Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-07-28
TWO DEAD,5O
ARE HURT IN
NIGHT RIOTS
First Clashes of Blacks
and Whites Followed by
More Early Today.

Chicago, July 2S.-TrOubIe
between white men and ne.
grOes was renewed i'm Chica-
gO's black belt today when
Moses Thomas, a negro, fired
several shots at a WagOnlOad of
white WOrkmen being taken to
a sOuth side factory. When an
attempt was made by white
= men to disarm Thomas, a dOZ-
zen negroes rushed to his as
sfstance. The police quelled
the disturbance and reported
that nobody had been injured.
The situation in the "black belt
of Chicago, where race rioting last
night resulted in the death of two
negroes and the injury of perhaps
fifty or more whites and blacks, in
Guiding four patrolmen, was under
cotrol of the police early today.
Accounts of the origin of the
trouble differ. but the version ac-
cepted by the police today is that
the fighting started at the Twenty
ninth street bathing beach where
the whites and colored people are
accustomed TO swim in Lake Mich
igan, although the two races are
separated by an imaginary line
This version of the affair says that
a negro boy on a raft crossed the
boundry line and that white boys
threw stones, knocking the col
ored lad into the water. He was
drowned. The fight followed be-
tween the races and riot calls
brought several hundred police
into the colored district, which is
centered at Thirty-third and State
streets, more than mile from the
beach.
Stones and Clubs Fly.
Negroes asked a policeman to ar
rest a white boy, and when he re-
fused, the negroes began to beat
the white lad. Colored bathers
frqn another beach at Twenty-fifth
yStreet, attracted by the fighting.
came in force to the rescue and
soon stones and clubs were hurled
in all directions, many people, both
white and black being injured by
the missiles.
After the fighting near the beach
hsd been quelled, it broke out fur
tier west near the center of the
Colored district.
Policeman Wounded.
John O'Brien, a policeman, was
attacked by a mob at Twenty
ninth and State streets, after he
had tried to rescue a fellow police
man from a crowd of negroes. Sew
eralS shots were fired in his direc- |
tion and he was struck in the arm |
He drew his revolver and fired into |
the crowd, three negroes being hit, |
one of whom died later in a hospi-
tai.
After the police reserves had /
dispersed the crowds along State |
street and other parts of the thick
~ populated colored district, /
whites in other parts of the city |
dragged negroes from street cars
and beat them severely in several !
Instances, during the night, but the
police records early today showed
only two fatalities resulted from
the rioting.
Many stray shots were heard
during the night and the police
two riot calls early to-
day, but their services were not
required in either instance.
10000 Negroes In Chicago.
1t is estimated that there are
close to 10000 negroes in Chicago,
nearly $4,000 of whom were drawn
here during the last three or four
years by the attractive wages in
shops and factories, engaged in
manufacturing war materials. Vir-
.ually all of the negroes live on the
south side and nearly half have
acquired homes in desirable neigh
,orhoods with whites. This has led
q many minor clashes between the
.wo races, and in many instances
,ombs have been exploded in :
buildings occupied by negroes.
ADD NO. 1 1.-TWO Dead, So :
The disturbance today occurred
IN Wentworth avenue between !
and Thirty-seventh
streets, where many negro work !
nan reside. Police today said they
"a: been unable to find any trace
If t unidentified boy reported
lrowned yesterday in Lake Michi-
IAN at the foot Of Twenty-ninth
tZeet during the race disturb
noes. '
Five Calls Turned In
During the early hours five calls
Tere sent to the police in which
ghts were reported on Wentworth L
venue in the vicinity of Thirty
fth street. In every instance the
ghting was over when the police
rrived and Moses Thomas, a ne l
70, was the only person arrested. y
Fifty mounted police and 100 pa I
roIn1au fOdav were ASSIGNED IN