Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-10-01
Criticize Chief of Police.


Omaha, Sept. 2S.-To the Editor
of The Bee: When an infatuated
mob marches through the streets
Of Omaha to participate in a race
riot to avenge the white race against
the Expectations of the black, there
will be no one to blame but the au-
thorities, who have repeatedly come
to the assistance and protection of
negroes who have committed grave
assaults upon white girls.
Can it be that we have the specta-
Gle of our esteemed Chief of Police
Eberstein coming to the assistance
of the black who few nights ago
perpetrated one of the worst crimes
against the white race in the his
tory Of Omaha. In Saturday paper
Chief Eberstein is credited with the
statement that he is not sure Will
Brown, the negro, who has been
Willard Hoffman, as the man who
robbed them and then committed
a grave assault upon the former. as
the guilty man, is the man who
committed the assault. Despite the
fact that the Lobeck girl en-
phatically declared the negro
(Brown) to be the man who as
sauted her, and further described
clothing he wore on the night of the
crime, which tailed with clothing
found in the room in which Brown
was apprehended, our chief is, or
at least, according to printed
statement credited to him, in doubt
whether Brown is the man wanted,
giving as his reason for his doubt
that the negro denies his guilt.
While it is true that the negro
(Brown) has not been proved guilty
by judge and Jury, the facts in the
case point so conclusively to his
guilt that it is a poor time for our
chief of police to start embarrassing
the black. Is it necessary that the
man be caught red-handed to prove
him guilty? Does not the identifica-
ton Of the negro by the girl and her
escort and the fact that the cloth
ing described by her as those worn
by her assailant, being found in his
room when he was apprehended,
overshadow the word of the de-
generate?
There is little doubt in the minds
OF the citizens of Omaha, particu-
larly those who live in the vicinity
of the Lobeck home and who are
acquainted with the true facts sur
rounding the apprehending of the
negro and his subsequent identifica-
ton by Miss Lobeck, that the guilty
man has been caught. If there is a
miscarriage of justice in this case,
will not the consequences be charged
directly to those who mete out JUS
tice, or, as has SO often been the
case in many instances of this kind
injustice.
Not SO long ago a negro, proven
guilty OF assault upon a white girl.
was sentenced to 80 days in Jail.
In what other state in this country
could black beast assault a white
girl and get away with it with a 90
day sentence? In most states he
would have been lucky to have es-
capped being lynched, and if he did
escape death at the hands of citi-
zens, he would be sentenced to
nearer 80 years than 80 DAVIS.
1t would be gratifying to many
of your readers if you would show
the same laudable activity in the
columns of your paper in bringing
ABOUT justice in this case that YOU
showed in the Everett Scott case.
III Chief Eberstein does not have
enough policemen to properly patrol
the streets of Omaha so that they
can be made safe for women and
young girls to walk upon, then it is
nigh time that people see that he
is provided with enough policemen.
In the meantime we hope that the
man Brown, if guilty, is punished
IN a manner that will be warning
to all that the people of Omaha in
tend to protect their women and
girls Very respectfully yours,
CITIZENS.
Nicholas Herbolich, 1884 South
Fifteenth street: l.. T. Lunn, 2124
Davenport street; H. .. Hoffman,
24O5 Harvey street; A. S. Windle,
2117 Maple street; E. r. Deppe, 1926
Boyd street; C. B. Harris, 3711 West
broadway, Council Bluffs; T. l..
Ryberg, 500 North Twenty-third
street Omaha, Neb.; Frank Havery,
1716 North Twenty-seventh street,
Omaha, Neb.; Lee Hatmako, 902
South Twenty-seventh street, Oma-
ha; Lulu Brown, Burlington section;
Ida Benedict, P. o. Box S44; WAYNE
Skeels, 1922 nj street, South Omaha;
Richard e. Paustian, 1922 M street,
south Omaha; John Zaju, 1415 Cen
ter, Omaha.