Troops
Called to Suppress Riot at Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem, Nov. 17—A mob is assembled in
front of the City hall here tonight intent upon lynching the negro who shot
J.E. Childress, attacked his wife and shot Sheriff G.F. Flynt.
The city tonight is in the hands of a mob, at
least three citizens have been shot and excitement runs high. About 5 o’clock a
mob of several thousand people stormed the jail and are said to have shot to
death the negro charged with having committed an assault last night on a white
woman.
After some difficulty the police succeeded in
clearing the crowd out of the building and then the mayor called out the Home
Guards. Quiet reigned for a time, but later the report went around that the
negro shot was not the man that had been sought. By nightfall, the mob re-enforce
and started marching to the jail, which was surrounded by Home Guards.
Broke
Into Hardware Stores
Hardware stores were broken into and revolvers,
shot guns and other weapons and ammunition were taken. As the mob marched, it
increased in size and when its objective was reached it numbered several
thousand. The mayor sought to address the crowd, but could not be heard. In the
meantime fire companies had arrived and when the mob broke for the jail, the
firemen turned water on them.
Mob
Overpowered Guards
Firing immediately followed and Young was shot
dead. A bullet hit Miss Levi, who was watching near by. The Home Guards
answered the volley but the mob quickly overpowered them and went into the
jail. Two members of the Guard were badly hurt by being thrown bodily down a
stairway which they were guarding.
Apparently the mob did not find the negro it
sought, for no more of the prisoners were fired upon. After an hour or more the
mob left the jail and started marching through the business section of the
town. Gradually it broke into groups and for a time it was feared that there
would be a race riot, as some of the groups headed for the negro quarter. Late tonight,
however, there had been no clash between the whites and blacks.
Guard
Troops at Scene
The Greensboro Home Guards were called upon
tonight to help suppress the disorder in Winston-Salem and at 10 o’clock the
Guards left its armory for the station to go by special train to the scene of
the trouble.
In response to request by telephone from the
mayor of Winston-Salem, through the Charlotte police department, 150 troopers
from Camp Greene were ordered by the camp authorities tonight to depart on a
special train about midnight for Winston-Salem to aid in quelling the
disturbance there.
Two hundred and fifty tank soldiers left
Raleigh on a special train that carried Governor Bickett to Winston-Salem to
take charge of the situation there. Shortly after the first news of the rioting
had been received over press wires, an appeal reached the Governor from Winston
authorities and a few minutes afterward he had arranged with the camp
authorities for a company of men to go to the scene of the trouble.
Rioting
Ceases With Arrival of Troops
According to Monday’s Associated dispatch the
rioting ceased with the arrival of 175 troops from Camp Greene and 250 from
Camp Polk. “Monkey Bottom,” the negro settlement, was searched without any
trouble and every man, white or black, on the streets was halted and searched.
More than 100, the majority being negroes, were found with firearms or gin in
their possession and were sent to jail. Today the jail is heavily guarded, all
crowds dispersed and Winston-Salem is under strict martial law. The soldiers
are policing the city and the trouble is believed to be over.
Four
Dead
The death list includes three white people and
one colored man. The whites are:
C.J. White, construction foreman for the
Southern Public Utilities company, who was held up and robbed in East Winston
about 10 o’clock last night while returning with a helper in an automobile from
repairing an electric wire.
Robert Young, naval reserve volunteer, awaiting
orders to report for duty, was handling one of the hose when the fire
department turned water on the mob with the purpose of dispersing it, when he
was shot by someone in the street, death resulting in a few minutes.
Miss Rachael Levy, aged 13, who was killed in
her home on Main street by a stray bullet.
George Johnson was the colored man who lost his
life by being hit with a pistol ball.
There are eight persons, two colored, who are
being treated at the city hospital. The condition of these is not serious. No
further trouble is apprehended by the officers.
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