Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1919-08-01
TROOPS CALLED OUT
AS CHICAGO RIOTS
GROW; I 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-
ately Starts Mobilization of
1000 Trained Men.

Chicago, July "a pitched battle
between policemen and negro race riot
ers broke out at Thirty-fifth and State
streets before state militia called out
by the governor could reach the black
belt.
Four negroes were killed and two
dozen wounded. Two policemen were
wounded, one of them after he had
made a. barricade of his horse and
fought, Indian fashion, from the cover
so afforded.
Three were killed in earlier rioting
bringing the total to seven dead. Chief
of Police Clarity ordered all available
policemen from every station in Chi.
cago rushed to the scene. The wound
ed were taken to the Mercy hospital.
Report Armory Raided.
At the same time a report came in
that negroes were breaking into the
old Eighth infantry armory at Thirty
fifth street and Forrest avenue to OBJ
tain rifles and ammunition, and part OF
the reserve policemen were diverted
there.
The battle started when negroes in
groups of SO and 100 began firing on
isolated policemen. One Of these was
Policeman William Kross, one of the
first to be wounded. Another was Of
f1cer 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 Fiji
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 q
bitter day. Sporadic outbursts fiared
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
turh 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
battle at Thirty-fftb and State streets
was under way.
Fix Mobilization Points.
The Eleventh regiment, under Col.
James e. Burke, with its 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 am
munition," said General Dickson, land
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 sol
ored men have more than 1900 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 is 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
organize and start general trouble.