The Pensacola journal., 1919-08-01
RIOTERS COON
WITH FIGHTING
and BLOODSHED
HUNDRED THOUSAND NEGROES
AND EQUAL NUMBER WHITES
EITHER FIGHT OR COVER IN
THEIR HOMES.

1 soldiers with full war equipment stood
/! ready to quell the race rioting between
negroes and whites that during two
nights of terror in the South Side
| black belt cost the lives Of at least
| 20 men, including one negro police
man, and the injury of hundreds OF
others, many seriously. and probably
a dozen fatally Four OF the injured
are soldiers. The police and the cor
nncr have been unable to make a
complete check of the casualties but
reports showed nineteen killed last
night. OF this number IL were whites
and negroes.
A hundred thousand negroes and
an equal number Of whites either
fought in the streets and alleys or
covered in their homes while shots
were fired: mounted policemen sallop-
ed along the boulevards, patrol way
cns dashed through the streets with
prisoners and wounded; woniel and
children screamed as men fought with
cuds els, knives and fists.
When the rioting. which started on
Sunday night with the stoninS and
drowning of a negro who had crffted
on g. raft into the water OF beach
used by whites, broke out afresn last
night, Mayor Thompson asked Gov
ernor Lowden for troops. The govern
or, who was on his way to Lincoln,
Nebraska, turned back at Burlington.
Iowa, and Acting gGoverhor Oglcsby
gave Adjutant General Dickson orders
to mobilize necessary soldiers. BY
midnight four regiments were in the
armories on the South Side. but by
that time the police had cleared the
streets for the night AM Legan col
he nd IL I'd
rounding up 1ooters-
The taste OF blood Sunday night
whetted the appetites Of hundreds of
adventurous persans who had long
grieved at the rapid influx OF negroes.
who have spread over a large territory
formerly constituting fine res EN-
tial quarter of the South Side. Prop
erty had increased in value and whites
| had emiera ted to other par-s Of the
city by thousands, but many others
had clrcg to their homes while The
streets and one of the la-ys parks be-
came thronged with neeroes.
Both parties to the contest enraged
lby stories of crueltics Of the other
loEisng Sunday nights rne;s.. lelib-
tcrately armed themselves last right
ana went out to stalk their prey. As
soon an darkness fell the fighting in
| IN some cases negroes n auto,no-
til-s dashed through the streets firing
| a. any w:.ite encountered. I'm ot.Ier
leases Writes attacked the buildi u s
ocCup.s6 by Legroes. sho sting through
windows an1 doors, while tn, inmates
| fired nsC. from barricadas. Ban6s Of
both races marched through the
streets and meeting tough. battles
that ceased only when the pavement
was covered with dead and wounded
or the mounted police had spurred
their horses through the mass.
Many individual fights. hand to
hand struggles with knives and razors.
added to the casualties. Men and
women were dragged fr.nn street cars
until the company stopped running
them through the affected area. In
one instance band of whites passing
a mansion on Grand Boulevard and
resenting the occupancy of tno place
by blacks was fired on from the house.
AS the night wore on and the bands
OF terrorists were broken W hy the
policemen looters and incendiaries ap-
peared. Several houses were fired.
and one was burned. 4 number Of
stores were broken open and saeked.
Toward daylight the less aggressive
having been driven to cover, worn out
with fighting or jailed, q number Of
white rioters invaded the down town
quarter and beat negroes found on
the streets.
Major Fred Haynes was found prob
ably fatally beaten. presumably by
negroes. An automobile containing ,
Adjutant General Dickson was fired
on, but without damage to the occu- |
pants.
An exodus Of negroes to the north |
and western sides began as the fight
ing was at its height. Some fifty |,
thousand more negroes already live |
in those parts of the city and the po-
lice took precautions to stop any I
shown by whites at the /
added population of Africans This /
hegeira was stopped ut daybreak by |
the street car strike. A few whites i
were penned in their homes by angry /
negroes and had to telephone for po-
lice aid to escape. One family man
aged to elude the negroes by backing
their faces and departing in disguise.
but aside from a few such instances
persons living in or near the war zone
were unmolested physically if they re-
mained within their dominions.
Taxicab drivers, news OF tie feud
spread, refused to take passengers
into the disturbed district and iesi-
dents who lived along the car lines
which were stopped had long walks
through the field of battle As far
as the police could learn those parsons
suffered no afffonts IL they went
quietly along their way
The police devoted much OF their
activity to clearing the streets Of
negroes and many of the fatalities rs-
suited from the recalcitrancy Of
negroes against the order to dispense.
In one crowd at 35th and State sta eet. /
former Alderman DePriest. neg-o, was
with a crowd of blacks ordered TO :.
scatter They refused despite the J,
pleading of the former alderman ana 4
TWO negro police sergeants an the /