The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1921-06-03
OKLAHOMA RACE RIOT.
Tulsa County Placed Under Military
Law.

| OKlanOma City, OKla. June L.
Seventy-five persons, whites and me-
groes, have been killed in the race
outbreak in Tulsa, according to tel
ephone message to Gov. Robertson
here to-day from the Chief of Police
at Tulsa.
Martial law was ordered by Gov
ernor Robertson at 11:15 am. to-
day, and Adjutant-General Barrett
was placed in command of the city.
The order was given over the long
distance telephone. The martial law
order was extended to include all of
Tulsa County. The order placed the
Adjutant- General in command of the
city and county.
The Governors telegram to the
Adjutant-General follows.
II have declared martial law
throughout Tulsa County and am
holding you responsible for main
tenahce of order, safety of lives and
protection of property. You will do
all things necessary to attain these
objects"
Tulsa, Okla, June Mime white
men are known to have been killed in
the race clash that broke out here
last night and ragged until noon to-
day, with Chief of Police Gustafson
estimating the negro dead at SIS.
In addition scores of whites and
negroes have been wounded and vir-
tually the entire negro quarter is a
mass of ruins, the result of fire. The
loss is expected to be large.
The disorders broke out following
the arrest of negro accused of at
lacking white girl and continued
sporadically throughout the day.
This evening Tulsa was quiet with
the city under martial law and it's
streets patrolled by troops of the
Oklahoma National Guard. officials
were hopeful that the worst of the
trouble had passed and that the COM
ing of dawn would find normal condi-
lions restored.
However, they did not relax their
vigilance and it was stated that ev-
erything was in readiness to handle
grave situation should one arise
again.
No accurate check of the dead had
been made at late hour and I'M
official estimates ran from the known
list of 10 whites and 70 negroes dead
to an opinion of Police Inspector
Charles Daley, second in command of
the police force, that the list would
reach 175 dead.
The exact total, officers said,
would probably never be known as
number of negroes persisted in the
flames which consumed the entire
negro district, which formerly housed
about 1900 negroes including wom-
en- and children.
A few feeble flames light sections
of the burned waste tonight while
few lone walls rise against back
ground of smouldering debris.
NEGROES HUBBLE TOGETHER.
Stunned by the enormity of their
loses from few hours of mad riot
ing-their homes and possessions
wiped out by fire and relatives or
friends of many of them dead dying
or wounded-the negro population of
this oil Metropolis of the southwest
huddled tonight in the fair grounds
guarded by State troops. The hope
lessness of their condition appeared
to overcome many of them.
Cries of children and the means of
negro women who called out for
husband or SON who had been shot
down gave the scene pitiful touch.
For the most part the refugees
were well cared for under the iemer-
gency as the Red Cross organized
again on war footing, brought food
and comfort to the sufferers.
The refugees who had been gath
cred in the Western League baseball