Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 178, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 July 1919 — CITY RESEMBLES A MAD HOUSE [ARTICLE]

CITY RESEMBLES A MAD HOUSE

RACE RIOTS AND CAR STRIKE ESTABLISH UNPRECEDENTED CONDITION IN CHICAGO. Chicago, July 29.—Despite fresh outbreaks tonight in Chicago’s race war, city officials at midnight professed themselves satisfied with what the police were doing and several thousand, state troops remained in armories. At that hour the death list totaled 27, two negroes and two whites having been killed during the evening and another negro having died of wounds received Monday. .. The injured list .had been swelled by uncounted scores and several of the wounded may die. Disturbances were reported from the sbutih side .“(black (belt,” an Italian district on the west side and from the near north side. * Throughout the day and everting Governor Lowden was in conference

with city officials, state officers and heads of state militia .units, he also called for advice from Colonels Milton Foreman, Abel Davis, Henry Allien, Henry J. Reilly and John W. CMnnin, who commanded Illinois regiments in France. In addition Col. Joseph B. Sanborn, who ‘led the “Dandy First” overseas, was reported enroute to Chicago from Springfield. Samuel Insull, former chairman of the state council of defense, and Roger Sullivan, democratic leader, also staiw the governor. The governor ‘let it be known i that four regiments of state troops (were ready for duty at a minute’s I notice and that they would be sent into the riot district as soon as a request came from the proper municipal authorities. The first pitched battle of the night (occurred at Thirty-fifth and (State streets, one of the centers of i trouble since the first rioting Sun!day. A small automobile filled with I whites, each armed with a pistol and (all firing iridascrimlnately at blacks, crashed into a patrol wagon at the street intersection. Two of the whites were killed in the collision. Two others and even a policeman oin the patrol wagon were hurt. Immediately there was a rush of blacks and policemen to the wreck. The police could not push the enraged negroes away and opened fire, Milling one negro and wounding thirty others. The wounded policemen and the whites were placed in ambulances and a crowd of whites followed them to the provident hospital. Outside that institution, which is main-

tained and manned by negroes, a crowd of blacks had gathered and the two races quickly clashed. A call for police brought a strong detail who Charged half a dozen times before the riotere were dispersed. One negro (police sergeant and a dozen rioters were wounded in this dash. One of the whites wounded in* the fight at the automobile was Frank Hoedek, an employe of the federal collector of internal revenue. He was caught under the machine and a negro shot him in the face. The negro was arA fatal affair also took place in (the west side Italian district, where a negro was knocked from a bicycle, /beaten, stabbed, wounded with sixteen revolver bullets and, after dertth had relieved him, gasoline was poured on his 'body and set afire. The corpse probably will never be identified.

—o — Strike Adda Peril. Chicago, July 29.—Chicago’s surface and elevated electric lines were at a standstill tonight as a result of 'the strike at 4 a. m. today of employes of both systems after their refusal to ratify a.n agreement reached between officials of the companies and of the employes’ unions. Union and company officials declared (tonight that no immediate settlement of the • strike was in sight. Abandonment of the electric transportation lines brought thousands of additional vehicles into the doiwntown district during the day, and resulted in irregular and at times badly congested traffic. Removal of many of the traffic policemen to the race riot are a cause of lack of order and resulted in additional coinfusion. Police officials tonight were organizing a citizens’ traffic squad and said .the traffic situation would be in hand tomorrow.

Approximately 2,000,000 persons resorted to every means of transportation possible today to reach their places of employment and business, or remained at home. Workers in the downtown district took the situation good naturedly. Vehicles that (had long been junked rattled ever the pavements while by evening thousands of trucks had been put in use to convey the crowds ito their homes. Roller skates proved the means of transportation for many.