Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1919-07-31
TROOPS CALLEDOUT
AS CHICAGO RIOTS
SPREAD; IS KILLED
Whites and Blacks Meet in a
Pitched Battle.
MAYOR APPEALS TO GOVERNOR
Adjt. Gen. Dickson Is Put in Charge
of Military Situation and Immedi-
ateIy Starts Mobilization of
1000 Trained Men.

Chicago, July z9-Chicago's black
belt was battlefield Monday night.
Negroes and whites fought over an
area approximately six miles square
within two miles Of the heart OF the
city. Pistols and rifles flashed and
bullets crashed through street cars
and buildings and on the streets, find
ing hundreds Of victims. Police pa
trolls and hospital ambulances charged
through the mobs amid hail Of bull
lets, rescung the wounded and recov-
ering bodies Of the dead.
$50 Wounded.
The police placed the number of
dead at - with more than 20O wound
ed, many seriously. Four regiments
Of National Guard infantry were
modified when Mayor William Hale
Thompson informed Governor LOWden
and Adiutant General Dickson he was
unable to control the situation.
The battle started when negroes in
groups of 80 and 100 began firing on
isolated policemen. One of these was
Policeman William Kross, one of the
first to be wounded. Another was Of
ficer Walter Brooks of the mounted
squad.
Brooks, when hit, forced his horse
to lie down and fired from behind him.
Meantime riot calls went to the Stock
yards station, Deering station, the Eff
tieth street station and the Cottage
Grove avenue station, and patrol loads
of bluecOats began to pour into the
battle
Climax of Bad Day.
The battle came as the climax of
bitter day. Sporadic OutburStS flared
up all over the black belt during the
day. Then Mayor Thompson decided
the situation was out of control Of the
police and asked Governor LOwden to
turn out militiamen. The governor in
turn notified Adjutant General Dick
son to mobilize all available state
troops and form them at the armOries.
Before the soldiers could be notified
and gather in numbers sufficient to be
of use in quelling the disturbances the
was under way.
Fix Mobilization Points.
The Eleventh regiment under Col.
James f. Burke, with it's machine
gun company, was ordered to assemble
at the old Second infantry armOry
1858 West Madison street; the First
reserve under Col. A. F. LorenZen, in
the old Eighth infantry armory at
Thirty-fifth and Forest avenue; the
Third reserve, under Col. Arson BOlte,
in the old Seventh infantry armOry at
Thirty-fifth street and Wentworth ave-
nue. The Second reserve, under Col.
Joseph Wilson, was ordered to hold it.
self in readiness for assembly at a
point to be designated later
General Dickson said he would re-
main in Chicago in charge of the mill
tary situation He pointed out that
the Eleventh infantry and the First
reserve regiments have machine gun
companies with experienced machine
gunnerS and that the line companies
of these two regiments and the Second
and Third reserve regiments are armed
with new Springfield rifles and Krag-
JorgensOn carbines.
Plenty of Ammunition.
"They all have plenty of riot ans
munition." said General Dickson, "and
if all the race rioters on the South
side were to combine the militiamen
would be able to handle the situation"
One report was that South side col
ored men have more than 1000 Spring
field rifles of the type formerly used
by the government and placed on sale
throughout the city department stores
after their condemnation for govern
ment use.
This was denied by colored alder
men, but it was admitted that many
of the negroes were possessed of arms
of one kind or another and were pre-
pared to defend themselves against
aggression. The chief fear expressed
WAS that the young hotheads might