The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1919-09-05
RACE RIOTS BREAK OUT
IN NASHVILLE, Tenn.
Mob Storms County Jail Bent on
Reaching Negro Held for Muir
der.-Casualties Heavy.

Knoxville, Tenn, August 31.-Aftel
the storming Of the Knox county jail
Saturday night by a mob bent OF
reaching Maurice Mayes, a negro ar
rested early in the day in connection
with the murder of Mrs. BERTHE Lind
: race riot of serious proportions
broke out In hl.. early today.
Soldiers of the Fourth Ssee
National Guard turned a machine gun
on a crowd of armed negroes after a
battle between whites and negroes IN
which two of the latter were killed.
Four negroes fell under the machine
gun fire. Firing was continuing at
1880 and it was impossible to tell how
many had been killed or wounded. Sew
en- men, all whites, are in local hos
pitfalls wounded as the result of the
trouble at the Jail and subsequent riot
ing. Lieutenant James W. Payne of
Providence, KY, regular army instruc-
tor. and Private Henderson, both of
the machine gun company, were killed
at 12:40 a. M; it is said both were
slain by mistake by bullets from their
oWn command.
All hardware stores and pawn shops
have been looted to obtain arms.
The more seriously wounded are:
Policeman James Benson, Deputy
Sheriff Clowers, Policeman w. P.
Morton, Gid Thomas, E. B. Hender-
son, Fred johnson and W. B. lClapp,
all white.
1t is known that a number of ne
groes were wounded and probably at
least several more killed, but as the
rioting continues with such heat it
is impossible to get names or make
al accurate estimate.
Jim Renson, a well known local ne
gro, is believed to have been the first.
victim of the riots after the trouble
shifted from the Jail. AS the troops
and armed civilians were going at a
rapid gait down Vine avenue from Gay
street and had gotten as far as State
street, Henson suddenly appeared in
Vine street from Central street. Rush
ing toward the whites, he fired five
or six shots and while still advancing
was cut down by fire Of troops and
civilians.
Two white men we're struck in the
fleshy part of the legs by bullets at
this time.
Following the first fray in which
Henson was killed, all was quiet for
half an hour, and the trouble was re-
newed with increased fury.
Driven from the Jail, which they at
tackled with the intention of obtain
ing a negro believed to be held there,
a mob of more than a thousand per-
son early today went to other sec
lions Of the city and rioting soon after
became general. Two negroes were
killed in the negro district, which the
mob invaded.
A white man was taken to a hos
pital with a crushed skull and mem
bers of the mobs began breaking into
pawn shops and hardware stores all
over the city, apparently intent on OBJ
tanning firearms. Militiamen brought
from the state encampment neal
Knoxville to dispense the mob at the
county Jail were hurried to the scenes
of the rioting.
Five motor trucks loaded with men,
bers of the mob left Knoxville with the
announced purpose of going to Chat
tanooga, to which city the negro ac-
cused of shooting to death a white wo-
man here early yesterday had been
taken before the crowd began gather
ing about the Jail.
In a series of fights between depu-
ty sheriffs, police officers and militia
men and members of the mob in the
Jail corridors and outside the build
ing, several men were wounded. Sew
eral national %guardsmen We're beaten.
Most of the window glass in the Jail
was shot out; n front window and
the main door were battered in, and
all other exposed windows broken dur.
ing the disorder.
Early in the evening it became ap-
parent that the deputies and policemen
on duty at the Jail would be unable
to cope with the situation and a cal
was sent for troops from the Fourth
Tennessee national guard, which is
holding its encampment here. Two
squads rushed to the Jail in a motor