Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-10-02
Two Helena White Men and
Seven Negroes Killed at
Elaine, Following Clashes
Between Posse and Blacks.
SEVERAL ARE WOUNDED,
ACCORDING TO REPORTS
Situation Critical and Grow.
ing More So; Troops From
Camp Pike on Way to Town
to QueIl Disturbances.
Little Rock, Ark, Oct. Late
tonight 500 soldiers departed for
Elaine from Camp Pike.

Helena, Ark, Oct. 1.-Two white
men, Clinton Lee and ]. A. Tappan
of Helena. and seven negroes are
known to be dead at Elaine, near
here, as a result of race clashes to.
day between posse searching fol
the persons who last night from
ambush fired upon and killed w. D
Adkins, railroad special agent, ac'
cording to reports reaching here to,
night. A third white man, Ira Proc.
tor, and a number of negroes are
known to have been wounded.
The situation at Elaine is critica,
and growing more so, according to
message received here tonight from
Joseph Meyers, who is heading the
posse. Meyers is quoted as saying
he expected another clash at any
moment and requested that addi-
tional reinforcements be sent. Five
hundred soldiers from Camp Pike
Ark, are due to reach Elaine al
midnight
Posse Fired Upon.
Advices here said the trouble had
its beginning when the posse was
fired upon by crowd Of men, said
to have been negroes, at Elaine. The
fire was returned, it was said, and i'll
a few minutes firing became general
in the streets.
Late today a telephone message
was received from Elaine stating
that the posse had taken us prison
ers and was bringing them to Hell
ena.
The authorities of Helena, evil
IDENTIFY fearing the trouble at Elaine
would spread to this city, ordered
all motion picture houses and stores
to close at o'clock tonight. Hell
ena has population Of 10000. a
large proportion of which are ne
groes.
Business Man Dies.
Tappan, who was a prominent
business man here, succumbed at a
local hospital to the wounds he re-
ceived in this mornings fighting III
the streets of Elaine. Proctor, who
also was brought here, is not ex-
pected to live, according to physi-
clans. The body of Lee, who died
from his wounds at Elaine, also was
brought to his home here.
More than a hundred negroes and
a white man who is alleged to have
had in his possession quantity OF
questionable literature had been ar
rested by posses operating in Elaine
and vicinity when he left, according
to former Sheriff Amos Jarman, who
arrived here late today. A number
of the prisoners have been brought
to Helena and others, according to
Jarman, are on the way under heavy
guard.
Women and children of Elaine
and vicinity are being brought to
Helena on special train for safety,
il was reported here. The local
situation is tense, but no trouble has
broken out here. Armed men are
patrolling the streets.
Lee is said to have been shot &C
cidentally, while Tappan and Proc
tor were wounded during the fight
ing. Charles Pratt. deputy sheriff,
who was with Adkins when the lat
ter was killed last night, was wound
ed in the knee. Lee, Tappan and
Proctor are members of the local
post of the American legion, and
were deputized by Sheriff Kitchens
with number OF other civilians
, when he received word that the
CONTINUED on Page Five, Column One)