The sun., 1919-09-30
Men and Women Laugh as
They Talk of Details of
Negroes Lynching.
MANY TAKE SOUVENIRS
Troops Patrol Streets and
Throw Guard Around
Black District.
COURT HOUSE Is IN RUINS
Mayor, Who Twice Escaped
Being Hanged, Still in
Serious Condition.
COURT HOUSE Is IN RUINS
Special Despatch 10 THE Sun.

OMAHA, Neb., Sept. 29.-Citizens
are ashamed of the actions of tho
mob which last night burned the
Douglas county million dollar Court
House in its efforts to lynch William
Brown, negro. They laugh and joke
about the lynching and burning Of this
negro. They even laugh at the at
tack made upon Mayor Edward p.
Smith because that official would nod
order the negro turned over to tho
mob.
To-day they dicussed with equa-
nimity the reports that a mob was
forming to go to the hospital where
the Mayor lies in a precarious condE
tion and complete the job of hanging
him. They crowded through and
around the wrecked court house,
kicked their way through tons of half
burned city and county records which
cannot be duplicated, laughed and
joked over particularly bad examples
Of vandalism and took souvenirs of
wrecked and burned police automoA
biles.
But the business men are indignant,
One. hundred of the most prominent
bnSiness and professional men met to-
day with the city and county COM
missioners and the military authori.
Ties to discuss ways and means OF
lpre-enting a recurrence of the mob
Rspffit
H Women Boast of Their Part.
Il Where one business or professional
tma4 expresses Indignation. 100 work.
ingrhen. clerks and others, indorse the
actions of the mob.
Hundreds of men of this class are
around to-day boasting of the part
! they took in wrecking the Court
House, lynching the negro and at
tempting to hang the Mayor.
Men tell of the manner in which
they broke into hardware stores and
stole guns and ammunition. They
laugh with each other at the way they
| and beat him half to death. They
glory in the way in which they beat
/ policemen and took their pistols away.
! This same spirit is found among tho
! women-elevator girls, stenographers and
working girls. To-day these girls ars
laughing and joking with the men as
they relate their own experiences last
night.
When ,ha papro u,as l,,pcbad end 1l.
! body riddled with bullets there were az
I many women az men standing around.
| Later, when his body was burning,
women crowded around and made re-
marks on the speed being made in
burning up the brute"
I'VE white girls must be protected
| from these negroes" is the general trend
OF their talk. one woman said to-days
| In six weeks twenty assaults by ne
groes have been made on white girls.
Something had to be done 10 make the
| town safe for US. We are glad the
negro Is killed. We are sorry the Court
House was burned but better TO burn
Court House and teach the brutes =
lesson than to permit one girl TO be asa
saulted by them
Gen. Wood TO Take Charge.
One thousand United States soldiers
| morning another thousand will be in
! Omaha, when Gen. Leonard Wood will
take charge.
on the north side, where 10000 ne,
groes live, eighteen machine guns are
banked at Twenty-fourth and Lake
streets. Seven hundred soldiers, with
RXed bsyonets. are guarding the negro
settlement TO keep the negroes in ana
tho whites out. High above the i'm
Irovised station floats an observation
balloon from Fort Omaha. In its bas-
] et lookouts are watching for frea
which the authorities fear may bS
started.
Negroes are armed and have plenti.
ful supply Of shells. Their leaders say
they will fight to protect their homes
If attacked but that they will make no
attack themselves,
County Attorney Shotwell announced
this afternoon that the investigation will
be swift and sure. This afternoon a
number OF youths who Il Is believed.
took part In the rioting were arrested,
hut were released on the promise ot
their parents 10 have them in court
when desired. The police feared %
place the boys in jan.
Red Cross Boxes Escape Fire.
While clearing the Red Cross quarA
ters in the burned Court House TO-DAY
officials Of that orgRnizRtion made a
curious discovery. All the records wers
burned and tables. typewri:ers and
chairs We're destroyed. But in the cen-
tire Of the room, exposed TO the fire five
big boxes were untouched. In them
were knitted sweaters, stockings and
jackets. They are for the little chlldrea
Of Belgium.
Agnes LoeboclS, whose ssault caused
the rioting and lynch'ng, was calmer to-
day. Last night when the mob was a.
its work, she became hysterical. When
notified that the negro had been hung.