The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1944-08-23
MORE THAN 50
SOLDIERS In RIOT

SOLDIERS In RIOT
More than so Negro soldiers
carried out Monday nights mid
night attack on members of the
Italian service unit at Rort Law
ton, and three of the Italians
were injured seriously" Army
public-relations officers disclosed
today.
The Army also revealed 26 of
the Italians. including a captain.
we're hurt in the attack. II pre-
viously had said "a were hurt.
All but nine will have been dis
charged from the hospital by
this evening. The italian captain
is one of those returned to duty.
The condition of all those re-
naming in the hospital is salts
factory" the announcement said.
Body Far From Barracks
The statement revealed that
the body of the Italian found
dead on the post reservation the
same night was hanging from a
tree 500 or 600 yeards from the
barracks in which the assault
took place. It was not discov-
cred until several hours after
the riot.
The attack, the statement said,
was confined to one barracks
and the orderly room in an adj
Joining building, to which some
of the Italians fled. None of the
United States Army officers as
signed to the Qtalian) unit was
In the barracks at the time, but
were on the scene a few moments
after the sentry had given the
alarm. The fight lasted only
matter of minutes before guards
and the Military Police had full
command of the situation"
Army authorities, who have ar
rested the Negroes involved and
are conducting an investigation,
have made no statement giving
the cause of the riot, but &C. l."
talk, in beer taverns and on the
street was full of theories.
Most of the articulate soldiers
agree that the Negro troops,
vexed at the treatment accorded
the Italians, which they thought
was too soft" got 'beered up
In the PIX (post ezchange) and
decided to clean out the Italians. "
Others say that the Negroes
were legged on" by white troops.
Several of the G. rs also said
that a number of American SOL
diers, serving as Interpreters and
staying in the Italians barracks,
We're stabbed in the melee. al
though Army weapons were
rocks. Some soldiers insisted a
United States Army captain was
beaten severely and required hos
pitalization.
II read in the papers that
these Negroes did all this dam
age with rocks" observed a SOL
der sitting at the bar in one beer
parlor. Hell, there were razors
and switch-blade knives-all of
those boys carry 'eh-that did
most of the damage"
Another soldier blamed SEN
tries for not quelling the riot
before it got out of hand.
"The sentries carry a rifle,
but they don't have any bullets
sure" the first soldier explained
in them. Everybody knows that.
They couldn't do thing"
Jealousy Blamed
All agreed that jealousy and
misunderstanding" among the
Negro troops was caused mainly
by treatment accorded the Italian
service troops.
"These Negroes aren't a labor
battalion" one soldier explained.
They're a line outfit-combat
soldiers. They find themselves
crowded out of the post exchange
by these Italians.
mot only that, but girls come
out to service dances and make
a big fus over the Italians. They
find 'em romantic. You know,
speaking foreign language and
all that.
What happens? The Negro
soldiers see these guys-not even
citizens--laughing and having
soou TIME ana they don't like it.
They know that these guys wee
our enemies a couple of months
ago and now they find 'em over
here and being tire ated better
than they are. It's bad for
morale.
monday night, a bunch of
these colored boys-lots of rating
among 'em, too, like corporals
and sergeants-get full of beer
and mob up on the Italians. They
must have raised a lot of he'll,
because they got 'em all Gagged
up down in the stockade right
now"
'U'va Saan Gonna Of than Ttol