New-York tribune., 1921-06-03
Sheriff or Police Chief
With Nerve Could Have
Averted Fatal Clash.
Says Gov. Robertson
Grand Jury Opens
Enquiry Wednesday
City Counts so Dead, 800
Wounded; Citizens to
Rebuild Negro Homes
DESTROYED by the Mob
s~4eial Dispatch to The Trn.ss

TULSA, Okla, June Blame for the
not here Tuesday night and Wednes-
day, in which at least thirty persons
wers killed. 800 wounded and about
1000 negroes made homeless, was
placed to-day on city and county law
enforcement officials. Speakers at a
mass meeting this afternoon to con-
slider relief measures assailed the
police and the Sheriff for failure to do
their duty when trouble threatened.
Governor J. B. A. Robertson and Adiu-
tan. General Barrett, commanding the
militia In the martial law zone, Joined
in the denunciation of local enforce
ment officials.
with either sheriff or chief of
police with nerve, this whole thing
would not have happened" said Gov
ernor Robertson to Judge W. r. Will
liems. "It is damnable and inexcusable.
The farce has gone on long enough.
Get grand jury. In your instruc-
tons order an investigation of the
sheriff's office, the city administration
and particularly the police department,
which in this crisis has been as help-
less as the negro babies who were rem
dered homeless and hungry by it,"
Grand Jury to Meet Wednesday
The grand jury was summoned for
June in response to the Governors
demand The grand jury is expected
also to deal with the case of Dick Row
n ~ !
attack on a white girl in a downtown
Office building started the trouble. The
not began with rumors that Rowland
was to be lynched.
The city was quiet to-day Re-
checking of the casualties showed nine
wnlte men and twenty-one negroes
dead. The property destroyed when
the torch was put to the negro resi-
dence section, covering nine blocks. is
valued at S1,500,00O.
AdJutant General Barrett said that
the. riot had been caused by ian im-
pudent negro, hysterical girl and a
reporter for yellow newspaper" He
suggested that grand jury investi-
CATION would ferret out the facts.
A reaction had set in among the
people of the city when the mass Getting
vas called at the municipal building.
Race hatred had apparently vanished.
Tulsa residents in their speeches at
the meeting, accepted the response
bility for the riot because of the negli-
gence of officials. They appointed q
committee of seven, on which Mayor
T. D. Evans was denied place, to
care for the homeless negroes and to
expedite the rebuilding of their homes.
These houses will be gifts or offered
10 the negroes on long term payments.
4 subscription Of 100000 will be
asked, it was announced tonight.
Thousands Aid in Relief
Thousands of citizens throughout
last night and to-day co0perated with
all available relief agencies to feed the
greater part of the negroes who were
under the protection of the law in in
sernment camps. The Red Cross, early
oh the scene of the disaster, headed the
work.
A general release of the 10000
negroes held under guard was under
way tonight. Adjutant General Bar
istt ordered that all those properly
..oentined should be given police pro-
secticn badges and permitted to depart.
as result Of this order a general
exodus began from the churches, the
baseball park and the County Fair
SSr,o1unds, where the refugees have been
he1u 10 under heavy guard.
a, Inc negroes were permitted to pass
sns military cordons into their de-
vastated home district. All who were
unable to find shelter tonight were
received back at the detention camps
where every effort is being made to
Rfoyide proper sanitary conditions and
1000, water and clothing.
Late today many negroes ventured
again INTO the business section, wear
ing ing 'nelr protection badges. Some re-
'ufheo to their former places of busi-
Continued on page ski