l=~j The Monitor i — i
A NATIONAL WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF COLORED AMERICANS.
THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS. Editor
$2.00 a Year. 5c a < •/ OMAHA, NEBRASKA, OCTOBER 23, 1919 Vol. V. No. 16 (Whole No. 225)
Honorimkthe “Dead Lion”—The Roosevelt Memorial
* _____ ■■ ... .... .
LYNCHERS OF WILL £<OWN
INDICTED DY GRAND JURY
First Returns by Jurors Include True
Bills Against Eight Men—Seven
Whites Who Formed Part of Mob
that Lynched Brown, Assaulted
Mayor Smith and Burned Court
House on September 28th Face
Murder and Arson Charges—Lester
Price, Colored, Held on Charge of
Carrying Concealed Weapons—Bills
Against Other Rioters to Follow.
FIRST indictments against persons
accused of rioting in the mob of
September 28th, which lynched Will
Brown, attempted to hang Mayor
Smith and burned the courthouse,
were returned shortly after noon
, Tuesday by the special grand jury.
Three counts were contained in the
indictment by the grand jury charg
ing Harry Jenkins, alias Burton
Perry Jenkins, and James Shields,
with responsibility for the death ol
Will Brown, Negro who was lynched
September 28. The counts include:
1, Muider with revolvers; 2, hanging;
3, striking, beating, bruising, wound
ing, shooting, choking, strangling and
suffocating the said Will Brown.
The indictment charging James
Shields, Sam Novak and Harry Jen
kins with conspiracy to commit mur
der is cited that these men armed
themselves with guns, pistols, revol
vers, ropes, stones and other weapons
and with assembling in and about the
court house and did then and there
besiege, attack, set fire to and break
and enter, and by words ami acts din
then and there abet, invite, incite, in
duce, coerce and compel others to do
the same acts.
It is further alleged that these men
broke into the courthouse to get
possession of Will Brown, that they
shot at the courthouse and at persons
within it. These acts form the con
spiracy in which they are alleged to
have participated.
Harry Jenkins, alias Burton Perry
Jenkins, and parties at this time to
the grand juries unknown, And the
said James Shields, Sam Novak an
Harry Jenkins, alias Burton Perry
Jenkins, and parties to grand juric
unknown, are alleged to have then
and there, beaten, bruised, mutilated
and shot at said William Brown.
All of these men indicted are now
in jail.
Boy Rider Indicted
William Francis, 16, .schoolboy,
against whom an indictment was re
turned, became known as the "bov oi
the horse” in the rioting. He first
uppeared on his horse shortly afte
the crowd started gathering at t
county' courthouse. Mounted on
gray horse he directed, it is s":
movements of one element of the
crowd. He was several times ordered
away, said policemen.
Invariably he came back, always
riding his horse.
After the north doors of the court
house Were broken down and after
the crowd had several times been
chased from the building by the fire
of policemen, Francis appeared in the
crowd mounted on his horse. When
he rode his horse into the building
there was a large following behind
him, several hanging onto the horse’s
tail.
Accused of Firing Courthouse
On one indictment Shields, Novak
" and Jenkins are charged with having
set fire to the courthouse, with break
ing and entering the building and
with inciting others to follow their
example.
Shields, in a separate indictment, is
charged with having set lire to the
building and causing a loss estimated
by the jury at $1,500,000.
The jury, in its return of a third
indictment, charges Harry Jenkins
and James Shields with having placed
a rope about the neck of the Negro,
Will Brown, causing him to be hung
to a street railway pole, and then fir
ing bullets from revolvers and other
guns into his body. Death was in
stantaneous, according to the indict
ment.
George Sutej is charged with hav
ing assaulted Policeman Robert P.
Samardick, and the Sutej brothers are
charged with having urged the mob
at the courthouse on to its work ot
destruction.
Witnesses, in the majority of the
cases where indictments already have
been returned, are policemen. In no
instance are more than four citizens
listed as witnesses. In no instance
are less than five witnesses listed in
each indictment.
The grand jury, probably will make
no more returns until late in the
week. The jury went into session
again at 1 p. m. Tuesday to consider
evidence against men now in jail. All
men against whom true bills were re
turned have been in jail, the majority
of them having been arrested the day
following the night of rioting.
“I asked the grand jury to make a
partial return today, if possible,”
said County Attorney Shotwell, “in
order that men now held in jail may
be given an opportunity to give bail
for their appearance for trial and in
the meantime be allowed their free
dom.”
No bonds have been set in any ot
the cases.
Negro Charged With Carrying Con
cealed Weapons
Lester Price, Negro, is charged
with carrying weapons without being
given propei- authority and not being
a proper person to have firearms in
his possession.
Mayor’s Assailants Not Indicted
No indictments have been returned
against any person who is alleged to
have had any hand in the attempted
hanging of Mayor Smith. It is under
stood the grand jury has evidence
against persons said to have been in
part of the rioting, but that these in
dictments probably will not be re
turned until the latter part of the
week.
GEORGIA MOB AGAIN TAKES
LAW INTO ITS OWN HANDS
Country Treated to Another Exhibi
tion of Lawlessness.
(By Associated Negro Press.)
MACON, CIA., Oct. 21.—No further
outbreaks in Jasper county,
where Eugene Hamilton, a Negro, was
lynched early yesterday, was expect
ed today, all reports agreeing that
the sixty or more masked men who
shot the Negro had separated and
gone to their homes.
Hamilton, thirty years old, the son
of a Negro preacher, had been con
victed and given a sentence of ten
years for an attempt on the life of
Charles Tingle, a Jasper county farm
er. While an appeal for a- new trial
wns pending, mob spirit flamed up
because of an alleged delay In dis- j
posing of the case and It was de
cided to bring him to Macon for safe
keeping. The Negro was taken from
the sheriff just before he reached
here, carried back to Jasper county
tied to a bridge and his body riddled
with bullets. Tingle was shot in the
back with a shot gun, but was not
fatally Injured.
WHITE SOLDIERS EN
DEAVOR TO START RIOT
Menace Group of Colored People, Who
Hold Own I util Help Arrives—
Prompt Action of City and Military
Police Prevent Repetition o* Recent
Race Riots Elsewhere.
(By Associated Negro Press.)
BALTIMORE, Oct. 21.—Seven hun
dred soldiers in uniform with sticks
and stones endeavored to start a riot
around Eastern Avenue and Spring
street recently, and but for the timely
Interference of the city and military
police, a repetition of recent race riots
In other cities might have occurred.
The trouble started late at night,
when four soldiers menaced a group
of colored people. The colored peo
ple were active In defending them
selves and held their own until the ar
rival of the police.
#10(1,000 DRIVE TO RESTORE
DIN KIN MEMORIAL CHAPEL
(By Associated Negro Press.)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.,Oct. 22—Plans
for the launching of a $100,000
drive of the colored Baptists of Ala
bama to raise funds for the Dinkins
Memorial Chapel which was destroyed
by fire some time ago, and for some
improvements to Selma university,
have been made. The campaign is
under the direction of W. A. Tutt and
will occur during the week of October
16.
{Theodore Roosevelt, Foremost American Statesman, Who Believed in a
Square Beal tor Everybody.
X*<~X~X*<~X~>4~X~X*«~XK*<~X~X~X“X~X~X~X~X~X“X~X~X~X~X~X~;*
Events in the Life of Roosevelt
X Born in New York City. Oct. 27, 1858 ;j;
X Elected to Assembly, New York State--Nov. 8, 1881 X
£ Appointed U. S. Civil Service Gr.nmissioner. May 7, 1889 X
fj Appointed N. Y. Police Commissioner. May 6, 1895 ;j>
X Nominated Assistant Secretary of Navy.. .. April 6, 1897
? Appointed Lieut. Col. First Volunteer Cavalry X
X (Bought Riders) ... -- May 6, 1898 X
X Elected Governor New York .Nov. 8, 1898 •{•
Elected Vice President of U. S. .. ..Nov. 6, 1900 X
L1* Succeeded McKinley as President of U. S-Sept. 14, 1901 X
Elected President of U. S.. . Nov. 8, 1904 •}•
Died . -Jan. 6, 1919 |
TRIBUTES TO THE
GREAT AMERICAN
BEW YORK, Oct. 17.—William
Boyce Thompson, president of
the Roosevelt Memorial association,
has received tributes to Theodore
Roosevelt from Mrs. August Belmont
(Eleanor Robson Belmont), Irwin R.
Kirkwood, publisher of the Kansas
Kansas City Star, to which newspaper
the colonel was a contributor; Wil
liam Wrigley, Jr., of Chicago; Medill
McCormick, United States senator
from Illinois; William S. Hart, the
moving picture star; the Rev. Dr.
Samuel Schulman, rabbi of Temple
Deth-El in New York City, and John
S. Cravens of Los Angeles, Cal. These
tributes are as follows:
“It seems to me that first and fore
most Theodore Roosevelt was a great
American in the best sense of the
phrase; a capable and courageous
fighter; an adventurer in thought and
action, as eagerly hunting big ideas in
the minds of men as he sought big
game in the jungle. Generous in
praise of others and fearless in com
petition with them, whether that com
petition took him into the field oi
sport or world affairs.
“Democratic in his friendships but
beyond that he was deeply interested
in and loved humanity, and humanity
loved him in return. Take him all in
all, we shall not look upon his like
again.—Eleanor Robson Belmont.”
“Whenever I think of Theodore
Roosevelt one incident stands out in
my memory. I met him just after the
report of Quentin’s death had been
confirmed. It was a terrible blow.
But the whole tenor of his conversa
tion was: ‘We mustn’t talk about it.
We mustn’t think about it. The onl>
thing to think about now is the coun
try. What can be done to speed up
the war?’
“The picture of this heart-broker
father, putting his private grief be
hind him to consider what should be
done for the nation, will always stay
with me.
“One thing I believe the proposed
memorial will help keep before the
American people. It is the ideal of
supreme devotion to the country that
forever will be associated with the
name of Roosevelt.—Irwin R. Kirk
wood,”
“I am heartily in favor of a me
morial to our greatest American—
Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, not only
because his works while alive entitle
him to the very best the citizens of
this country can give him in the way
of a memorial, but for the good influ
ence such a memorial would have in
perpetuating the ideals that he fought
so strenuously for.—William Wrigley,
Jr.”
“I cannot yet think of Theodore
Roosevelt without bitterness, that he,
who so loved his country and who
gave it his all should have been so
maligned and during these last years
should have been so meanly treated
by those who might have mustered his
great powers to the service of the
war. Hut it was Roosevelt’s fate, as
it was Washington’s and Lincoln’s, to
be fought by envious enemies and by
them to be held in derision and con
tempt. He was truly simple. He was
as generous, gentle, affectionate and
open minded, as he was constant,
strong willed, courageous, high tem
pered and violent of speech.
“He had a revulsion, instantaneous
and communicable to all who were
about him, against the petty and
shabby vicps of mankind. He hated
the more rugged sins, as do all good
men, but he utterly loathed hypocrisy,
sloth, cowardice and equivocation. It
was this in him which made him the
greatest moral power in the country.
He was himself the essence of our
common paradox, the buoyancy and
Puritanism of America. He recalled
to us what lay covered, embedded in
our hearts—our love for the simple
virtues which had made our fathers
great. In spite of the materialism
which attended the exploitation of a
virgin continent, the growth of ugly
cities, the development of vast indus
tries; in spite of the shabby exploita
tion of the immigrants who crowded
to our shores; in spite of the crass ad
mi ration in which the last generation
beheld their sudden millionaires,
America cherished its traditions.
Roosevelt spoke for those traditions
and the country heard, as it were, a
familiar voice long silent.
“He was the prophet of the old pub
lic morality, to which he brought back
(Continued on Page 2.)
EPISCOPAL CHURCH CONFERENCE
AND URBAN LEAGUE CONVENE
The General Convention of the Epis
copal Church Considers a Large
Constructive Plan for Evangelistic
and Educational Work—Sidelights
on Ecclesiastical Gathering.
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
URBAN LEAGUE
Attended by Delegates from Several
States Who Consider Industr .
Problems and Opportunities ol
Race—Optimistic Note Dominant
Throughout Session—Notable So
cial Workers of Both Races Attend.
(Special to The Monitor by the Edito
DETROIT, Mich., Oct. 23.—This
wide-awake, progressive city,
fast becoming one of the great manu
facturing and industrial centers of the
world, has gotten the habit of enter
taining conventions and representative
gatherings of all sorts. Two gather
ings of especial interest to our people,
one concluded, the other to end this
week, and of far-reaching influence
are the General Convention of the
Episcopal Church and the Annual
Conference of the National Urban
League.
The General Convention
The General Convention, among
other things, is vitally interested in
pushing aggressively a far-reaching
evangelistic, educational and socio
logical campaign among Negroes in
the United States, Haiti and Liberia;
and in furtherance of this recommend
ing a budget of something over $2,
500,000. This, of course, is interest
ing information. The election of a
bishop of Liberia is another important
event. So it will be readily under
stood that these are matters in which
all our people are more or less inter
ested. This convention opened with
an impressive service in St. Paul’s
cathedral Wednesday morning, Oc
tober 8, and is scheduled to close this
week. In the long line of prelates
were Bishops Demby of Arkansas and
Delaney of North Carolina.
These two bishops, with Archdeacon
Russell, principal of St. Paul’s Nor
mal and Industrial school, of Law
renceville, Va., and the Rev. Dr. N. H.
B. Cassell, president of Liberia col
lege and clerical deputy from Liberia,
have been much in demand as speak
ers and have everywhere made a mo. t
favorable impression.
High Spiritual Love
The convention has been markeu
throughout by a high spiritual tone.
In the house of deputies which is com
posed of both clerical and lay deputies
or delegates the laymen have taken
the most advanced ground for en
larged work by the Episcopal church
in pushing to the limit the activities
of this great communion so that its in
fluence upon the Christian life of
America may be in some degree com
mensurate with its historic claims and
opportunities. One clerical deputy
was overheard to remark: “It looks
like the Episcopal church has become
‘converted,’ as some folks say.”
Bishops Open Doors
A notable feature of this session of
the General Convention is the fact
that tfie House of Bishops which has
always hitherto sat with closed doois,
has thrown open its sessions to the
public. It reseives the right, how
ever, to sit in executive session when
ever it is deemed desirable.
The Detroit General Convention of
the Episcopal Church will go down
into history as epochal.
The Urban League
Probably of more immediate inter
est to our people has been the con
ference of the National Urban League
for Work Among Negroes which con
cluded its sessions here Saturday
afternoon. The conference opened
Wednesday morning, October 15. Dele
gates from several states were in at
tendance. Among the national offi
cers present: L. Hollingsworth Wood,
chairman, of New York City; John T.
Emlen, of Philadelphia, vice chair
man; Dr. George C. Hall of Chicago;
Mrs. Henry G. Leach of Philadelphia;
Miss Elizabeth Walton of New York;
Eugene Kincle Jones, executive secre
tary, and Henry G. Stevens.
The morning and afternoon ses
sions were held in the lecture room
of the Ginsberg library and the eve
ning sessions* at Bethel Methodist
church and the Second Baptist church.
Large audiences were present at all
the meetings and especially the night
sessions.
Live Subjects Discussed
Among the subjects discussed were:
“The Negro’s Industrial Opportunity,”
“Recreation and the Worker,” “Health
of the Worker,” “Housing of the
Worker,” “Training for More Skilled
Work,” “Organization of Negro Work
ers,” “Community Program for In
dustrial Efficiency” and “A National
Industrial Program.” The general sub
ject of which these were some of the
subdivisions was “Industrial Prob
lems of the Negro."
Some of the chief speakers were
Miss Elizabeth Walton, chairman New
York Urban league; Eugene K. Jones,
W. T. B. Williams of Tuskegee, supei'
visor of the Jeanne and Slater funds;
Dean William Pickens of Morgan col
lege; Walter A. May, president Pitts
burgh Urban league; Miss Josephine
Pinyon, New York; Dr. George E.
Haynes, J. G. Lemon of Savannah; Dr.
W. N. DeBerry of Springfield, Mass.;
Miss Eva D. Bowles and Miss Mary
McDowell, head University of Chicago
settlement.
The note struck by all the speakers
stressed again and again throughout
the conference was industrial prepar
edness and efficiency to take advan
tage of the present industrial oppor
tunity.
The conference fully demonstrated
the fact that thoughtful, earnest,
well- trained men and women of both
races, for both were in attendance and
took part upon the program—are
fully alive to the Negro’s industrial
opportunities and needs.
SAGAMORE HILL A
PILGRIMAGE CENTER
Funds Will be Used to Save This
Place as National Park.
EW YORK, Oct. 18.—William
Boyce Thompson, president of
the Roosevelt Memorial association,
on October 18th gave out the follow
ing statement from Charles E.
Hughes, former governor of New
York and ex-associate justice of the
supreme court of the United States,
who is an honorary president of the
association:
“I have a great desire that in all
that is done memorializing Colonel
Roosevelt, that there should be con
stantly impressed upon the succeed
ing generations of America, the hab t
of thought and the ideals of that man
as he actually was and walked among
us. If there is anything that has
rescued Washington from the mists
of an impossible legendary' character,
and brought him to us and enabled lib
in some way to reconstruct his life, it
is Mount Vernon and the picture ol
the conditions amid which he actually
lived. And in a future day, I have no
doubt there will be pilgrimages to
Sagamore Hill in equal number with
those that are made to Mount Vernon,
and in that community there may be
gathered various articles which will
illustrate his activities, and there will
be continued the atmosphere of his
home, and the place where he live<
among his neighbors, and in his hours
of retirement after his public services.
“But after all, we have this to con
sider. You can never perpetuate
memory by monuments; those whose
memory will ever abide, need no
monuments. Nothing can be done in
the way of tributes to the great; they
abide because they are great, they
abide because there is something in
their influence which humanity needs.
“There is an instinct in humanity
which goes out after the food of the
soul, just as there is an instinct in the
animal to go out after its natural
food, and those who have really
served, those who have enlarged our
conception of what the human mind
is capable of, those who have really
touched the hearts of the masses and
made the people feel that here is a
great man, kin to all—those can
never die; and I believe that Theodore
Roosevelt is one of those abiding per
sonalities.
“The invested capital of American
democracy consists in the memory of
her great leaders and servants, and
among those we put in the foremost
rank our old friend, Theodore Roose
velt.”
For Monitor office call Doug. 3224.
