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| Riot Sweeps Chicago
Gun Battles and Fighting in Streets Keep the City in an Uproar 4,000 Troops in Armory Ready to Patrol City; Scores are Killed Source: Chicago Defender, 2 August 1919, pg. 1. The refusal of Policeman Daniel Callahan (white) of the Cottage Grove avenue station to arrest George Stauber (white), 2904 Cottage Grove avenue, last Sunday afternoon after the latter had knocked Eugene Williams, age 18, 3921 Prairie avenue, from a raft as he was floating down Lake Michigan at Twenty-ninth street at Twenty-ninth street, fanned into action one of the worst race riots in the history of Illinois. Officer Callahan, it is charged, not only refused to make an arrest, but kept expert swimmers from reaching Williams. The news of Callahan's negligence reached the bathers at the Twenty-sixth street beach and a mob of fifty men marched to Twenty-ninth street to avenge the death of the boy. The patrolman's action so enraged the bathers that they pounced upon Callahan was chased to a drug store, where he summoned help. Battle Waged The whites on the beach took the policeman's part and a battle royal was waging in a few minutes. During the general melee Detective Sergeants Middleton and Scott appeared on the scene and placed Stauber under arrest. Whites endeavored to take Stauber from the detectives, but were held off at the point of pistols. In the free-for-all fight Policeman John F. O'Brien, 7151 S. Michigan avenue, was shot in the left arm. Street Cars Searched The news of Williams' death spread like wildfire, and about 8 o'clock Sunday night the whole South Side was in an uproar. Trolleys were pulled from the street cars in the vicinity of Thirty-fifth and State streets, and every white face was taken from the cars and severely beaten. Martin Webb (white), address unknown, had his head pommeled to a jelly when he fell in the hands of the rioters. Automobiles were stopped and the occupants taken out and beaten with sticks. All the autos were damaged beyond repair and left in the middle of the streets. Webb was carried to a hospital, where he died later in the night. To quell the riot Sunday night 500 patrolmen invaded the district and remained until the early morning hours. At 12 o'clock midnight the rioters murdered a white peddler at the corner of 36th and State streets. His body was found by a mounted policeman lying in the middle of the street. Monday's Riot Sunday night only proved a starter to the real fracas. Two Colored men on their way to work at the stock yards were killed by the whites 6 o'clock Monday morning. The already burning fire in the vicinity of Thirty-fifth and State streets was kindled anew. Pistols were flashed and men made threats to invade the stock yards district, where the whites were attacking every black face that would show up. Stores were closed and motion picture houses nailed up their doors. All women and children retired from the streets, leaving the mob to work at free will. Women Attacked Groups of Colored men gathered on the streets and discussed the situation and planned the night's attack. The word was passed around to clear the district of the whites, for revenge. As the fever of race antagonism gained ground more fuel was added to the flame when workers from the stock yards came with stories of horrible attacks made by the whites upon Colored women. These stories so enraged the crowd that they defied all policemen and beat white men up upon their appearance. A crowd swarmed to 35th street and Wabash avenue and stopped all street cars. The windows in the cars were broken with brickbats and sticks. During the attacks it is claimed that white people sympathizing with occupants of the street cars endeavored to disperse the crowd by hurling tin cans and other missiles on the heads of the mob members from the Angeles building, an apartment on Thirty-fifth and Wabash avenue. The rioters turned their attention to the building and wrecked a number of windows in flats said to be occupied by white families. The persuasion of the police kept the mob from entering the building. It was at this point that the policemen realized the smallness of their group, and a general riot call, the first in the history of the city since the famous Haymarket riot in the '80s was turned in. Fully two thousand patrolmen were sent to the district within twenty minutes. Indiscriminate shooting followed throughout Monday night. Officers Killed Shortly after Monday night's hostilities had ended the news of the death of Policeman John H. Simpson, age 31, 3910 Calumet avenue, connected with the 48th Street police station, was made public. He was shot at Thirty-first street and Wabash avenue by a Colored rioter. He died at the Mercy Hospital. The rioters of both races took a rest at about 1 o'clock Monday. Tuesday's Happenings Tuesday morning at 47th and State streets the rioters started the battle again. The activities spread from 47th to 53d streets. A Colored lad with a gun was shot down by a policeman. This attracted several hundred people. Automobiles whisked through the crowd. The occupants fired right and left. Several white men fell wounded. The cars made their way to Fifty-first street, where the occupants turned the district into a No Man's Land. An automobile truck from the [unreadable] Packing company passed through the riot zone manned by a white driver. He was killed. The policemen ordered 51st street closed to all traffic, and the scene of war drifted back to 47th street. A general rocking of automobiles, even those conveying policemen, was started. Circulars Distributed The situation reached such a point that circulars pleading for order were distributed in the streets. The policemen had matters under control until 6 o'clock, at which time things changed. News flooded the South Side district that the whites on Wentworth avenue were collecting to invade State street. Over 500 policemen, mounted and on foot, were stationed at 31st street and 35th street. At the corner of 35th and State streets several Colored men exhibited hand grenades preparing for the attack. An order was given to the police to shoot to kill any person who endeavored to start a disturbance, white or Black. Close Everything When night set in every store, poolroom, ice cream stand, and all business catering to the public was ordered closed. No crowds gathered on corners. Everything was seemingly quiet until 9:15 o'clock. A crowd of automobiles loaded with white men wheeled around the corner at 26th and State streets carrying army rifles and an unlimited amount of ammunition. Speeding down the street at the rate of fifty miles an hour the occupants of these machines fired right and left. The autos slowed down at 37th street and State to fire into a crowd. The motorcycle cops picked up the trail at 35th street and closed in on the white rioters between 37th and 38th streets. The car stopped at 39th street; three of the occupants of the car were dead and two others were seriously wounded. Killed in Autos Five minutes after this another car swung right in behind the first fatal car and started firing right and left. The policemen at 35th street, being warned of this attack, swung the patrol wagons across the street and blocked the path of the death car. A fusillade of shots greeted the autoists. Four were killed. Another death car followed this one. The streets were clear and the police were ready to stop the rioters. This car was coming from Root street and paced for 39th street. The officers turned their automatics on this car and killed three. Several of the wounded were spirited to Provident hospital for treatment. When the Colored men heard of this they made for the hospital and threatened to batter the doors to get the whites. It was here that Detective Sergeant Middleton was shot. His wound was not serious. The trouble between the races has been brewing for months. Assaults in parks on Colored men and the trouble at the beaches kindled the fire. |
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Page authored: 29
April 2001 -
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