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About The monitor. (Omaha, Neb.) 1915-1928 | View Entire Issue (July 25, 1924)
TPHE MONITOR "““tlf A NATIONAL WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF COLORED AMERICANS m THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor $2.00 a Year. g a Copy OMAHA, NEBRASKA, FRIDAY, JULY 25, 1924 Whole Number 472 Vol. X—No. 4 IS CHARGED WITH MURDER President of Philadelphia Negro Citizens’ Republican Club Bolts Ticket POLICEMAN AND NOT KLOXES WHO SHOT IP SCOIT’S CAMP Harry Trout Persuades Crowd to Dis guise Themsolies as Member* of Hooded Order and Attnek the Camp KLM THREATENS LAW SHIT Officer Is Stripped of Budge and Dis charged In Disgrace From the Philadelphia Police Force (By the Associated Negro Press) Darby, Pa,, July 25.—Chief of Po lice William Y. Drewes, started a thor ough investigation into the routing of 105 Hoy Scouts from their slumber Monday night by a bunch of hooded men and boys in which many shots were fired. The younger boys who had fled in disorder In their night clothes were rounded up by their par ents and the police af West Philadel phia which is a short distanre from Darby. The investigation came to an end for the time being when Harry Trout a member of the police force of Darby, confessed to the chief in the roll room of the Darby police station one morn ing last week. The policemen were lined up when Trout was confronted with evidence the chief had obtained which cast sus picion strongly upon him. He hung his head and said nothing. “Well, Trout,” shouted the chief, "What have you to say for yourself?" Trout admitted he had been impli cated. The angry rliief walked up to Trout, ripped off the badge from his coat and took his keys and pistol. “Get out,” shouted the chief, "The Darby police force is no place for a nu n like you. You are discharged with disgrace.” x i «>iil mane it uuur^ieic wuicooiuu before he left the station house. "I conceived the idea of the cross burning," he said, "and carried It out myself, with the assistance of several friends. Some of mjr frlendH cut the ho! in the pillow cases to make hoods. I am not a member of the Ku Klux Klan, and neither are they. We thought we would make it appear like a Klan affair. The reason we did It was to get back at the colored boys for chasing several white boys away from the swimming hole near their camp. We didn’t think that was right. “I fired some of the shots to awaken the boys who were sleeping in the hollow. Then we put on the pillow cases for hoods and got into the two trucks and went up and burned the cross. The camp was on my beat and we wanted to give those kids a real scare. That was all to it.” And as soon as the cross had been fired, Trout jumped into a truck and sped to a restaurant at 69th street to establish an alibi. He broke down and pleaded for mercy outside of the police station. “I don’t know what I’ll do. I have a wife and seven children. I have disgraced myself and family.” He was refused a chance to make good. As stated by his wife, Trout told her of his plan. She pleaded in vain to him. Then he threatened to leave her and the children if she didn’t consent. After he had committed the deed his wife gave Chief Drewes the evidence that caused her husband’s arrest. The Kleagle of Deleware county in which the incident occurred, threatens legal action against Trout for imper sonating the Klan. Trout told the chief that other members of the force had known about tho plans and were attempting to "frame him” in shifting all the blame on him. Some of the of ficers bad known of it, but had re fused to help him and warned him. Chief Drewes was praised highly by (he rac© people of this borough and he declared that the whole police force would be discharged if lie found any of them klansman or using their meth ods in carrying out their plans on In nocent men, women ad chieldren no matter to what race they belong. SMALLPOX SCARE GRIPS PITTSBURGH Pittsburgh, July 25.—With fraternal societies here making magnlflcient preparations to entertain 50,000 dele gates at the convention during August and September, the health department has discovered a number of cases of smallpox. t Wholesale vaccinations have been urged. CHILDREN BARRED FROM Hit,II SCHOOL ON RACIAL GROUNDS Board of Education Declares There Is Trace of Negro Blood In Veins of Rich Farmer's Family Thought White CASE WILL BE APPEALED Upper Marlboro, Md., July 25.—The county board of education, J. Chew Sheriff, Mrs. N. E. Shegogue and Claude G. McKee, has Just handed down a decision denying admission to the Baden Agricultural high school of the children of Thomas W. Perrie, a prosperous farmer and tobacco grower of Nottingham district, Prince Georges county. Several months ago two of Mr. Per rli s’ children entered the Baden school and a few days later a number of pa trons of the institution filed a protest with the principal, Prof. W. R. C. Con nick, alleging that the children were not of the Caucasian race—that there \v. s a trace of Negro blood in their veins. Prof. Connick denied the chil dren admission and took the matter to the county school board and the latter sustained his action. The fath er of the children presented a peti tion -claiming he and his wife are white. One of the members of the school board stated recently that the board was rather uncertain as to whether the Perrie children were while, but expressed the opinion that., in view of the sentiment against them, their ad mission would mean closing the school. It was also pretty well settled that the case would he taken to the slate board of education, and if this body f• lied to admit the children, a writ of mandamus would be sued out, direct ing the school hoard of the county to pass an order admitting them. All Look White Pierre is registered as white. Birth registration of his children shows they i re white also. The mother and the entire family look as white in color as any Prince Georges county family. They had been so regarded until re cently when someone spread the ru mor that somewhere in past genera tions Is a strain of Negro blood. NORMAL SCHOOL GIVES PAGEANT Historical and Racial Allegory Pre aented at Grounds of Branch Normal. Pine Bluff, Ark., July 26.—"By Their Fruits,” a historical and racial pageant, written and directed by May H. Williams, director of physical ed ucation at Branch Normal, was pre sented on the campus of the school Wednesday evening, July 10. Over 100 people, either citizens of Pine Bluff or students at the Normal sum mer school, took part in the perform ance, which was In three episodes. The director had been at work on the production for six weeks and the resulting performance last night was particularly good. Special features or the pageant were the group dances and the elaborate costumes. Approx imately 600 local citizens, both white and colored, witnessed the spectacle. The plot of the pageant rests on the awards of Justice. Throughout three episodes the nutions of the world, rep resented by dance groups, made offer ings before the shrine of Justice and dropped their token into the right side of the lialances. However, until the token from the stranger—the Ethiopi an—was received, the scales failed to balance. Dances were give nby the following groups—English, French, Asiatic, Ger man, Romance, American and Hawaii an. Special features were a folk dance, minuet, Japanese dance, pan tomino of love and of arrogance, Ha waiian dance and flag drill. The campus of the college was marked off for the event. The shrine of Justice stood at the rear of the open air theatre and the performance was rendered before the shrine. The pageant conies as the climax to the summer school activities. Accord ing to authorities the past sessions have been the most successful ever enjoyed by the institution. Since Prof. Malone took over the school several years ago, the normal has made steadfast progress along ed ucational lines.—Pine Bluff Commer cial Gazette. A delightful dinner was given by Mrs. E. D. Fletcher Wednesday in honor of Mrs. W. Morrison of Donver, Colo. Covers were laid for ten. Mu sic was furnished by Prof. W. M. Price’s orchestra. FRANCE HONORS HER HEROIC DEAD FROM Sl’NNY AFRICA Rheinis, France, July 25.—Inaugur ating a monument recently to the Ne gro troos in the Great War, Gen. Arehinard praised their courage and the exalted part they took in the final victory. lie replied to the German campaign against the colored troops, saying: “Our black sharpshooters conducted themselves like good Frenchmen, showing themselves worthy of fight ing by our side. “They were terrible to the Ger mans,” he continued, “because they regarded the Germans as savages fighting with disloyal arms and de vastating everything from love of evil. Our sharpshooters fought well for France, because she treats them with humanity and justice, on the same footing as her other citizens. Edouard Daldaler, minister of the colonies, said that 800,000 black troops fought for France, and 30,000 were killed on the battle field. MECHANICS BANK WILE BE REOPENED Richmond, Va., July 25.—The grant- j ing by the state corporation commis sion of a charter to the Virginia Me chanics Bank is believed to mark the end of the repeated efforts to reopen the defunct Mechanics Savings Bank of this city. The Virginia Mechanics Bifnk will have a minimum capital of $25,000, according to the charter which names the following as incorporators: R. C. Mitchell, Henry Mallory, Sr., Albert | A. Tennant, W. E. Brown, J. O. Waw j son, A. G. Thompson and C. A. Cobb. The new institution will take over I all of the assets of the Mechanics Sav I ings Bank and it is planned to have it operating in the building formerly oc cupied by the latter institution at ; Third and Clay streets within a short i time. An audit of the assets of the Mechanics Savings Bank is now being | made preliminary to its being taken over by Virginia Mechanics Bank. TAMMANY COHORTS WANTED AL KMIH; STAND BY DAVIS New York, July 25.—Colored mem bers of Tammany Hall were disap pointed because Governor Al Smith was not nominated. Known as an en emy of the Ku Klux Klan, a Catholic ad politician who believes in the same right of the Negro to hold office as any other citizen, Al Smith was their favorite. Ferd. Q. Morton, member of the New York Civil Service Commission and leader of the New York democrats, de c-1 red he will “suport Mr. Davis in New York and will go on the stump for him if he finds Mr. Davis is ab solutely free from the faint of the Ku Klux Klan.” Practically the same stand is taken by Cornelius W. McDonald, special as sistant district attorney; Dr. Paul W. | Collins, only race delegate to the con vention, and Dr. Rogers W. Griffin, chairman of the executive committee of the United Colored Democracy. The Negro Press and the Bunksters Journalism rests upon four well de fined factors, or legs, if you will ac cept a figure for Illustration purposes. Roughly divided, the elementary fea tures of a legitimate publication may be termed. reader, interest, circula tion, advertising and profit. This is applicable 1° every known type of publication, save such as are admit tedly proitaganda sheets and in those the latter two phases are disregarded, for profits are acquired in some in direct manner that has no relation to clean journalism, into such classifi cation comes tiie personal spite pa pers, the wildcat investment comeon invitations and the stampede-sale sheets. All these are beyond the pale of true journalism. A real publication must first serve its reading public with news value ttn’t is in keeping with the price charged to every buyer of the paper, or magazine. That public buys NEWS and in the purchase of its papers is as entitled to Its money’s worth as is the case when buying any other com modity. Interesting one’s readers is therefore the full purpose of every editor, the staff of reporters, corres pondents, special writers, columnists and artists who make tip any publica tion. Circulation grows from that very Interest. One reader tells another, the casual reader become the regular one. (By J. A. Jackson, for the Associated Negro Press) Newsstand sales and subscriptions in crease, and the foundation for the publication is laid. Then conies the first, glimmering of reward. Advertising must follow If the paper has been intelligently de veloped, for no journal can possibly exist upon the income that is derived from the price it sells for less the cost of maintaining the machinery of circulation. Not Jess than twenty five per cent of ti<& printed space of any paper must be sold to advertisers if the paper is to live. Not more than 50% may be so converted into money earning purposes if the readers equity is to he preserved. Advertising in addition to such a maximum proportion must at once be counterbalanced by increase in I he ratio of news space, which of course, means an enlarged paper. Maintain ing his relation, is what makes or breaks a publisher. One cent per line per thousand of circulation is regarded as a basically fair rate for advertising space. Cir culation in specific circles may give greater or less value to a Journal, ac cording to the viewpoint of the adver tiser. > One of the greatest robberies perpe lrated upon readers of Negro journals is found in the amount nf their per sonal likes and dislikes, or to envious ly soliciting open disputes with other publicists. This sort of copy has no interest for the average reader, and a publisher should charge any editor who so uses his columns the adver tising rate of the paper for thus wast ing both the publisher's space and the reader’s time, for the editor is certain ly the only one gaining anything from the practice—and his gain is the ques tionable one of having had his say, and exhibited his ego to public gaze. The survey of virtually all of the Negro publications of the country dis closed that in one week one hundred and twelve papers contained nearly five hundred inches of such emotional outbursts. At prices averaging from one dollar per inch up to $.r>.60, the rate of the biggest of our papers, more than fifteen hundred dollars of space, plus the cost of setting and printing the stuff, and whatever value the man’s time may have had who wrote it, was lost to Negro journalism. Ig)st to profit, the last of the legs upon which the whole business stands. For if there be no profits, there is no in centive to remain in the business. Certainly, the fellows who originate these emotional outbursts, have no business sagacity else they would be publishers in their own right.. BATTLING SIKI WEDS A MEMPHIS WOMAN t New York, July 24.—Battling Siki, Senagalese pugilist, and Lillian Wer ner, white, of Memphis, Tenn., were married in the municipal building. The boxer's .real name, Louis Fall, was signed to the marriage license. He gave his age as 23 years and the bride 30. She described herself as an artist. Siki also described himself as an “artist”. He claimed that this was his first matrimonial venture. It has been reported that Siki married a Dutch girl by whom he had a son. When “Battling Siki” was in Oma ha, he gave an interview to The Mon itor. At that time he stated that he had a wife and boy in Pans.—Did he lie then or is he lying now? FISK FIRST TO GET MILLION DOLLAR ENDOWMENT FUND Nashville, Tenn., July 25.—Comple tion of the first million dollar endow ment fund ever to be established at a college for Negroes was announced re cently by Dr. Fayette Avery McKen zie, president of Fisk university. This fund has been made possible by matching a conditional offer of $500,000 from the General Educational Board of New York. Among those con ributing are the Cargegie Corporation of New York, which gave $250,000; the John F. Slater Fund of Charlattes ville, Va., and the J. C. Penney Foun dation of New York. Anticipating the successful comple tion of the $1,000,000 endowment fund, tlie citizens of Neshville organized last spring to raise a supplementary fund of $50,000 for Fisk. This is the first time that any such sum hag been con tributed by any Southern city for any type of Negro education. The income of the endowment fund is to be applied exclusively to teach ers’ salaries. Advertise in The Monitor! HUSBAND SHOOTS MAN WALKING WITH HIS WIFE Thomas Coulter Fatally Wounds Roy McCorley Returning From Party With the Former’s Wife. Thomas J. Coulter, 1429 North Twenty-second street, is in Jail, charged with the murder of Roy Mc Corley, proprietor of the Mecca cafe at 2005 Cuming street, who died in St. Joseph’s hospital Sunday, as the result of gunshot wounds inflicted by Coulter early Saturday morning. Mrs. Blanche Coulter, wife of Coulter, in company with McCorley and others, were returning from a party at the residence of Othello Rountree on No. Nineteenth street, early Saturday morning. When they reached Twen tieth and Nicholas street, a man opened fire on McCorley and shot him in the back. Coulter was arrested on suspicion and confessed to the shooting. A cor oner’s inquest recommended the hold ing of Coulter for the crime and a charge of murder has been filed against him. McCorley, who has re-1 , Hided here since 1916 Is survived by | his widow, a sister and a mother, who | reside in Omaha and two brothers in ! Texas. The funeral was held Thurs day afternoon from Cleves Temple C. M. Tfl. church, Rev. Jas. Blaine offi ciating j - HEAD OF ELKS VISITS OMAHA J. Finley Wilson, Grand Exalted Ruler of the Elks, paid the Omaha Elks a brief but fruitful official visit last Wednesday night, leaving Thurs day for the east. Under his able ad ministration the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks has had phenomenal but substantial growth. Iroquois I-odge No. 92, Om aha, under the administration of Ex alted Ruler Count Wilkinson, has shared in this growth. Under a spe cial dispensation a special drive is on to increase the membership of the lo cal lodge to 500. “BIRTH OF A NATION” FILM BARRED IN NEWTON, MASS. New York, July 25.—The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, 6!) Fifth avenue, New York City, has been informed of the barring of the “Birth of a Nation” In the town of West Newton, Mass. Ac tion was taken by the Douglas Civic League, J. Holman Pryor, chairman of tile executive committee, writing a letter of protest to Mayor Edwin O. Childs as soon as the film was an nounced for showing. Mayor Childs then wrote the follow ing letter to the local motion picture theatre: “An important conference of colored citizens of Newton was held last night in this city. The membership of the Myrtle Baptist church, Mount Zion Baptist church and other organiza tions are unanimous In their protest against the production of |‘The Birth of a Nation.” The National Associa tion for the Advancement of Colored People has already blacklisted that film. "As long as our colored citizens feel f-s they do, it seems to me most un wise to stir up ill feeling at this time. I understand that the film was shown in Wellesley where there are no col ored people, but that in Framingham it was stopped. “There are forces at work in this country and in this city trying to emphasize racial and sectarian dif ferences an dseparate brethren who ought to dwell together in unity. “I, therefore, request that the feel ings of our colored citizens who are good citizens and who are striving for the best interests of our city and for the colored race be respected, and that ‘The Birth of a Nation’ be not exhib ited.” Mr. Pryor thereupon wrote a letter of appreciation to Mayor Childs in be half of the colored citizens of Newton, Mr. John W. flatus returned Sunday morning from Villa Ridge, 111., where he took the body of his wife for burial, DEMOCRATS MILL M AGE CAMPAIGN FOR COLORED VOTE Liberalism ami the Ku Klux Klan Mill Be Stressed In Speeches of Democratic Spell bin derg G. 0. P. TO BE ARRAIGNED Washington, D. C., July 25.—The general disposition at the headquar ters of the democratic party is to wage an intensive campaign all along the line and appeal to every element of the electorate. It Is noted that there has been a strong tendency among colored voters toward the democratic party, espec ially in the last congressional cam paign and in recent municipal elec tions, and a strong appeal will be di rected to them, in the national cam paign this year. John W. Davis, the democratic nom inee for President of the United States, will stress the question of liberalism in his speaking campaign, and that is expected to influence the colored vot er toward the democratic party. The republican party will be bitter ly arraigned on the klan question. | The democrats plan to emphasize the anti-klan plank in their platform and point to the’side stepping of that, issue in the republican platform. Liberalism, carrying with it neces sarily a certain amount of independ ence a breaking away from reaction ary interests, old customs and methods is believed by democratic leaders here to offer inducements to the col ored voter for the reason that the re publican party has too long regarded him as a political chattel and only thru liberal politics and a measure of independence can the colored voter be freed from this political servitude and become a real influence in politics and the affairs o government. EIGHTH CONVENTION OF WALKER AGENTS TO MEET IN NEW YORK CITY Indianapolis, Ind., July 25.—The 8th annual national convention of Madam C. J. Walker agents will meet August 13th to 27th, inclusive, in the magnifi cent Abyssinian Baptist church, New York City. Advance arrangements in dicate that this will be the most im portant meeting in the history of this, the world’s largest organized group of Negro business women. And aside from the usual routine of business, new legislation governing the conduct of their establishments and the usual advanced instruction in beauty culture the agents will make a pilgrimage to Madam Walker’s grave at beautiful Woodlawn cemetery and will select a costly mausoleum to be later erected and dedicated to her memory. The officials of the company will be pres ent, a brilliant public program will be rendered; the annual award of $1, 650.00 in prize money will be made by the company to its agents and the winners in their grand trip to the1 Holy band contest will be named and' their prize checks exhibited. For a day the delegates and friends will be the guests of Madam A’Leria Walker at Villa Lewaro, her mansion at Irvington-on-Hudson. To inter sperse the business sessions, New York has planned a full program of entertainment for the visitors, includ ing a moonlight boat ride up the pic turesque Hudson river, a series of pro grams, parties, sight seeing trips, shopping tours and the like, such as New Yorkers alone can plan. The convention will close on Sun day August 17th with memorial ser vices for the late Madam C. J. Walker, conducted by one of the race’s re nowned divines. A gala time is planned and agents from as far away as Jamaica, West Indies, will attend. Approximating the attendance of domestic and for eign delegates, Mrs. Violet D. Rey nolds of this city, secretary of the con vention, said, “Considering New York’s wonderful sights, its advan I tages ns a vacation city, and that our agent* have enjoyed a very good busi ness year, we expect no less than sev eral hundred delegates at the conven tion.” Advance announcements Btate that headquarters for the convention have been established at the Walker Beauty Salon, 110 W. 136th St., where all in quiries should be sent. INSTRUCTOR AT HARVARD Cambridge, Mass., July 25.—Per cival Julian, aged 20, candidate for his Ph. D. next June, has been named an instructor in chemistry in the Har vard university summer school. % PROMINENT RACE LEADER DESERTS REPUBLICAN CAMP Edward Henry, President of the Negro Citizens’ Republican Club of Philadelphia Comes Out for Davis CMIIMTE’S IECMI CLEM West Virginian Won Gratitude of Race by Eight to Keep Jim Crow Laws Off Statute Books of State. Philadelphia, July 25.—(Special) — “I am for Johu W. Davis for Presei dent of the United States because he fought to keep ‘Jim Crow’ laws and grandfather claims from being put on the statute books of West Virginia.” This statement was made last week by Edward W. Henry, president of the Negro Citizens’ Republican club of Philadelphia, attorney at law and for more than seven years practicing in Clarksburg, W. Va. Mr. Henry is the first of the big race republicans to desert Coolidge. “John W. Davis is a man of destiny and bound to win,” he continued. “He has been my friend for years. The colored voters helped elect him to the West Virginian legislature, and then sent him to congress from the Clarks burg district that had been normally republican. We never had cause to regret our action. Will Take Stump "As congressman, Mr. Davis said: T love the Constitution of my country, and I stand for it. I will never con sent to any citizens being deprived of their constitutional rights as long as I have a voice to oppose it. And today colored people live in peace in the home state of John W. Davis.’ If he still stands, as I know he does, where he stood in the old times, I am going to take the stump for him all over the land.” The stand taken by Attorney Henry, long active republican, will probably cause him to resign from the Citizens’ Republican club, the Lincoln League and the steering committee of the Con ference of Colored Republican Voters, of which he is secretary. Major Wright. Speaks Major R. R. Wright, president of the Citizens’ and Southern Banking Company, one of the largest. Negro banks in the United States, recalled that, as ambassador to England, Mr. Davis had been exceedingly kind to him when he was abroad on govern ment service in 1917. The ambassador enabled him to hear Lloyd George speak by giving him his last ticket. He also assisted Major Wright to a proper introduction to Marshal Foch, Premier Clemenceau, President Poin care and other notables. 24,SIS NEGRO PUPILS IN PHILADELPHIA SCHOOLS Philadelphia, July 25.—Colored pu pils are Increasing more rapidly than white in local schools due to migra tion. Report of the superintendent of public schools made last week shows there has been an increase of 91 per cent in Negro children of school ago in Philadelphia In the past ten years. They have grown in numbers from 12,945 in 1915 to 24,843 in 1924. The period of 1922 to 1924 has seen acceleration of the rate of increase of Negro children, their numbers having increased locally 29 per cent in the last two years—or 5,649. Some school authorities say that the problem of educating the Negro chil drcn who have come to the north is campltcriU d by the fact that many of them have migrated trom regions where provision for education of Ne gro children is inadequate, so that many of these children are much less advanced in school than they would have been if they had grown up in the north. However they add, the task of ed ucatig these Negro children whose past educational oiicrivnities have been scanty is less perplexing than that of educating chOcre." of foreign born paretage, because the Negro chil dren know the language and under stand American ways ad customs. FLOGGED TO DEATH Marshall, Texas, July 25.—Four white men were arrested here last Thursday on the charge of tying Isaiah Saunders, 26, to a tree and flogging him to death with straps for two hours. ▲ group of defenseless colored men were forced to witnees the spectacle, I