The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1919-11-28
CHICAGO NEGRO TELLS
OF THE RACE RIOT
information that Shows a Great Deal
More Happened than has been Pub
lished. Advise Negro to stay in
the South.

Following is a copy of a letter re-
eeived from q negro bushes man of
Chicago, a member Of the Chicago
Chamber of Commerce, giving an eye
witness description of. the Chicago
Riot.
On Sunday, July goth, 1919, some
time near the middle Of the after
noon, at the bathing beach at 29th
st. and Lake Michigan, a stone was
thrown by a white man who was
bathing and it struck a little colored
Roy. who was padding around upon
q raft. knocking him off the raft, and
the boy was drowned; and thus, at
that beach, where q great number of
both races were bathing, there broke
out, in Chicago, Ill.,, the second larg-
est city in the United States, the
home of wealth. culture. commerce.
and where a thousand church spires
point Heavenward. indicating the
trend Of their worshipers, on the Sab
bath, too, as if it We're a mockery
30 religious p~retentions, the most ire
mendous race riot perhaps, ever
tnown in America, sped from there
M Cottage Grove Avenue to 31st st.
The Police Department was scon
taxed to it's utmost that night. and
again on Monday. Tuesday and Wed
aesday nights the same wild, weird.
blood curdling noises and death
dealing combats were waged until Tar
INTO the night.
When it reached 31st St. on the
day it broke out it sped on to State
81. and their scattered like wild fire
IN all directions. and soon a tire
nendous pitched battle was being
fought between the white and color
ed people, principally between 31st
St. and 35th st.
Hundreds of windows were broken
al through the riot zone, both races
were shooting each other down in the
streets during the nights.
One man on 35th ST. was stabbed
while running. by his assailant VINO
pursued him so closely, that he con
tinued to stab him until from loss
of blood and amaid shrieking cries
ne fell to the pavement and died.
Two men in soldiers uniform were
shot down on State and 35th SITS. and
were left writing in their pain until
picked up by the police.
Paul Hardwick, a reliable, harm
less, reputable man of advanced age |
was overtaken while on his way to
work in the loop district, and was
stabbed and beaten TO death. He did
not know there was a riot on against
his people. as he lived very far out
from the loop. The mob spirit had
reached the loop, whore hotels, res
taurants and other places known to
employ colored help were searched. |
and when colored men were found
they were beaten and ran out or
sent to hospitals if they stayed for
q fight. |
Numerous postal clerks. and in
fact every colored Ia employed or
IN business in the loop, knew the dan
ger and stayed away all week with
hut very few exceptions.
One man was caught over on the
West Side, far away from the seat
of the riot. and when within about
100 feet of his homo where he had
uved for II wears, was pulled oil his
ticvcle, beaten unconscious. saturat
I'd with kerosene and burned to a
crisp. The most atrOcious deed of
the whole catastrophe. a"d Z miles
from the section known ~ the hia"k
belt. |
Reputable bushes men in the
oeighborhood of 51st and State SITS.
+aken to that point. covered with
blankets. upon auto trucks, and turn
ed on the citizens by expert guaners,
killing scores and while it required
hours to remove the dead and the
wounded, the incident was rot al
lowed to get, into the papers for fear
Of intensifying race hatred.
Dozens of police patrol wagons
were kept on the streets III the black
belt for emergency purposes for a
or 5 DAYS. After the policemen were
exhausted from overwork and sleep
~lessness, the mayor of the city called
ont the State troops and order was
soon restored.
An after thought reminds me that
on an Ashland Ave. street car on Ju-
" 3Oth 8 colored men were return
ing from work at the stock yards,
-vhen at 38th Place, the trolleys was
thrown off by a mob, and 25 or 30
white men, one of whom, by the name
Of Scott, killed the leader by stabb-
ing him and the others fed.
At 1921 State St. where colored
people live. the house was being
stoned by a crowd of several hun
dred white men. One of the crowd
YVES shot and instantly died by a but
let fired fro mwithin.
In no instance was any crime ever
committed or wen charged by any
one as a reason for the riot. The
trouble was caused exclusively by bit
ter race hatred.
A railroad porter on an eastern run,
stopped in Philadelphia and bought
a revolver, knowing that he would be
heavily fined, if caught with it in
Chicago. he telegraphed the police to
-aok L., ~ %La froin pnnp hic rp 4,