Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-07-22

Volleys of Pistol Shots Mark Con
tinued Outbreaks Scattered
Over City.
Seething with mobs of thousands
Washington last night passed through
its widest and bloodiest night since civil
E war times with four listed as killed IL
street fighting and more than half 6
hundred wounded.
Race sentiment rose to unprecedented
heights. All night and far into the
carly morning angry men swept up anG
down usually peaceful thoroughfares
Swallowed figures which scurried ahead
Of their shouts.
VolIeys of Pistol Shots.
From. all over the downtown section
volleys of pistol shots could be heard at
intervals through the night. Police sta
ton cells were swamped with offenders
The police force Of 200, augmented by
almost 500 soldiers. provost guardsmen
and calvarymen, were rendered power
less before the mighty tide Of the ex-
cited throngs.
During the early part of the evening
activities were confined to the downtown
districts. but later on they branched out
into the outlying territory.
Cavalry Checks Mob.
mob attack on colored settlements
north of New York avenue, on 18th
street, was broken at about 10 o'clock
last night. A clamoring mob of thou
sands swept up 9TH street to Massa-
fchusetts avenue. Here the troop of
cavalry coming south from big col
= ored disturbance at 7th and T streets
met the mob.
Rearing and careening they sent
their horses squarely into the mob.
scattering its members in every di-
rection. 1t took almost half an hour
to break up the mob.
After this, the central mob divided
into several smaller mobs. which
sought individual colored men in
downtown sections.
The most threatening collection Of
colored men was dispersed at o'clock
at 7th and T streets, when seventy de-
tectives, policemen and soldiers
charged with drawn revolvers. After
a fusillade of pistol shots. the spirit
= of the mob was broken into Individual
parts.
During the, early part of the eifn-
ing the attack were confined to the
downtown section, but at midnight
scenes of struggles shifted into outly-
ing territory. Street cars were stoned
from the streets. AS far out as Laurel
reports showed evidences of disturb
anceA
One Of the most significant phases of
last nights outbreak was that the
mobs were composed of many more
civilians than soldiers or marines. al
though the latter apparently were the
moving spirits in the mob activities.
Detective Wilson Killed.
Detective Harry Wilson was in the
middle room on the second floor of
go G street northwest when he was
shot through the heart and almost
instantly killed last night. Police
man Albert c. Thompson of the sixth
precinct. residing at 716 18th street
southeast. was shot through the left
lung and dangerously wounded. He
may die.
Inspector Grant and Detectives Will
son, O'Brien. Kelly. Grant. Scrivener
and Hughlett were members of a
police party that left police head
quarters shortly after 10 o'clock to
respond to q riot call received from
5th and G streets. and when they
reached there they were directed to
the vicinity of Sd and G streets.
Reaching the vicinity of the house
in which the shooting occurred, men,
bers of the squad of detectives learn
ed that many shots had been fred
from houses on G street and Ball
court Scores of soldiers and police
men were holding back a crowd of
thousand or more persons. it being
feared some Of them would get struck
by bullets coming from an upper
window of the house in which the
detective later was killed.
Detective Kelly. his revolver point
ed at the window from which it was
said numerous shots had been fred,
to prevent repetition of the shoot
Detectives O'Brien and Wilson ven
tured into the dwelling. All was dark
in the house. and Wilson, the younger
man of the two, went ahead. AS
he entered the middle room a shot
rang out and he fell to the flood
mortally wounded.
When the two detectives assembled
the stairs OBrien. who had particle
pated in many daring encounters
during his long years of service, was
in the lead. On the steps and Just
before the upper landing was reached,
Wilson. reputed to be one of the
bravest of the younger detectives,
suggested that he take the lead.
Younger Man Takes Lead.
I'm younger than you" he said
to O'Brien," as he brushed past him.
Let me go first"
An instant later he was dying. His
last words to Detective O'Brien, as he
feebly pointed. were, Under the bed.'
Then other shots were fred, both in
and out of the house. Thompson, out
side the house, receiving one of the
bullets in his body. Carrie Minor
Johnson. colored, seventeen years old.
it is charged. shot Wilson from under
bed. One of the several shots fired
in the room took effect in her hip.
She was dragged from the house and
taken to police headquarters, and
while awaiting transportation to a
hospital she was told by a bystander
that fear Of creating further trouble
was tho only thing that prevented a
rope from being placed about her
neck.
Before the shooting in the vicinity
of the G. street house had ceased the
mortally wounded detective was
placed in an automobile and rushed
TO Emergency Hospital. He died in
Detective Kelly's arms long before
the hospital was reached. Inspector
Grant accompanied Kelly and the
wounded detective in the automobile
and at Pennsylvania avenue and 18th
street the car came to a sudden stop
against the street-car loading plat
form. badly damaging the vehicle and
utes later a physician examined Will
sons body and pronounced life ex-
tinct.
Shot at Ball Court.
Policeman Thompson and Detective
Sandberg were standing at the en-
trance to Ball court, opposite the
house in which Wilson was killed
trying to put a stop to the shooting
in the court. Several bullets came
dangerously close to them, and the
bullet that wounded Thompson mar
n,Irl,r SandheHo