The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1943-02-13
Segregation In Xenia 0.
Receives Knockout Blow

wILBERFORCE. Ohio Once
more the members Of the Com
mittee on Correspondence (COC)
a dynamic organization founded by
Antioch college students in Yellow
Springs. Ohio, attempted to break
the color line in xenia, Ohio, the
nearest city to the village OF Will
berforce
On January u, group OF Anti
och students twhite) purchased ad-
mission tickets to this theatre and
gave them TO the students Of Will
berforce who could not buy tickets
themselves as the management has
been refusing to sell tickets to Ne
groes. Over sixty white and COL
ored students sought admission TO
the theatre with these tickets and
the naanaSsment after an hours
delay, permitted them to enter ss
they were blocking other patrons
from entering the theatre. Thus,
for the first time in ten years, Ne
groes were allowed TO enter the
sacred" precincts OF the all-white
theatre
Fine White Man
Next day, the management re-
fused to sell tickets TO anyone
when II noticed Negro patrons. but
as ttey refused to leave the ticket
booth. the whites could not get
any tickets either. Irritated by this,
one Gus Dalton. white. attacked
Maceo Wells. Negro, without re-
alizing that Wells was a football
player. Dalton got two bad fist
cuts on his face. while Wells re-
NAMED unframed. The police ar
rested both, and Judge Aultman,
in releasing Wells. and fning Dali
ton, white, SIS and costs, told him
that Wells had perfect right to
demand a ticket to the theatre and
that the laws of Ohio gave every
citizen a right to attend any pub
lie place.
A week later. on January 80,
members OF the COG at WILDER
force sought admission in vain TO
the xenia theatre even though
white patrons were allowed to en-
ter the theatre and purchase tickets
inside as the ticket booth was
blocked by Negroes. On the fol-
lowing day, Misses Jean Smith and
Agnes Underwood. two leading
members OF the COG, went to the
theatre at l pm. with several 9TH
er Negroes and formed long line
in front Of the ticket booth. The
management thereupon guided the
white patrons to the theatre
through the front door and collect
ed money inside. Noticing this,
Negro patrons formed another line
in front of this door Finally,
when Negro patrons discovered that
whites were going into the theatre
by the back door in the alley. a
new line was formed there by them.
There was an understanding among
all Negro patrons that under no
circumstances were they TO per-
NIT themselves to become angry,
provoked or abusive.
Stoves Negro Aside
At four in the afternoon of the
same day, a big oversize white
soldier came to the ticket booth
showed aside the Negro standing
there. and demanded ticket. Fail
ing to receive one. he began accus-
ing Negroes Of preventing him and
lis friends from entering the the
atre by their not leaving the place
when they were told that no tickets
would be sold to Negroes. He
picked q well-built, lanky Negro
youth and challenged him to a
fight. The Negro youth, Richard
Let's, begged him not to bother
him, informing him at the same
time that he was a well-trained
boxer, but az the soldier insisted
upon fighting he accepted the chal-
lenge which ended in the soldier
getting the worst end in every
respect. This situation excited the
crowd so much that three other in
dividual racial fights started i'm
mediately thereafter, but the po-
lice quieted the crowd while peace
full "picketing'' went on until 8
pm. As a result of this the thea
ter lost oil business for the day.
A large number of civilian guards,
Negro and white military police
from Wright and Patterson fields,
state highway policemen, auxiliary