Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-09-30
.OMAHAQUIET
AS SOLDIERS
REACH SCENE
Rain Keeps People OFF
Streets, Averting Pos
sible Trouble.


/ Omaha, Neb.. Sept. 3O.-Addition-
al military forces, II officers and
! $50 men from Camp Funston,
Kan, and 20 officers and $50 men
I from Camp Grant, ILL.,, today join
ed the federal troops already on
ing last Sunday. Major General
Leonard Wood, commander of the
central department of the army, IS
also to reach the city today to
take charge of the military opera
tions.
Rain Dampens ArdOr.
The city was quiet during the
night and there was no sign of
trouble, a heavy rain serving to
keep persons off the streets. This
fact was considered a great aid to
the authorities, who had taken pre-
cautions to guard against a fresh
outbreak of Sundays riOting, which
J resulted in the death of two per
I sons, injury to many others, heavy
| damage by fire to the county court
I house, and an attempt on the part
of the mob to lynch Mayor Edward
/ P. Smith.
/ Mayor Improves.
I Reports today from the hospital
where Mayor Smith is confined
were that his condition was i'm
proving.
! Decision was expected 20 be made
today by judges of the county's
I district court as to whether there
/ sEau be special grand jury call
! ed to investigate the riot. At the
same time Governor Samuel r. Nc
Kelvie and States Attorney Gen
eral Clarence A. Davis are expect
] ed to start an inquiry here, to fix,
| if possible, responsibility for Sun
/ days laWlessness.
Reports today continue to re-
| count how the attempt to lynch
the mayor was made after repeat
ed endeavor on his part to prevent
rioters from securing William
Brown, negro, who was finally TAX
en- from the county Jail by a mob,
shot, burned and hanged on the
theory he was the man who re-
Gently attacked 19-year-old Agnes
Lobeck.
Meant to Hold Fort
Mayor Smith, about O'Clock
Sunday evening, arrived at the
court house, where he remained
with Police Commissioner Ringer
and Chief of Police Eberstein until
10:30 O'Clock. During the time
they were in the building the may
or and his companions remained
on the fourth floor after Chief
Eberstein had stationed his officers
on all the floors and in all stair
ways.
Rioters were in the streets about
the building in quest of Brown, the
negro, and the court house had
been set fire to by members of the
mob.
According to Commissioner Ring
er and Chief Eberstein. the mayor |
was firm in his conviction to up
hold law and order to the last min !
ute. I'VE were determined to pro- |
tect our prisoner to the end" said !
Chief Eberstein. THE mayor was
most emphatic in his determine |
tion to stand by the ship, as we
all were, for that matter And we !
could have protected him, too, if |
they had not smoked us out with /
the fire"
Forced Out by Smoke.
The mayor. Commissioner Ring
er and Chief Eberstein were in the |
sheriff's Office on the fourth floor |
of the building with several police |
officers when smoke became so |
thick they were forced to move, !
Eberstein said. According to Com ,
missioner Ringer and Chief Eber- |
stein, they had to tie handkerchiefs /,
and rags over their faces in order |
to breath and some of the officers |
were almost overcome
After investigating the main |
stairways. it was found the smoke |
was too dense to warrant an at !
tempt to escape from the building |
by that route, so they started for
a winding stairway. They became !
confused in their directions and /!
went to the roof, where Sheriff !
Clark and his deputies were guard
ing the county jail prisoners. Then /
the sheriff tried a back stairway,
and going down it as far as the !
second floor, found escape impossi- |
BILE by this route He so informed |
Mayor Smith and Commissioner
Ringer, and they started down.
Ringer accompanied the mayor as
far as the second floor and then
discovered that the police chief
was not present
Falls Into MOb's Hands.
Il turned to go back for the
chief" Commissioner Ringer said,
taking two steps at a time. That
was the last time I saw the may
or"
The mayor was seized by a band /
of thirty or forty persons, accord
ing to one eyewitness to the af-
fair. Members of the mob de-
release of the negro pris-
oner they sought, but the mayor
insisted that the rioters allow the
law to take its course. His refusal
to grant their demands evidently
infuriated the mob, which placed &
a moose around the mayors neck {
and dragged him to a traffic signal 1
alton. where he was strung tup. {