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About The monitor. (Omaha, Neb.) 1915-1928 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 1919)
*1,000,000 DAMAGE TO COURT HOUSE AND CONTENTS RESULT OF MOB’S DESTRUCTIVE ORGY Invaluable Records, That Took Years to Compile, Are Lost—1918 Tax Lists Are Gone Together With “Scavenger” Lists. More than $1,000,000 damage was done to the Douglas county court house and its invaluable contents by the mob of Sunday night. This is a very conservative estimate, the coun ty commissioners said Monday. It does not include another $1,000,000 that probably will be lost because the tax records were bunted. “It will cost $500,000 to repair the damage to the building and fixtures alone,” said County Commissioner O’Connor. “The cost of replacing the destroyed records will be at least that much more.” . County Treasurer Endres said the cost of replacing the records de stroyed in his office, as far as they can be replaced, will be from $200,000 to $500,000. Building Cost $1,198,820. The cost of building the court house and equipping it in 1910 was as fol lows: Cost of building...$1,000,000 Furniture and fixtures. 80,520 Decoration of walls. 26,000 Shades, rugs, etc. 6,300 Vault fixtures... 36,000 Steel cells... 50,000 $1,198,820 “It would cost twice that sum to build and equip the building today,” said John Latenser, the architect who built the court house. “If the building and contents are damaged 50 per cent, as I have been told, you can figure out that damage estimated at present prices is well over $1,000,000. “I have not made an examination yet, but I do not anticipate that there has been structural damage to the building. The steel and concrete shell is evidently intact. The stone is or namental and that will have to be replaced in the scores of places where it was chipped off by the heat.” Amazement was expressed that the record books of the county treasur er’s office were not in the vaults. These are nearly all consumed, Coun ty Treasurer Endres said. Court House Practically Ruined. The beautiful court house, built in 1910, at a cost of $1,000,000 and which could not be built today for twice that sum, is a mass of ruins today. The floors are covered with charred wood, mingled with the plaster that fell from walls and ceilings. Valu able steel filing cases are masses of twisted steel, revealing the charred remains of the records of the county. Adding machines, typewriters and desks are scarcely recognizable charred and twisted junk. Everywhere the floors are covered with broken glass. The elevator grat ings were smashed down on top of the elevators, w-hich stand at the bot tom of the shafts. Men started yesterday morning clearing up the worst of the wreck age in the offices which escaped com plete ruin. The water was mopped up in the .corridors and the debris shoveled and swept into comers. All the 1918 county tax records and the 1918 and 1919 city tax records were destroyed in the treasurer’s of fice. “The “scavenger tax” records were burned. These are the lists of property on which taxes have been overdue for years. The sale of this property next Jan uary was expected to bring in be tween $500,000 and $1,000,000. This sum must be added to the $1,600,000 estimate of actual loss to the building and records. Most of the land indexes in the office of the county register of deeds were destroyed. These were in steel filing cases. The mob pried these open, took out about 40 of the big books, piled them in the middle of the floor, set them on fire and piled chairs and desks on top of them. Land Indexes Also Burned. “It will cost at least $100,000 to replace those books and w-ill take months of time,” said F. J. Norton, an abstractor. The county clerk’s office is com pletely gutted with the loss there oi invaluable records. The county assessor's office is en tirely destroyed. Plats of the city property just recently completed aftei six months’ work were consumed “Those alone will cost $20,000 to re / place,” said County Assessor Fitz gerald. He stated that the actual as sessment records were in the vault. Sears Loses Valuable Library. The private office of District Judge Sears was gutted and the judge’s pri vate library of the autographed work; of famoss writers was consumed to gether with a valuable law library-. District Judge Wakeley’s office wa< completely burned out. Here als< several large cases of books were con sumed. Sheriff Clark’s office on the fourth floor, just under the jail, is nothin* but a mass of charred wood, plastei and orbken glass. The office of the election commis sioner, the first to be entered by the mob from outside the building, was completely gutted. Election Commis sioner Moorhead said the registration lists were all in the vaults. Red Cross Offices Gutted. The Red Cross offices on the ground floor, Seventeenth street side, are a mass of charred wreckage. The private office of Robert Smith, clerk of the district court, was com pletely wrecked, but the district clerk’s public office not damaged except for broken windows and fallen plaster. Asel Steere, deputy clerk of the court, when the fire started Sunday night, remembered that many of the ■ valuable records were not in the vaults. He made his way to an en trance of the building, went up to the second floor and entered the office. The flames were raging on the floor below. He opened the steel vault and carried dozens of the big books in which the district records were kept, into the caults. Injured Policemen in Vault. Three policemen who had been shot came or were brought into the office and Mr. Steere let them into the vault. The door was closed and the four men ' remained there while the conflagra tion raged. As it happened, the office was not burned, but if it had been this ac tion of Mr. Steere would have saved records that are unreplacable. Offices Damaged by Fire. The following offices were dam aged to the extent of broken win dows and fallen plaster and broken doors: Offices of Judges Estelle, Redick, Troup, Leslie and Day. Grand Army room. County attorney’s office. County judge’s office. Juvenile court room and offices. District clerk’s public office. County surveyor’s office. Public defender’s office. Law library. DEMAND CITY PAY FOR SACKING OF STORES Townsend Gun Company and Pawn brokers Say They Will File Claims Some Firms Hope to Make Adjust ment Insurance Claims. Proprietors and managers of sport ing goods stores, pawn shops and oth er establishments which were looted of firearms and ammunition by mem bers of Sunday night’s mob, declared they intended to file damages against the city for their losses, estimated at $20,000. “We intend to make a damage claim against the city,” declared Har ry' H. McDuff, president of the Town send Gun company. “We’ve been pay ing for police protection for years and haven’t been getting it. The city authorities are at fault and it is to them we will make our damage claim.” “And this for comfort thou must know. Times that are ill won’t still he so; Clouds will not ever pour down rain; A sullen day will clear again.” ATTEMPT TO LYNCH MAYOR DEFENDING PRISONER (Continued from Page 1.) turned over, and someone applied a § match to the escaping gasoline. The car blazed up, the gasoline tank ex ploded and soon only smouldering ruins were left. Firemen's Hose Is Cut. Several companies of firemen ar rived to in answer to a call, but were unable to accomplish anything. No sooner had the hose been laid than It was cut in a dozen places. During all the trouble Sheriff Mike Clark and a half dozen deputies were in charge of more than 100 county prisoners on the fifth floor of the court house. The prisoners included fifteen women. Sheriff Herds Prisoners on Roof. When smoke and heat from the blaze on the fourth floor grew so intense that it was impossible to keep the prisoners in their cells, Sheriff Clark marched them all up to the roof. There they were safe until mem bers of the crowd started shooting from neighboring buildings. After three prisoners were wound ed by bullets, Sheriff Clark decided to seek refuge for his prisoners on the west end of the fourth floor. The police squad had been sta tioned at the foot of the fourth floor stairs after being pushed away from the second floor, and had successfully resisted all efforts of the crowd to go further. But the heat and smoke was too much for the police. Two offi cer's were overcome by smoke before the remainder decided to abandon their perilous position. Prisoners Give I’p Negro. As the foremost men in the mob started up the stairs, Will Brown, who was being sought, was hurled by other prisoners past the county of ficers and into the arms of the wait ing crowd. ‘‘Here’s your man,” the prisoners cried. A score of men struck Brown and threatened to kill him. “Let’s show him to the crowd,” yelled one man. Brown was dragged, half uncon scious, up the fire laddar, in sight of all. His head hung down and he was silent. Bleeding Victim Is Strung I’p. Members of the crowd had a hard time keeping him from being shot as they jerked and dragged him to the electric light post at the comer of Eighteenth and Harney streets, where a rope was thrown over the iron beam. One man, his face covered with a handkerchief, adjusted the rope. Still silent and bleeding in a dozen places. Brown was swung off the ground. A score of men pulled on the rope. Bullets Sway Man's Body. No sooner had the body cleared the ground than hundreds of shots were fired at the swaying form. It was a curious crowd that viewed the body as it swung to and fro. In the thousands that witnessed the scene were men, women and chil dren. Mothers with babes in arms pushed forward to see the body. A few women fainted, but more shouted in glee. Body Dragged and Burned. In twenty minutes the body was cut down and the rope was tied to the rear of the police patrol car, which members of the crowd had seized, and was dragged to Seven teenth and Dodge streets, where it was burned. Great quantities of gaso line were poured over the body. By this time most of the crowd had dispersed, but a few hundred started to the police station, Eleventh and Dodge streets. On their way, ev ery pawn shop that contained weap ons was broken into and looted. Troops Take Charge. At midnight, in response to orders from Washington, detachments of sol diers from Fort Omaha and Fort Crook and 100 men from Camp Dodge, Iowa, took charge of the situation. A Few Negroes Attacked. While the mob was in progress a few Negroes down town weer attaekei and chased by crowds, but none was seriously hurt. Mob Threatened to Visit Residential Section. Threats were made that the mot intended to invade the northern sec tion of the city where a large pro portion of the colored people live and clean out the neighborhood. Fortu nately for all concerned no attempt was made to carry out this threat. It is to the credit of our people that i The Monarch Cafe j IS NOW OPEN TO THE PUBLIC £ YOUR PATRONAGE IS SOLICITED £ See us and arrange your special parties of any number. £ ;j; Well cooked, wholesome food. We make a specialty of home- ❖ •S made pies. % SPECIAL SUNDAY DINNERS £ £ Chicken Dinner. 50c. Roast Pork and Sweet Potatoes, 50c. ;j; Roast Beef Dinner, 40c. Baby Catfish. 40c. | With the above dinners you get— a £ Chicken Soup. Creamed Potatoes. £ June Peas Combination. Salad and Coffee. *;• <• * £ Can you beat it? I should say not! y CARNER TRIMBLE, Props. $ 107 South 1 1th Street. I’hone Tyler 4591-J s~x~x~x-x~x~x~x-x~x~x-x~x~x-x~x~x-x~x~x-x~x--x~x~x~x-x iiinimM i.MmimiiiiMmii'iuitiiiiiimiiiiiimiiii:!i !imi"U!i imiumii iimu. ... | Omaha’s Leading Barber Shop I = Alamo Barber Shop and Billiard Parlor. Z We Lead Others Follow. — E KILLINGSWORTH & PRICE, Props. = Phone Web. 5784. 2416 North 24th Street. — Tttiiiimiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimitinmiiiiii timniiitii iniitiiimiiiniiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii I LOOK! LOOK! LOOK! I % THE FASHION CABARET ? *!♦ v ♦♦♦ 1314 North 24th St. Announces the Engagement of ♦♦♦ ♦♦♦ y *£ The Four Star Entertainers: X ♦> Miss Ethelene Jordan and Miss Jaunita Simmons of ♦> X St. Louis, Mo., Miss Effie Tyrous and Mr. De. Godfrey *£ ♦> ♦♦♦ ALL BIG TIME STARS ♦♦♦ * Commencing Sunday, Sept. 21,1919 * i If You Don’t Like Enjoyment Stay Away i ! V ♦ A Dansant Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday Nights ♦♦♦ ♦> •> A Valuable Present Given Away Every Dance Night to the Lady Holding the Lucky ♦% Y Number V CHAS. H. WARDEN, Prop. Y ♦> V they engaged in no acts of looting or violence. The authorities have acted prompt ly in arresting members of the mob. About 80 have been arrested and are being held without bail. It is stated that the number of arrests will run up into the hundreds. Only ten or twelve Negroes have j been arrested for carrying concealed weapons, two of whom have been charged with making threats. The troops under Major General Wood have acted with commendable judgment, discretion and impartiality. STORY OF CRIME OF WHICH BROWN WAS ACCUSED This is the story of the crime of which Brown was accused as reported ; in substantial agreement by all three; of the local dailies. Agnes Lobeck, 19 years old, 3228 South Second street, was assaulted at Second street and Scenic avenue by j an unidentified Negro at 12 o’clock Thursday, while she was returning to j her home in company with Millard j Hoffman, a cripple, aged 23, 1923 South Thirteenth street, according to; the police reports. “We were walking along the street near my home when a Negro jumped out of the weeds at us,” sobbed the rirl. “He pulled a pistol and stuck it in Millard’s back and told him to throw up his hands. He robbeo him of a watch and some money and told him to go off and sit down fifty feet away. “Millard went away and sat down and the Negro man dragged me into the weeds by my hair and assaulted me. I tried to scream, but he cov ered my mouth with his left hand while he held the pistol on Millard. “1 know Millard wanted to help me but the Negro kept the gun on him. My companion w’as afraid of getting shot. I did not want him to lose his life, for he is a cripple." When the Negro released his vic tim he told the couple to stay where they were for ten minutes and then they could go home. They waited the designated time, but when they started to hurry to their homes, they saw the assailant sitting in a clump of weeds several yards from them. They were so alarmed, they told the police, that they ran to the Lo beck residence and told of the attack. Brown was arrested Friday and is said by the police to have been iden tified as the girl’s assailant, both by f her and her escort. The bravery of the police officers prevented Brown from being lymched at the time of his arrest. He was placed in the county jail which was considered mob proof. He protested that he was innocent up until the last. __. i | MAGIC HAIR GROWER j AND STRAIGHTENING OIL ! MME. JOHNSON AND SOUTH The most wonderful hair preparation on the market. When we say Magic we do not exaggerate, as you can see great re sultsin the first few treatments. We guarantee Magic Hair Grower to stop the hair at once from falling out and breaking off; making harsh, stubborn hair soft and silky. Magic Hair Grower glows hair on bald places of the head. If you use these preparations once you will never be without them. MagicHair Grower and Straightening Oil are manufactured by Mesdames South and Johnson. We also do scalp treating. Magic Hair Grower, 50c. Straightening Oil, 35c. Allorders promptly filled; send l Oc for postage. Money must accompany all orders. J Agents wanted—Write for particulars. ! 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