Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-10-11
WHAT DOES OMAHA THINK OF THAT

WHAT DOES OMAHA THINK OF THAT
Our esteemed contemporary, the World
Herald, has suddenly discovered that *Omahs
10 getting some very undesirable advertising
these days" % . result OF the fall-down OF our
police department which made possible the
court house burning and negro lynching week
ago last Sunday. In well-grounded horror Il
declares that "some Of the published accounts
Of what happened in Omaha, sHd what Omaha
people think about it. are 20 outraseously false
that they would warrant Judgment for libel ia
any court" By way Of sustaining evidence II
cites an account published lin the Los Angeles
Times. aseribed to Geneva M. Marsh, whoever
she may be-" and labeled Special Core
spondence," beginning:
eThe women Of Omaha do not regret the
lynchins Of the negro, Will Brown, with the
attendant rioting and destruction Of the
Douglas county court house. They have no
serious condition as the result OF string
ing up by the mob. The women feel that the
events OF last Sunday mean that in the
future their lives and honor will be safer, and
30 justify the lawlessness."
The World Herald quotes further from this
"lurid account Of the riot and conditions pre-
eeding and following it," with special reference
to such statements ~ that = negro convicted
Of brutal assault on young girl was given .
Jail sentence Of sixty days." and that "even
greater difficulty will be encountered If officials
carry out their threat Of eonvicting riot par
Elephants Of murder" - "apt to lead both to
assaults on the negro population and city Off
Gals"
"What does Omaha think Of thatr shrieks
the World-Herald. IN behalf, OF Omaha and
the women Of Omaha, the World Herald enters
denial to these fasehoods."
And after the usual homily of words and
diatribes against "the exaggerated imaginings
Of special correspondents, who have unjustly
increased On,ahas shame" proelaims that "the
biggest single thing which Omaha can do to
restore its standing is to punish those who
shamed it."
Now we can nor identify Geneva M.
Marsh" except possibly by circumstantial evil
dence, but we, too, have noted some outrageous
outpourings Of very similar character appearing
a. Special Correspondence" In other papers.
Our attention has been particularly, drawn to
an account dated Monday following the riot
and published In the Boston Herald the next
Tuesday under the big-letter caption, "Women
Of Omaha Glory In Part They Took in Lynch
Ing Of Negro-Working Girls Beast Of Being
In Mob-Victim Of Assault Also Rejoices" This
article proceeds after the first paragraph with
these words;
Business men in the main deprecate the
act Of the mob, and are taking steps to see
that il does not occur again. But the man In
the street, the ordinary clerk and the ordinary
workiugman, !. today simply smiling oil over
At the result Of his work last night -.
"And the women Of the town have taken .
similar position. Omaha women are glorying
in the fact that the negro, VIII Brown, who
assaulted lo-year~old white girl. and who
was living with. another white woman, has
been hanged and burned. Some women there
are In the finer classes Of houses whe are
last night. But the working women in town,
the stenogr4phers. the Office clerks, the de-
partnent store clerks, are pleased at the work
of the mob. Many girls in their teens today,
in the stores and the Offices, laughed with
the men and Dragged about being in the mob
from its formation in the afternoon until
Will Browns head and arms and legs had
been burned of and the torso kicked around
the streets like 4 huge foot ball
"A photograph made OF the burning >of the
negres body in front OF the United States
row with smiling face and dressed as if going
to party. She is standing within FIVE feet OF
the burning negro. Back Of the feeling among
the women is the fact that within six weeks
twenty assaults or attempted assaults on
women by negro men have taken place"
This account goes on to quote the assaulted
girl As saying, Il am glad he has been pun
ished, but 1t was terrible that 80 many other
men had to suffer" and her mother - exelaim-
ing. u am glad they killed the negro"
Now, the Boston Herald aceommodatingly
enables US to identify the source Of ito informa-
ton by printing an article in question under the
inscription: Special Dispatch to the Herald
by 7. R. Porter" and = cursory examination
Of the World-Herald payroll by its frantic editor
would have shown that st. R. Porter" il gen
eral utility man on the World Herald staff. con-
Quoting = special correspondence bureau with
headquarters in the World Herald editorial
rooms ~ his main line.
To think that such "outrageously false"
stuff should have been concocted right In the
World-Herald Office and regardless Of the
shame it might inAet upon omahal Then, too,
perhaps, the Omaha correspondent Of the Bos-
ton Herald might be able to help the World
Herald editor locate Geneva M. Marsh, who
ever she may be-" who has such fabulous fac
ulty for duplicating his very thought and words
and to mete out the punishment deserved by
her.
"What does Omaha think Of thatl"
a