Omaha daily bee., 1919-10-02
Mob Spirit Here Outgrowth
of Failure of Performers" to
Reform, Declares K. G. Star
Newspaper Tells of Political Mre" in Omaha and
Blames Municipal Politics, Too Long Neglected
By the Majority of the Otherwise Progressive
Element"-Says Morals Squad" Aroused Public.

coming frightened, ran. He was
shot dead.
When the facts concerning the
killing of the negro became
known, there was general out
cry, the people, both white and
black, loudly demanding that the
officers be arrested and prose-
cuted for murder. The county at
torney acted. He filed informa-
ton charging manslaughter. The
men gave bond, and when popu-
lar clamor demanded that they be
removed from the force the city
commissioners voted to retain
them. The vote was four to three
Mayor Smith casting the deciding
ballot.
Women's Assailants Unpublished.
This marked the breaking up of
. the so-called morals squad"
which has been conspicuously in
active since, although the two
members charged with man
slaughter still are on duty, at least
on the payroll.
The records show that "a cases
of attacks upon white women by
negroes in the last three months
have resulted in few arrests and
no sentences in keeping with the
gravity of the crimes. One negro
was arrested charged with at
tempted assault He was tried
before a South Side police judge,
convicted and sentenced to 80 days
in Jail. He appealed under $500
bond, and while the case was
pending was arrested for commit
ting another and similar crime,
and what is said to have been If
REPUTABLE evidence of his guilt
brought a sentence before the
same judge of 90 days in Jail.
Lenient With Slayers.
The Nebraska statutes, in de-
filming murder, make it first de-
gree if committed in pursuit of
another felony. About three weeks
ago three young negroes came out
of a picture show, walked down
the street, and, according to their
confessions at trial, went after
some easy money" They agreed
they would hold up the first per-
son they met. Meeting no one,
they passed the grocery store, en-
tered, pointed a pistol at the pro-
prietor and demanded that he
stand and deliver. The man CRAP
pied with the negro who held the
weapon and was shot in the stom-
ach. They rolled onto the side
walk, where the negro, wrench
ing himself free, deliberately shot
his victim twice, killing him. The
trio confessed and the prosecutor
allowed plea of guilty to murder
in the second degre. They were
sentenced to 10 years.
The storm of public indignation
over this procedure had not sub
sided when other assaults upon
white women by negroes were
committed. some of them in
broad daylight. In more recent
one the negro who was lynched
Sunday night was arrested and
identified by his victim. 1t looked
as if it would be another case
of either turning the culprit scot
free or letting him off with a light
sentence. Men who in the past
had been known to stand for law
and order joined in the mutter-
ings, which soon grew to a gen.
eral hue and cry, crystallizing in
mob spirit rampant.
Wrecked Court House Testimonial
The formerly beautiful and or
nate court house, the scene of
Sunday nights riot, windows
broken and exterior smoke mark
ed, stands as grim silent tes-
timonial of the procrastination of
Omaha's better element, which too
long left municipal politics to the
politicians, then, seeing the reefs
ahead, elected a reform ticket
which failed to bring about re-
form.
The two patrolmen charged
with manslaughter have filed libel
suits against The Omaha Daily
Bee and that newspaper is being
villified by friends of the admin
istration-patently in the vast
ninority-for turning against the
set of men it helped to office.
The other two newspapers, edi-
torially, deplore the recent hap
penings that besmirched Omaha's
name in tones of apology. Ad-
ministration partisans point out
that the officers on guard in the
courthouse could not be expected
to have stopped the mob with
bullets since there were many
boys and other innocent persons
in the crowd, drawn there by ex-
element and curiosity.
Public Anger Not Cooled.
And tonight Omaha sits tight
upon her own little volcano, ex-
pecting every minute to hear that
rioting and killing again have
broken out in defiance of the mill
tary and civil authorities, which
have joined hands to preserve a
semblance of order. All know
and know we'll that public anger
has not been cooled by recent
happenings, and that any order
restored under present conditions
may be but temporary.
Interesting to a degree is the
viewpoint of administration par
! tisans, tersely expressed through
an interview with a man prom
;,.,t 80 the 1ora1 business would