The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-07-28
CONTROL
CHICAGO after
RACE R|OT|NC
Two Negroes Killed in Con-
flict With Whites in City's
BLACK Belt"
(By Associated Press)

CHICAGO, July 2S. - Trouble be-
tween whites and negroes was renew
ed in Chicago's black belt" today
when Moses Thomas, q negro, fred
several shots at a wagon load Of white
workmen being taken to a southside
factory. When at attempt was made
by whites to disarm him, a dozen
negroes rushed II his assistance. The
police Quelled the disturbance and re-
ported that no one had been injured.
Rioting late yesterday resulted in
the death of two negroes and the in
Try of perhaps fifty or more whites
and blacks. including four patrolmen.
Accounts Of the origin Of the trou-
BILE differ, but the version accepted by
the police today Is that the fighting
started at the 29th street bathing
beach, where the whites and colored
people are accustomed to swim in
Lake Michigan although the two races
This version Of the affair says that q
negro boy on raft crossed the boun-
dairy line and that white boys threw
stones, knocking the colored lad into
the water. He was drowned. A gen.
eral fight developed between the races
and riot calls brought hundreds of po-
lice into the colored district, the CEN
ter Of which is around thirty-first and
State streets, more than a mile from
the beach.
Negroes asked the police to arrest
white boy and when he refused, the
negroes began to beat the white lad.
Colored bathers from another beach
at 25th street attracted by the fight
ing came in force to the rescue and
soon stones and clubs were hurled in
all directions, many people both white
and black being injured by the mis-
siles.
Policeman Attacked.
After the fighting near the beach
had been quelled, trouble broke out
further west near the center of the
colored district. John O'Brien, po-
liceman, was attacked by a mob at
Twenty-ninth and State streets after
he had tried to rescue a fellow police
man from a crowd of negroes. Sew
erel shots were fired in his direction
and he was struck in the arm. He
drew his revolver and fired into the
crowd, three colored men being hit,
one of whom died later in a hospital.
After the police reserves had dis
persed the crowds along State street
and other parts Of the thickly popu.
lated colored district, whites from 9th
er parts of the city dragged negroes
from street cars and beat them Sc
verely in several instances during the
night, but according to police records
early today, only two fatalities result
ed from the rioting.
The policemen who were injured,
with the exception Of O'Brien, who
was hit In the arm with a bullet, suf-
fered only bruises from stones and
clubs.
The two colored men who were shot
at Twenty-ninth street, where one was
killed, are said to be seriously, though
not fatally wounded.
Many stray shots were heard dur
ing the night and the police answered
two riot calls early today, but their
services were not required in either
instance.
| 1t is estimated that there are close
| to 100000 negroes in Chicago, nearly
| $4,000 Of whom were drawn here dur
| ing the last three or four years by the
attractive high wages in shops and
| factories engaged in the manufa cture
of war materials. Virtually all the
negroes live on the south side of the
city and many have acquired prop
erty in desirable neighborhoods occu
pied by whites. This has led to many
minor clashes between the races and
in a number of instances in recent
months bombs have been exploded ir
buildings occupied by negraes.