Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1921-06-11
THE OKLAHOMA SLAUGHTER


The latest news from Tulsa, Okla.
homa, the scene OF the recent tragic
happenings shows that the whole at
fair was Il massacre II slaughter OF
in-oficnsivc colorcd people. 1t seems
that II colorcd man used disrcspccr
full language to a white girl and sue
got angry and excited. He did not Tia
ina ~ assault her In fact the mat
ter was not worth the time it takes
to talk about it. negotiating white
men assembled to lynch the colored
younSstcr and colored men assembled
TO Ercvcnt the lynching. The report
was given out that these colorCd mon
were attempting to take the colorc
man out OF the jail, when. as Il mat.
ter Of fact. ;hcy were attempting to
do nothing OF the kind.
When the laW.cSS white element,
got busy. they exercised their antipa-
thy to colorcd people by shooting
''"h 'o'Nl 1'l liol'lc, NIlclcN1I Scpl.
They then applied torches 10 the
houses in the colored district, burn
ing millions OF dollars worth of prop
crty, much OF which was insured in
white insurance companies. Even Il
church, recently competed at Il cose
OF eiShty-fivc thousand dollars was
burned down. Many colorcd people
were caught like rats in a trap ana
burned alive. Some were said to
have been thrown into the river.
Then Il reaction took place. White
citizens, who were employing colorcI
people found their help gone. Fair
white ladies who had formed an "a.
| tachmcnt for their colored servant.
| aroused their husbands and fathers
t" action and troops were rushed IN
by the Governor of Oklahoma and the
Mayor and other local authorities dis
credited. ReSepctful law-abding cot
orcd people excited their influence
ana the better class Of white people
came to their assistance. 1t was too
ate. The damage had been done. The
good name OF the community had
been forever besmirchcd and the town
is virtually in sack-cloth and ashes.
Now comes the. investigation and talk
about the punishment of the crimi-
| mails.
What far-sceing white and colored
people and forcsecn for months anu
days had come to pass. The blacken-
cd waste in Tulsa, emphasized the
fact that such an occurrence was Liable
to take place again in many other 10.
calitics with the result that white
people would eventually suffer along
with the colorcd. This condition Of
affairs cannot be chargeable to wnis-
Key for during the worst days Of
King Alcoho,. no such horrible hclo.
caust took place. killing Of colored
people, as Il rule has been confined
| TO the people charged with the crime,
! except in the case at East st. Louis,
where the same kind of racial antipa-
thy asserted itself.
But this happening was virtually
i'll the North. There are many remedies
| beng suggested. The Department CT
| Justice, at one time known to some
MS the Department: of Injustice" has
| decided to investigate the happening
with view to deciding whether 4
federal question is involved. But this
department has no time for this
Kind OF business. Seven million dol.
lars have been appropriated to prc.
vent whistcy drinking but not one
dollar has been appropriated to pre-
vent downright murder. It is a piti
able condition of affairs. Colore1
| people are in object OF pity in their
helplessness. 1t may not do to say It.
but the race will some day wake NJ
to the fact that their future Is in their
own hand. They must learn to pro.
| tcct themselves and their property
and after this is done, if it causes
| them to take the lives of their would
soc mardhrers. let them fight on to the