The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-06-01
"a KILLED IN
TULSA RIOTS;
CALL MILITIA
State and City Authorities Es-
tablish Martial Law After
Whites and Negroes Clash
for "a Hours.
NEGRO SECTION FIRED
(By Associated Press)

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 today
with Chief of Police Gustafson esti-
mating the negro dead at 65. In addi-
ton scores of whites aud negroes have
been wounded, and virtually the entire
negro quarter is a mass of ruins, the
result of fires. The loss is expected
to be large.
Fire department officials expressed
the belief early this afternoon the
whites residence district would be
saved from the flames that are still
raging in the negro section. With
martial law in effect in the city and
county, three or more companies OF
national guardsmen were placed at
strategic points in the negro quarter.
Believed Under Control.
Orders were issued to disarm all
citizens and approximately 5000 neg
roes were under guard in detention
camps. Officials expressed the belief
that the situation is under control.
All available national guardsmen
and other towns were placed on duty
at once in the negro quarters and or
ders were issued to disarm all citi
| zens. Later it was announced creden-
| tials will be given to men chosen as
| special officers.
| Quarters Afire.
Nearly 10 square blocks of the negro
| section Of Tulsa, where an armed con-
| dict has been in progress between
| white men and negroes since early
| last night, were in flames today.
The fire was reported spreading and
/ threatening to wipe out the whites
residences in the Standpipe and Sun
| set Hill additions. Detachments of
guardsmen were scattered throughout
the city prepared to meet all emerg-
ency with machine guns ready for
| action.
Round Up Negroes.
Guards surrounded the armory.
while others assisted in rounding up
negroes and segregating them in the
| Jail, convention hall, baseball park.
and other places, which had been turn
ed into prison camps. State troops
under the command of Adjutant-Gen.
eral Barrett arrived at 9 o'clock to
| take charge of the situation augment
| ing local units of guardsmen who were
called out last night. At this time
there were reports of sporadic shoot
| ing and the situation seemed to be
| easing.
GunfTre Breaks Out.
Continuous gunfire broke out short
/ ly after daylight near the negro
quarter of Tulsa, the scene of all night
race disturbances in which hundreds
of armed white men and negroes took
part and which resulted in the death
and injury of an unknown number of
persons and the calling out of Okla
homa National Guard. units to put
down the disorder.
The firing come from a spot where
| throughout the early morning hours
five hundred white men and a thou
sand negroes faced each other across
railroad tracks. First reports to
police headquarters said that the
bodies of from six to ten negroes
could be seen lying in a space de-
scribed as no mans land" The
police also had a report that three
railroad switchmen and a brakeman
had been shot to death.
Refused Rides.
| The trainmen were killed it was re-
ported because they refused to permit
members of the opposing crowds to
ride upon a switch engine passing
between the lines. The engineer was
reported to have escaped
Officials had hoped that with the
| coming of dawn the trouble, which be.
/ gan over the arrest of negro late
! yesterday for an alleged attack upon
a white girl. would be out. On the
contrary, however. the early morning
gun fire was taken as an indication
that the riots had been renewed.
| The trouble is said to have its in
ception over the arrest late yesterday
Of a negro for an alleged attack upon
a white girl.
] The negro was taken to the court
house and lodged in the Jail on the
upper floor of the building Early in
| the night motor cars containing
armed negroes appeared on the
streets headed for the court house.
A crowd of 200 negroes surrounded the
building. Armed white men soon be-
gan gathering
! Call for Troops
The crowds soon reached such pro-
portions that the authorities realized
the situation was beyond their control
and call was sent to Governor Rob-
ertson for troops The governor d.
rected Adjutant General Charles F.
Barrett to take any steps necessary to
handle the trouble. The adjutant gen.
/ eral ordered out three companies of
guardsmen and sent instructions to
commanding officers in a number of
nearby towns to be prepared to rush
men here on immediate notice.
The local guardsmen were thrown
about the courthouse and prevented
the crowds from breaking through
National guardsmen were patrolling
the downtown streets and every effort
was being made to induce the crowds
to disband.
Dick Rowland, the negro charged
with assault, was removed from the
county Jail during the night to take
place Of safety unrevealed, II was
learned this morning.
MIooLEs TO BE GRADUATED