Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 72, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 December 1919 — S. SHORE CLUB AFTER W. B. [ARTICLE]

S. SHORE CLUB AFTER W. B.

Former Rensselaer* Lawyer Assailed for Selling Property to Negro. The following article in Thursday’s Chicago Tribune will be of Interest to- readers of The Democrat, as Mr- Austin was for many years a well known resident of Rensselaer and £ince going to Chicago has become a multi-million-aire and occupied many prominent positions in club life in the Windy City: “The race problem stalked through the portals of the South Shore Country club' yesterday, leaving in its wake a row that threatens to assume serious proportions. “A/ committee of members, wno. are also residents of Kenwood and (Hyde Park, opposed to the influx of negroes in their districts, called the Tribune from the offices of the Kenwood ana Hyde Park Property Owners’ association, announcing they had started a move to 'expel William B. Austin, lawyer, banker, former president of the Hamilton club, and owner of property at 4807 Grand boulevard, occupied by negroes. “George J. Williams, active in the neighborhood organization and the country club, declared that charges of ‘conduct unbecoming to a gentleman’ were filed against Mr. Austin during the day with W. F. McWhinney, secretary of the South Shore Country club. “Austin .was reached at the Virginia hotel. “ ‘No, I hadn’t heard a thing about it,’ he said- ‘lf charges were filed I wasn’t notified.’ “ ‘They claim you sold and rented your property on Grand boulevard to negroes,’ he was told. " ‘Well, I did. In October, 1918, I sold a building at 4404 Grand boulevard to negroes and I renteu another residence at 4807 to colored people. But I didn’t know at the time that there was any objection. I had been fooled by the statements of a real estate man.’ “ ‘Are you going to fight the charges?’ “ ‘Certainly I am,’ he declared. ‘lf they expel me for this they will have to fire some of their best meme bers, because I know of plenty who have done the same thing.’ “Williams declared that among those signing the charges were T. H. Cross, Michael Fitzmaurice, T. A- Harney, John P. Bowles, George Adams, William Daniels, Patrick Lawler, John W. Snyder and Harry Benedict. “The controversy is the latest angle of a trouble which had been featured by the bombing of Austin’s home at 102 Bellevue place on June 16 and the property owned by him and occupied by negroes at 4807 Grand boulevard Last spring.”