Topic: One Hundred Years Ago

[Rix Gins]

From the Library of Congress.  The Rock Island Argus July 10, 1919.

[WOTR]

I suppose for fun I'll post a 100 years ago for the riots in Longview Texas. From the Texas state historical association. https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/jcl02

"...Then an article in the July 10 issue of the Chicago Defender, a sensationalistic nationwide black newspaper, described the death of a young black man, Lemuel Walters, in Longview. The article reported that Walters and an unnamed white woman from Kilgore, Texas, were in love and quoted her as saying they would have married if they had lived in the North. Walters, according to the article, was safely locked in the Gregg County Jail until the sheriff willingly handed him over to a white mob that murdered him on June 17."

July 10th Jones, a correspondent for the defender was beaten by the women's brothers. July 11th 10 - 15 armed white men drive to Jone's house. Met with gunfire. Three of the white men suffered superficial birdshot wounds, and a fourth man, who had sought shelter under a house, was found by blacks and beaten severely.

Whites regroup and return to burn down Jone's house, the home of Calvin P. Davis, a black physician, other black residences, and to a black dance hall in which they suspected the blacks had stored ammunition.

On the evening of July 12th Marion Bush, Dr. Davis's father-in-law, was killed after he fled from Sheriff Meredith, who was either offering him protective custody or attempting to arrest him. *(Wouldn't it be ironic if it were protective custody.)

Gaurds men called in to restore order.  The rangers arrested seventeen white men on charges of attempted murder; each was released on $1,000 bond. Twenty-one black men were arrested, charged, and sent to Austin temporarily for their own safety. Nine white men were also charged with arson. None of the whites or blacks was ever tried.

*And then race relations became sunny and everybody lived happily ever after. (Or at least order was restored to the point where people could pick up their firearms again...)

*Editorial notes were mine.

[Jackstar]

a young black man [...] an unnamed white woman

So is this ageist or racist or both? So confused now.

[WOTR]

So is this ageist or racist or both? So confused now.

Fun preview of the next century of American race relations... 

[WOTR]

Sorry Rix. I feel like this is the time capsule in the finale of MASH. You are playing the part of Margret asking for nice contributions, and I'm playing the part of Hawkeye... I never knew that Japanese illegals crossed from Mexico... Anyhow, it is from the Washington post. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045433/1919-07-12/ed-1/seq-10/#

[Rix Gins]

Sorry Rix. I feel like this is the time capsule in the finale of MASH. You are playing the part of Margret asking for nice contributions, and I'm playing the part of Hawkeye... I never knew that Japanese illegals crossed from Mexico... Anyhow, it is from the Washington post. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045433/1919-07-12/ed-1/seq-10/#

No problem.  In fact, I saw that news item in another paper but got busy and forgot to post it.  So thanks.

[WOTR]

I'm trying to remember on the 19th to post the Luton riots (angry ex military men burning down city hall...)

[Rix Gins]

I'm trying to remember on the 19th to post the Luton riots (angry ex military men burning down city hall...)

From the Library of Congress.  The Rock Island Argus., July 15, 1919.

[Rix Gins]

From the Imperial War Museum, July 17, 1919.

28th Division Sports Meeting held at Biyuk Dere, Constantinople, 17 July 1919. Long jump won by Sepoy Lal Singh, 1/25 Punjabis. Distance jumped 17 feet and 10 inches with bare feet.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205249337 © IWM (Q 14220)

28th Division Sports Meeting held at Biyuk Dere, Constantinople, 17 July 1919. Captain Hanson, winner of the High Jump.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205249340 © IWM (Q 14223)

28th Division Sports Meeting held at Biyuk Dere, Constantinople, 17 July 1919. Gymnastic display by 31st Punjabis.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205249345 © IWM (Q 14228)

[albrecht]

Sorry Rix. I feel like this is the time capsule in the finale of MASH. You are playing the part of Margret asking for nice contributions, and I'm playing the part of Hawkeye... I never knew that Japanese illegals crossed from Mexico... Anyhow, it is from the Washington post. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045433/1919-07-12/ed-1/seq-10/#

Some great stories, and some possibly good ideas, in that paper. More on Mrs.Atherton and her wiles.....
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/120239804 

https://www.nytimes.com/1919/07/10/archives/mrs-a-eliot-shot-in-her-london-home-once-famous-beauty-believed-to.html 

#metoo this poor woman was slandered and slut-shamed and bullied in print into a suicide or misadventure by unsound mind.

[albrecht]

From the Imperial War Museum, July 17, 1919.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205249337 © IWM (Q 14220)

This this the first documentation of the abomination that is the "man-bun" hairstyle so popular in some sports?

[WOTR]

As promised. From July 19th 1919.
https://libcom.org/history/1919-the-luton-riots

During the summer of 1919 military unrest swept into civilian disturbances in many regions. Luton Town Council planned processions with brass bands, floats, entertainment for the children and a fireworks display followed by an evening of official gluttony described as a 'Mayor's banquet'. The cost of the latter was to be paid from civic funds. Invitations were strictly limited to the Mayor, councillors and close friends - none of whom had served in the armed forces.

Ex-service men wanted to have a small celebration of their own- but the mayor refused to allow them to use Wardown park. Ex service men instead hung a streamer across the road saying: 'Don't pity us, give us work' and lined both sides of the parade route. As the official procession went past, it was joined by the angry ex-servicemen. Eventually they arrived outside the Town Hall where they halted in heavy rain whilst the Mayor read out the proclamation of peace.

The crowd got pissed off, the city officials retreated into city hall, and the crowd tore down the door. Once inside, untold damage was done. Decorations for the Grand Ball were torn down. The contents of the Town Hall were hurled through the windows into the street.

At 10 pm the Mayor was still besieged in his parlour. Instead of the planned banquet the mayoral party had spent seven hours huddled together in the dark behind shattered windows.

Anyhow, during the rioting, they lit city hall on fire, stole more gas to dump on the fire, and refused to allow the firemen to extinguish it (the mayoral party managed to escape.) Attempts to put out the fire were thwarted by the cutting of hosepipes. Remaining hoses had to be used to protect the police from the crowd rather than to quench the flames.

Perhaps my favourite part of the story...  The crowd that went in to rescue him emerged with three pianos. These were dragged into the roadway and used as accompaniments. The crowd sang 'Keep the Home Fires Burning' before the biggest bonfire that Luton had ever seen. 

Rioting continues for 3 or 4 more nights. The mayor leaves town and only returns once for a friends funeral, and once for his own.

Law and order is restored until 1985 when soccer hooligans riot in what is described as one of the worst examples of soccer hooliganism in the 80's. At least they had practice decades earlier.

[Rix Gins]

Thanks, WOTR, glad you remembered to post it.  Meanwhile, back in England, on Peace Day:

[Rix Gins]

From the Imperial War Museum, July 19, 1919.

British troops passing spectators as they parade down Constitution Hill to Buckingham Palace, 19th July 1919.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205289084 © IWM (Q 28773)

King George V, General John Pershing and party in royal box reviewing troops in London, 19 July 1919.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205349017 © IWM (Q 106078)

Tanks partake in the parade outside Buckingham Palace, 19th July 1919.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205289075 © IWM (Q 28763)

A procession of Voluntary Aid Detachment nurses and personnel marches past a crowd of onlookers along the Mall in London. British Army personnel are also present and there are numerous flags flying from flagpoles and stone plinths along the road.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/12122 © IWM (Art.IWM ART 4037)

[WOTR]

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205289075 © IWM (Q 28763)

It sure looks like tanks traveling down a paved road in peacetime. I just have a tough time with this as usually they put down tires for any tracked equipment. If you run a dozer (or any tracked equipment) over a paved road the grousers will tear it up (even if you don't turn at all.) Though an excavator is less harmful than a dozer, and they do make rubber "pads" or shoes for street use.

I'm really interested if the design of early tanks (with their "parallelogram" tracks and very shallow angle under the front idler) allowed this to be less of an issue. In one way, it makes sense as the grousers are not wrapped tightly around the idler and "pinching" the asphalt as much.

*Actually, blowing up the image, you can see daylight under the tracks at the rear of the machine, and it looks like there is a distinct "curve" on the undercarriage where the front would not directly contact the ground either. I had never noticed before, but it appears that all of the weight would be in the middle couple of feet, and that the tank might "teeter" on that section.

Very interesting how different those are from modern tracked equipment (also amazing that there are not tracks left behind the tanks in that photo.)

Grousers and undercarriage of a modern bulldozer. In the northern mines, they would weld on additional "cleats" on the grousers in the winter.

[WOTR]

July 21 1919.

Flaming dirigible crashes into a Illinois trust and savings in Chicago killing 13 and wounding 27...

The dirigible caught fire while in flight leading to 3 crew and 2 passengers parachuting. 1 crew memeber died when his parachute caught fire, one of the passengers got tangled in the dirigible and died when it crashed, and the other passenger broke both legs when he landed and died later in the hospital. 

"The dirigible crashed into the Illinois Trust and Savings Building’s skylight just as the bank’s employees were closing for the night, and flaming debris and shattered glass rained upon them. Ten bank employees were killed from the wreckage and a further 27 were injured."





https://horrorhistory.net/2018/07/21/dirigible-crashes-into-bank-skylight-killing-13-and-wounding-27/

[Rix Gins]

July 21 1919.

Flaming dirigible crashes into a Illinois trust and savings in Chicago killing 13 and wounding 27...

The dirigible caught fire while in flight leading to 3 crew and 2 passengers parachuting. 1 crew memeber died when his parachute caught fire, one of the passengers got tangled in the dirigible and died when it crashed, and the other passenger broke both legs when he landed and died later in the hospital. 

"The dirigible crashed into the Illinois Trust and Savings Building’s skylight just as the bank’s employees were closing for the night, and flaming debris and shattered glass rained upon them. Ten bank employees were killed from the wreckage and a further 27 were injured."





https://horrorhistory.net/2018/07/21/dirigible-crashes-into-bank-skylight-killing-13-and-wounding-27/

I am awestruck by this article.  How bizarre that the dirigible could have crash landed anywhere, yet it looks as though that sky-light roof was custom made to receive it.  I can't think of any instance in the past that parallels 911 like this one.  (Perhaps the bomber that would later hit the Empire State Building?)  Of course, the workers in the building weren't thinking 'terrorists' when the crash occurred.  (I'm guessing anyway.)  The diagram shows the dirigible falling in a straight line to the top of the building.  I wonder if anybody standing under the skylight saw it coming down?  Good one, WOTR. 

[Rix Gins]

From the Missouri State Archives.


Fred Fielder. Inmate #22082.

Description: Plead Guilty to 1st Degree Murder (3 charges), sentenced to Natural Life from 6/16/1919. Trial held in St. Louis City. Died in Prison Hospital 10/17/1941.

Mug shots taken on 7/22/1919.
No known copyright restrictions  https://www.flickr.com/commons/usage/ 

[albrecht]

I am awestruck by this article.  How bizarre that the dirigible could have crash landed anywhere, yet it looks as though that sky-light roof was custom made to receive it.  I can't think of any instance in the past that parallels 911 like this one.  (Perhaps the bomber that would later hit the Empire State Building?)  Of course, the workers in the building weren't thinking 'terrorists' when the crash occurred.  (I'm guessing anyway.)  The diagram shows the dirigible falling in a straight line to the top of the building.  I wonder if anybody standing under the skylight saw it coming down?  Good one, WOTR.

There was a previous arson, a manifesto, and a lot of traffic disruption....  there were also some, brief, conspiracy theories....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Austin_suicide_attack 

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/19/us/19crash.html 

https://www.businessinsider.com/joseph-andrew-stacks-insane-manifesto-2010-2 

 

[Rix Gins]

From the Library of Congress.  The Rock Island (Ill.) Argus., July 23, 1919.

     

[WOTR]

"Miniature race war." I find it interesting how much racial tension there was even 100 years ago. No, I'm not surprised- I just had not realized how may people found ways to "express" their anger with fists, pipes and guns...

Up next will be July 24th in Washington with 6 dead and 100 injured, and then onto  Chicago, July 27th with 38 dead and 500 injured...

I also like Zannos the Greek. You really cannot get a more Greek name than that...

[albrecht]

"Miniature race war." I find it interesting how much racial tension there was even 100 years ago. No, I'm not surprised- I just had not realized how may people found ways to "express" their anger with fists, pipes and guns...

Up next will be July 24th in Washington with 6 dead and 100 injured, and then onto  Chicago, July 27th with 38 dead and 500 injured...

I also like Zannos the Greek. You really cannot get a more Greek name than that...

Zannos is lucky the Mexican didn't stab him. "Zannos The Greek" sounds like some kind of Gyro stand at a fairgrounds or music festival. I think people forget about a lot of the racial tensions, even terrorism, we had back in the day with new groups of immigrants from various places. And as new immigrants brought their feuds, sectarianism, etc over with them sometimes.  There were even "Fenian" invasions of  Canada from the US of Irish Republicans back in the day.
ps: the gentlemen of color had lofty goals. I wonder what the reason ("profiling") that the police had reason to search the suspects?

[Rix Gins]

Zannos is lucky the Mexican didn't stab him. "Zannos The Greek" sounds like some kind of Gyro stand at a fairgrounds or music festival. I think people forget about a lot of the racial tensions, even terrorism, we had back in the day with new groups of immigrants from various places. And as new immigrants brought their feuds, sectarianism, etc over with them sometimes.  There were even "Fenian" invasions of  Canada from the US of Irish Republicans back in the day.
ps: the gentlemen of color had lofty goals. I wonder what the reason ("profiling") that the police had reason to search the suspects?

Perhaps the sound of rolling dice inside the suitcases?

[albrecht]

Perhaps the sound of rolling dice inside the suitcases?

I wonder what the outcome of the case was? Is it illegal to have possession of such items if not caught during an actual game? I think gambling was already illegal so sort of funny to bust someone for attempting to fix an already illegal activity.  I also imagine the gentlemen of color with lofty goals in zoot suits although I know this phenomena wasn't until decades later but I'm sure they were attired in a lofty manner.

[Rix Gins]

I wonder what the outcome of the case was? Is it illegal to have possession of such items if not caught during an actual game? I think gambling was already illegal so sort of funny to bust someone for attempting to fix an already illegal activity.  I also imagine the gentlemen of color with lofty goals in zoot suits although I know this phenomena wasn't until decades later but I'm sure they were attired in a lofty manner.

I noticed that they had loaded revolvers also.  Lots of people had guns back then, both the good guys and the bad.  Not sure if firearms had to be licensed, or not.  I'll check the paper to see if the gents are found guilty, etc.

[WOTR]

Zannos is lucky the Mexican didn't stab him. "Zannos The Greek" sounds like some kind of Gyro stand at a fairgrounds or music festival. I think people forget about a lot of the racial tensions, even terrorism, we had back in the day with new groups of immigrants from various places. And as new immigrants brought their feuds, sectarianism, etc over with them sometimes.  There were even "Fenian" invasions of  Canada from the US of Irish Republicans back in the day.
ps: the gentlemen of color had lofty goals. I wonder what the reason ("profiling") that the police had reason to search the suspects?

But from what I have been reading, the "red summer" of 1919 had around 20 race riots through the nation. They were not new immigrants- but rather they were between blacks and whites. Usually, it is racial tension for various reasons (in many cases, soldiers appear to have come home to find "their" jobs taken by blacks who moved from the south during the war.) The economy suddenly had hundreds of thousands men who would be unemployed return from Europe and the war spending and armament production was winding down.

[WOTR]

Anyhow, along those lines, we have July 24th 1919. The end of the Washington DC race riot.

July 19 1919- The day’s Washington Times reported that Mrs. Elsie Stephnick, a white woman who worked in the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, had been assaulted by “2 negro thugs” on her way home from work the previous evening.

Racial tensions over the next few days started to boil, and (from all accounts that I could find) a mob of white (mostly ex-soldiers) went on the hunt for a man they believed was responsible, chased him to his house, and there were shots fired. The police arrested 2 whites and 8 blacks (the 19th.)

Tensions continued to mount, sources appear to agree that the whites were the ones continuing the offensive. On the evening of the 20th the mob was found itself on Pennsylvania Avenue in NW, beating pedestrians and pulling black riders off of streetcars. The Washington Herald reported that “Many civilians, defiant of the police, were openly advocating lynching."

By July 21, mobs of 50 - 100 black men started attacking whites. Now we are really cooking in the heat of a Washington summer, and early drive-by shootings began in earnest. "In addition to the mob clashes on the streets, assailants assaulted people in streetcars and shot from automobiles. At the Navy Hospital on 23rd St., NW, four African Americans fired at convalescing sailors before driving away. Along the H Street corridor in NE, three whites were seen shooting from a vehicle."

Anyhow, when it was all over on the 24th, the estimates vary widely from a dozen dead to around 40 (15ish whites, 25ish blacks and a few police.)

Death count from various (widely varying) sources. Most of this narrative from
https://blogs.weta.org/boundarystones/2017/04/18/red-summer-race-riot-washington-1919

[Rix Gins]

From the Library of Congress.  The Rock Island Argus., July 24, 1919.
       
         

[albrecht]

Anyhow, along those lines, we have July 24th 1919. The end of the Washington DC race riot.

July 19 1919- The day’s Washington Times reported that Mrs. Elsie Stephnick, a white woman who worked in the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, had been assaulted by “2 negro thugs” on her way home from work the previous evening.

Racial tensions over the next few days started to boil, and (from all accounts that I could find) a mob of white (mostly ex-soldiers) went on the hunt for a man they believed was responsible, chased him to his house, and there were shots fired. The police arrested 2 whites and 8 blacks (the 19th.)

Tensions continued to mount, sources appear to agree that the whites were the ones continuing the offensive. On the evening of the 20th the mob was found itself on Pennsylvania Avenue in NW, beating pedestrians and pulling black riders off of streetcars. The Washington Herald reported that “Many civilians, defiant of the police, were openly advocating lynching."

By July 21, mobs of 50 - 100 black men started attacking whites. Now we are really cooking in the heat of a Washington summer, and early drive-by shootings began in earnest. "In addition to the mob clashes on the streets, assailants assaulted people in streetcars and shot from automobiles. At the Navy Hospital on 23rd St., NW, four African Americans fired at convalescing sailors before driving away. Along the H Street corridor in NE, three whites were seen shooting from a vehicle."

Anyhow, when it was all over on the 24th, the estimates vary widely from a dozen dead to around 40 (15ish whites, 25ish blacks and a few police.)

Death count from various (widely varying) sources. Most of this narrative from
https://blogs.weta.org/boundarystones/2017/04/18/red-summer-race-riot-washington-1919

"Fight for old DC/DIXIE" depending on version.... 

"When the NFL began considering expansion to Texas, Marshall strongly opposed the move, as he had enjoyed a monopoly in the South for three decades (apart from the one-year appearance of the Dallas Texans in 1952). Potential owner Clint Murchison, who was trying to bring the NFL to Dallas, bought the rights to "Hail to the Redskins" from a disgruntled Breeskin and threatened to prevent Marshall from playing it at games. Marshall agreed to back Murchison's bid, Murchison gave him back the rights to the song, and the Dallas Cowboys were born"

[Rix Gins]

Song was released on July 27, 1919.