Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-09-29

, rangements are being made to Sc
cure arms and ammunition from
the state arsenal at Lincoln.
Mostly Youths.
The mob, reports show, was COM
posed for the most part of young
men and boys, but the police were
Rowerless to check them. Criti-
cism was heard today that there
was lack Of leadership in the or
anization of the forces combating
the mob.
Keep News From Mayor.
Mayor Smith was making a des-
perate effort to persuade the mob
to refrain from its work, when he
was taken by its members in their
attempt to hang him. When he
regained consciousness at the hos
pital his first question Of attend
ants was:
What did they do with the col
ored man?''
He was not told
Omaha, Neb., Sept. 29.-After a
night of mob rule, during which
negro was lynched, an attempt
made to hang the mayor of Omaha,
Edward P. Smith, the county court
house burned, one man, said to be
an ex-soldier shot and killed and
perhaps forty others injured, the
city was quiet today under patrol
of federal troops ordered from Fort
Omaha and Fort Crook.
The mayor is at a hospital and
was still unconscious early today
as a result of the attempt made by
the mob to hang him to a trolley
pole because he advised against the
lynching of William Brown, a ne
gro, who was in the county Jail
charged with attacking a white
girl on the outskirts OF the city
early last week.
Business Section Wrecked.
With returning dawn today On
aha's downtown section looked
well nigh a wreck as the result of
the rioting. Practically all the
known casualties that were not IA
tai. resulted from shooting. Thou
sands Of shots we're fired from nu-
merous kinds of weapons, all dis
charged in the open with thou
sands of people on the streets.
Among those injured were a doz-
en- police officers, three prisoners
in the county Jail, several city fire.
men and numerous pedestrians.
Mob Ruled Five Hours.
Today the doings of last night at
the court house began to clear up.
Until long after the early morning
hours it was practically impossible
to get near that structure. The
mob that held sway over the build
ing for FIVE hours made ii danger
Gus to go near the structure. Later
on when a detachment OF federal
soldiers were sent TO the scene, a
Gordon was at once drawn around
the building and nobody permitted
to approach 1t.
Details of just how the negro
finally came into the hands OF the
mob were still lacking to some ex-
tent today. When the mob gained
entrance 10 the jail and fire in the
building became menacing to 100
prisoners in the Jail on the top
floor. Sheriff Clark sent all the
prisoners, including Brown, 10 the
roof He was there in the custody
of the other prisoners The sheriff
and his deputies were guarding the
entrance to the jail and we're abls
to keep back the Rob for several
hours However, as the heat be-
came intense the prisoners them
selves took action and delivered the
negro to the mob
The crowds that begun to gather
early in the evening was augment
ed from time TO time until II was
numbered bv the thousands II
was during this time that the NAV
or came so near being himself a
-ictim OF the mob.
Mayor Roughly Handled.
Mayor Smith was seized by the
mob on Seventeenth street, near
the court house at 10 o'clock and
was threatened with lynching. He
was hustled 70 Harvey street and
at the foot OF a trolley
pole on the cross-arm OF which was
a coil Of rope.
Give US the key 10 the Jail
"If we can't get the niger we'll
lynch you"
Hes no better than the niger"
Hes a negro-lover
These were cries in the mob.