The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-07-28
RIOTS run HIGH
IN BLACK BELT
Drastic Measures Adopted to
Check Trouble in
Chicago.
BLACKS SEVERELY BEATEN
City Officials Believe They
Will Be Able to Cope
With Situation.

Chicago, July 2S.-With riot
calls coming in to the southside
police stations without cessation
and the situation becoming more
alarming, Mayor William Hale
Thompson this afternoon or
dered Chief of Police Garrity to
rush all available police to the
southside district and use every
possible means to put down race
riots that have been farming ir
the so-called "black belt" sine
Sunday afternoon.
By 2 o'clock this afternoo
sixteen calls for police ass,s
ance had been received at sout
side police stations. Street Ct
passing through the district
were stoned, trolleys jerkec
from their cables and both ne
groes and whites dragged
through the streets and severely
beaten.
City officials declare that they
will be able to cope with the
situation and that it will not be
necessary to call in state troops.
Fears are expressed, however,
that many negroes will arm
themselves and should this be
done a very serious situation
will arise.
Unless the police are able to quell
the race riots in Chicago's black
belt" which began last night and
continued today, with one dead and
more than fifty injured, city authori-
ties will ask Gov. Lowden to send a
regiment of state militia to restore
order.
Despite the fact that fifty mounted
police and 100 patrolmen were on
duty today in the negro district with
orders to dsarm pedestrians and ar
rest rioters, sporadic disturbances
were reported from more than a
dozen districts. A force of 500 pa
trolmen were held in reserve at the
South Side police stations and were
kept busy answering calls. score
or more negroes and white men were
reported beaten today and a dozen
arrests were made. +
Mayor Etgasspson and Chief of Po-
ne Garfty Returned to the city to-
day from a trip through the west
but they declined to discuss the sit
uation further than to admit that
they feared serious trouble.
Police Captain Michael Gallery, IN
charge of the Deering street station,
said he feared the police would be
unable to maintain order and advised
his superiors that the state militia
should be called out.
More Disturbances.
The disturbances occurred on
Wentworth avenue, between Thirty
fifth and Thirty seventh streets
where many negro workmen reside.
A riot call was sent to the Deering
street police station, but when
wagonload of patrolmen arrived on
the scene the fighting was over.
Hundreds of white men and negroes
were gathered in groups on the side
walk, and Patrolman Philip Groad
had Thomas in custody. The police
dispersed the crowds and withdrew.
Police today said they had been
unable to find any trace of the uni
Identified boy reported drowned yes
terday in Lake Michigan at the foot
Of Twenty ninth street during the
race disturbances.
Negroes asked the police TO ar
rest a white boy, and when re-
fused the negroes began to beat the
white lad. Negro bathers from an
other beach at Twenty fifth street
attracted by the fighting, ca>ne in
force to the rescue, and soon stones
and clubs were hurled in all direc-
tions, many people, both white and
black, being injured by the missiles,
After the fighting near the beach
had been quelled, trouble broke out
further west, near the center Of the
negro district. John O'Brien, a po-
lceman, was attacked by a mob at
Twenty ninth and State streets after
he had tried to rescue fellow po-
liCeman from a crowd of negroes.
Several shots were fired in his direC-
ton and he was struck in the arm.
He drew his revolver and fired into
the crowd, three negro men being
hit one Of whom died later in the
hospital.
Dragged From Cars.
After the police reserves had dis
persed the crowds along State street
and other parts of the thickly popu-
lated negro district, whites, from
other parts of the city, dragged ne
groes from street cars and beat them
severely in several instances during
the night. but according to police
records today only two fatalities re-
suited in the rioting.
The policemen who were injured,
with the exception of O'Brien. who
was hit in the arm by a bullet, suf-
fered only bruises from stones and
clubs. The two negro men who were
shot at Twenty ninth street, where
one was killed, are said to be seri-
ously though not fatally wounded.
Many stray shots were heard dur
Ing the night. and the police an
swered two riot calls today. but their
services were not required in either
-,