from liberty at mid
night, the men in uniform deserted the
highway after running things to suit them
selves and chasing and beating negroes
into state of terror. But again at
O'Clock Monday morning perhaps the most
serious fight of all broke out at Tenth and
L streets, to which point all available down.
town reserves of the police were rushed.
AS was the case with the disorders in
the southwest Saturday night, Sunday
evenings development was more signif-
cant in its augury than its enactment.
The uniformed men, who as on the pre-
vious evening, led the sorties and took
first place in the fighting, were outspoken
in their threats against the negro popula
ton of the Capital.
Forced, not by the police, but by bar
rack rule, to desert the streets at midnight.
they were loud in proclaiming their inten-
i tons for the near future.
Blazing race hatred turned the streets
of Washington into battlefields on Mon
day night. Surging mobs of blacks and
| whites proved themselves stronger than
the law in the nations Capital. All au-
/ thority, represented by the city's police
force and the nations cavalry. infantry
and marines, was set at nought. AS the
night of terror struggled toward morning one
police officer had been killed outright and
four wounded, one of them mortally. Two
negroes were killed and of the many wound
ed, one probably will die. One marine was
killed The hospitals of the city were
thronged throughout the long night of tur-
MOL with wounded whites and negroes
Until almost daylight groups of bellig-
erent negroes, armed to the teeth, were
touring the streets of the city in automo-
biles. evading or defying the heavy police
and military parole, particularly in the
outlying sections. The downtown section,
where riotous mob of more than 1000
had ranged earlier in the night, had by
that time been practically deserted.
The whole strength of the Washington
police force with the aid of 400 or more
United States troops struggled with the
race rioters In the downtown district
their efforts succeeded in keeping the mobs
moving, but it was an endless task. A cor
don of cavalry had been thrown around the
downtown section from Seventh street tC
Fifteenth street. and from the Mall south
of the avenue to above II street northwest
Time after time the mObs surged with
more or less good nature against the lines
was made to break through to the objec-
tive of the rioters, which was the negro
section in the southwest.
North of II street the mob made several
efforts to break through the Gordon Nearly
1000 white men. who had thronged uI
Ninth street after a repulse in the Mall
moved over to Seventh street and had
moved north as far as II street bound fol
the negro section at Seventh and u streets
northwest. Just above II street the moi
was confronted with detachment of cav
airy. A single charge which swept street
and sidewalk drove the crowd back in con-
fusion, with no more damage than few
slight injuries. After this attempt the
mob turned its attention to the downtown
district and during the remainder of the
night it ranged along street. and G street
from Seventh to Fifteenth street
Toward morning what was left of the
downtown crowd had concentrated at the
Treasury After a brief struggle with the
police there they forced their way through
and mob of nearly 1000 surged past the
White House and out Pennsylvania ave
nue. toward the negro settlement between
Eighteenth and Twenty-first streets. north
Of the avenue. A strong force Of police
from the Third precinct met this mob just
before they reached their detectives, and
it was turned back with few casualties.
The iron hand Of Federal military au
thOrity was laid upon the National Capital
Tuesday night to smother the blaze Of race
hatred which had made Washington a
battle-ground for 48 hours. Following a
conference between President Wilson and
Secretary of War Baker over the deplorable
conditions in the capital Of the nation
approximately 1000 Federal troops Of
various arms of the service we're thrown
into the capital, and Maj. Gen. w. G.
Ham. fresh from the command of the 32d
Division oyerseas was piyen full authority