Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1921-06-08
rs To 100 KILLED
IN BIG RACE RIOT
Quiet Restored at Tulsa After
Martial Law Is Proclaimed.
5000 NEGROES HOMELESS
Mob Burns 81 City Blocks in the
Black 6eIt-5Oo Wounded Being
Cared for-5ootblsck's Arrest
Starts Trouble.

Tulsa, Okla. June Order has
been restored by the militia in Tulsa,
following a night and day of race rot
ing. The dead IS variOusly estimated
at between 20 TO 100. Five thousand
negroes are homeless and 500 wound
ed are being cared for in hospitals and
homes. Most of the dead and wound
ed are negroes.
The city Is under martial law. Per
sons without military permits were
ordered off the streets and street-car
service was discontinued at nine
o'clock at night The order placing
the city and Tulsa county under mar
;ial law was received by Adjt. Gen.
Charles f. Barrett, who reached here
20 take charge of the military forces.
Governor on Scene.
Gov. ]. Il. A. Robertson arrived from
Oklahoma City later. The governor
eXoriated city and county officials for
failure To control the situation.
1T is a funny thing" he said. eff
the authorities in a city Of the size
of Tulsa have TO sit back helpless
when a thing like this is going on"
Governor Robertson promised
thorough investigation Of the riots.
Scores of arrests have already been
made by civil and military authorities.
The rioting started when 200 ne
groes shortly before midnight de-
handed the release of Dick Rowland.
negro bOOtblack arrested charged
with attacking a white girl. He was
confined on the second floor of the
county Jail. No demonstration had
been made until the negroes began 10
congregate. A policeman attempted
10 disarm negro. The negro resisted
and was shot dead. The negroes
melted back into the black belt. where
firing started. Firing was brisk until
/ 80 in the morning. Then came a
lull until six o'clock when the battle
broke out with renewed fury.
Fight Renewed at Dawn.
The entire negro colony was sur
rounded. Motors and trucks turned
into lorrieS. filled with men. rushed
down the streets in this area. Rifle
fire was continuous. Fires by dozens
broke out in every section of the dis
trict. Airplanes lowered over the
band of fleeing negroes.
Most of the negroes i'm. the district
tried to flee when the attack started,
but many fought back. As the flames
spread the whites marched through
the district and emptied the buildings.
Those who surrendered were taken to
the ball park, Convention hall, the
police station and other iGnprovised
prisons"
At some points negroes banded for
resistance. Houses and churches were
barricaded and made into forts. At
these points violent fighting occurred.
From one church a negro sharpshOOt-
or killed Mrs. $. \. Gilmore, one Of
the white victims, as she was stand
ing on her front porch.
At Q a. m. the state troops arrived,
a machine gun company from Oklaho-
ma City that joined two companies Of
Tulsa infantry. Adit. Gen. Charles
L. Barrett took command.
-Four Million Fire Loss.
They found practically the entire
negro districts, seven blocks wide and
twelve blocks long. were in ashes. The
fire had started spreading into the
white district, but had been brought
under control. The loss was put at
S4.OOO,OOO.
The biggest battle was along the
Frisco railroad. Five hundred white
men and 1000 negroes faced each
other across the tracks. Four men,
hers of a train crew were reported
killed when they refused 10 let mem
hrs of the opposing forces use an en-
CINE which was going between the
lines. II was said the engineer es-
capped unhurt.
This battle had ended when the
troops arrived and only 200 negroes
were holding out. They were barri-
caded in a brick plant. The militia
men captured them without casualties
20 themselves.