Paragould soliphone. (Paragould, Ark.) 1918-1950, 1921-06-03

IatiOhS ana clpkenS VINO volunteered
their services cared for the negro
refugees, to whom ice water and
sandwiches were served through the
day. Special attention was given tc
the aged and infirm. and call
was sent to nearby towns for
| available nurses.
Following the firing of the first
shot last night at sixth aud Boulder
streets. the fighting spread TO yari.
Gus parts OF the city. including the
business section. At times 2.0e0
armed white men were reported
To have engaged the ncgros.
Railroad stations were the scenes
of several encounters aud number
of casualties occurred when trains
We're fired upon. Women and ehil.
dren huddled together in the sta
tions. In addition To the negroes
under guard pt Convention Hall
and elsewhere. "a negroes were made
prisoners in ,hf city Jail.
In a fresh outbreak in the ex-
treme northern end of the negro
quarter. Mrs. s. A. Gilmore. white.
was shot in the left arm and side.
She was standing on the front porch
of her home when she was shot by
ia negro, one 'of score or more
barricaded in p church.
Hundreds OF armed white men
were rushed 10 the district in anto-
mobiles.
At o'clock 1000 negroes had
gathered at Convention Hall under
guard. II was filled. as was also
the police station. The remainder
of those gatherd up being taken
to the baseball park. all under
guard.
Detachments OF guardsmen were
scattered throughout the city pre-
pared to meet all emergencies with
machine guns ready for action
Guards surrounded the armory
while others assisted in rounding
up negroes and segregating them
in the jail. Convention Hall. base
ball park and other places which
had been turned into prison camps.
The first attempts to fire the
negro quarters were ,made when
two houses used by more than 90
negroes as garrison was set afire.
Efforts of the Fire Department to
lay hose were stopped by crowd
of armed white men. The attempt
to destroy the negro quarters by
fire was resumed five hours later
when almost simultaneously fire be-
gan TO burst forth from the doors
and windows of frame shack.s Soon
dense clouds OF black smoke en-
veloped the location. Under cover
OF the smoke screen armed men
in motor cars and afoot threw
la Gordon about the place where
the negroes We're stationed
AS the fire enyeloped the houses
negroes were seen to dart out from
flaming doorways with upraised
hands. shouting: Don't shoot" As
they dashed through the smoke
they were ordered to surrender and
quickly We're removed to the prison
camps.
Throughout the morning long
lines OF negroes streamed westward
along the streets leading To con-
vention hall. Many wore their
night clothes and were barefooted.
Their sunken eyes told OF the sleep
less night and their ashen faces
bespoke gripping fear.
Men, women and children carried
bundles of clothing on their heads
and backs The articles they saved
We're varied Here an old woman
elung to a Bible; there girl with
disheveled hair carried woolly
white dog under her arm and behind
trotted little girl with big wax
doll.
But all those who came to con
vention hall were not noncomba-
tants. Repeatedly grim-saced men,
heavily armed. whirled up to the
big hall directly from the scene OF
I fighting under a big hill on North
Greenwood. With them, closely
guarded. were negro prisoners cap.
tured with guns during the fray
Negro domestics were taken from
their quarters and moved to the
ball park.