Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-07-29
CHICAGO RACE
RIOTS SPREAD;
. "a ARE KILLED

~ AXE kILLED
Continued from Page one.)
worn out with lighting or arrested
A number of white rioters invaded
the downtown quarters. beat ne
groes found on the street, and
dragged covering porters from
night restaurants and hotels to the
streets. fogging them unmerci-
fully.
Among the injured during the
night we're three members of the
Seventh regiment. who were beset
by negroes while on the way to
their armOry. Corporal w T
Riggs was shot in the back;
Charles T. Williams was shot in
the side, and j. N Rinkus- was
slashed with razor. Major Fred
Haynes was found probably fatally
beaten, presumably by negroes. An
automobile containing Adjutant
General Dickson was fired on, but
without injury to the occupants.
Go To North and West Sides.
An exodus of negroes to the
north and west sides began as the
9shting was at its height Some
10000 negroes already live in those
parts of the city and the police
took precautions to stop any re-
sentiment shown by whites at the
added population of Africans. This
hegeira was stopped at daybreak,
the police say.
Taxicab drivers, as news Of the
feud spread, refused to take pas
sengers into the maelstrom and
residents who lived along the car
lines that were stopped had long
walks through the field of battle
AS far as the police could learn,
these persons suffered no affront if
they went quietly on their way.
The various ARRAYS owed their
initiative about equally to the two
races, although white men seemed
to be the prime aggressors. the ne
groes starting their assaults more
as counter-offensiyes. Most of the
Nwhite rioters were young men and
yAQths;
De Priest Nearly Shot.
The police devoted much of their
activity to clearing the streets of
negroes. and many of the fatali-
ties resulted from their recalci-
trancy against the order to dis
perse. In one crowd at Thirty
fifth and State streets whose street
car line is known as the African J
Central, former Alderman De
Priest, a negro. was with crowd |
of blacks ordered to scatter. They !
refused despite the pleading of the
former alderman and two negro J
police sergeants and the officers /
fired into the assembly, killing four I
and barely missing the former al /
derman.
A police captain in the black belt |
ascribed the trouble to the hood |
lumism of negroes who came to /
Chicago during the last two years !
to make up the shortage in labor
caused by the war He said his
experience showed that the older
negro residents sanely refrained
from such clashes.
Hospitals Filled.
AS the night wore on, hospitals
in the region became filled and
doctors were all overworked caring
for the injured. A negro body was
taken into the establishment of a
white undertaken and soon crowd
threatened to attack the place
News of this spread and there
after dead negroes would not be l.
accepted by white mortuaries. +
When the streets had been clear
ed in the negro quarter, the more
persistent rioters marched down
town and sought out negroes at
their work. The police in these
instances did not offer protection
to the blacks. One baud entered
a restaurant across the street from
the city hall, wrecked part of the I
furnishings, dragged a covering
negro from the kitchen and beat
him into Inconsistencies with a (
five-gallon bottle. Afterwards sew
eral bluecoats arrived and dis
persed the crowd.
Conditions Improving.
Conditions in the riot district
were reported improved at a con- I
ference held by Governor Lowden,
Mayor Thompson and Adjutant
General Dickson at 1890 p. IN.
General Dickson, after a tour of {
the south side reported that riot {
ing was slowly subsiding and that |
The immediate use of state troops !
would not be necessary. Fifty pa +
Lrolmen were withdrawn from the 2
Black belt" and assigned to their :
regular duty in the loop district. F
General Dickson said: Il found the !
situation improving throughout :
The danger district. The police are F
better distributed than they were 7
yesterday and last night. Better I
protection is afforded, and there is {
marked improvement in the feel [
ng of both the whites and blacks.
The police seem to have the situa- I
;cr, var,y vraII in hand aDd NJ hama K