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About The monitor. (Omaha, Neb.) 1915-1928 | View Entire Issue (June 10, 1927)
s'iThe Monitor m ■A 00 , ? NEBRASKA’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF COLORED AMERICANS ** „/ THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLLAMS, Editor. $2.00 a Year—5 Cent* a Copy OMAHA, NEBRASKA, FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 1927 Vol. XII—No. SO Whole Number 620 WHITES; NOT NEGROES, CAUSE RIOT WHITE GIRLS LIE INCITED RACE RIOT AND NEAR LYNCHING Julia Mooney, High School Student, Who Claimed Negroes Assaulted Her and Her Companion I* Arrested ALLEGED ASSAILANT IS HELD County Authorities Charge That Girl Connived With Assailants Against Chum. Held Under Heavy Bond Coffeyville, Kans.—Determination of colored citizens of Coffeyville, Kansas, as they said in a statement through their own representative, "to clear the race of a guilt placed upon its member of a crime for which they are reasonably sure they are not responsible,” resulted in the arrest of a white girl and a white man here Monday, May 31. The former was held on a charge of be ing accessory and the latter on a charge of being perpetrator of an attack upon a 17-year-oid white girl which crime was charged to colored Americans. “The mob violence, arrests, damag ing publicity and other abuses heap ed upon colored Coffeyville citizens, as well as the detrimental effects on all colored Americans that grew out of the accusation placed on Negroes, will certainly all be revealed to have been gross injustice,” said the repre sentative of the colored citizens fol lowing the arrests. Married Man Arretted The white girl being held is Julia Mooney, lb-year-old room-mate of Margaret Akers, the girl who was attacked, on the night of the crime; the white man, Ira Kennedy, 30 year-old Wichita, Kansas, automo .bile salesman—a married man with four children. The girl alleged Tuesday night the police used third degree methods in an attempt to get her to change her original story in which she accused three “Negroes” of assaulting her and her companion in their bedroom on the morning of March 17. Kennedy protests he was not in Coffeyville the night specified in the charge against him. Both I have employed attorneys to defend them. They were still in jail Wed nesday in default of $40,000 bonds. Suit* Filed The original charge of the girls ] against three strange “Negroes” led to race rioting March 18, in which three colored persons were seriously injured and much property damage done in the colored section of the city. Suits for $35,000 damages have already been filed by three col ored persons who were injured by members of the mob, Hershel-Ford and Napoleon Anderson, asking $10,000 each, and Gus Hughes ask-1 ing $15,000. The first report spread in Coffey ville was that the two girls, who are both students in the Coffeyville high school, sleeping alone in a house here were attacked by three “Ne groes,” who gained admission by way of a window. Next day the city and surrounding country were alive with angry whites, mad for revenge on the attackers of their women. Negroes were pursued to their homes and attempts were made to storm the jail where three suspects were being held. Hardware stores were broken into and arms secured by the whites who attacked the colored district of the city after their efforts to storm the jail had been frustrated. A number of lynchings were perhaps only prevented by the brave stand of the colored citizens in fighting back the invaders and the timely ar rival of the national guArd detach ments. Only after the establishment of martial law was there any sem blance of quiet. Efforts, however, were made to frighten colored stu dents into staying away from the mixed school. Girl Joins Party With the failure of the girls to identify any of the colored suspects brought before them and facts re vealed by investigators of the crime, strong evidence was estab lished that Negroes did not commit the deed. Then came reports that white men, and not Negroes, were responsible for the trouble. It was told to authorities that Margaret Akers had said she was a guest that night of Julia Mooney and that the story about the Negroes had been made up after white men had been admitted to the house by the Mooney girl. The younger girl was reported to have protested against the men visit ing them and to have been persuaded by the older girl to join them in revelry. The next day the story about the Negroes was told. It is understood the authorities will make the charge that the older girl aided the white men in mistreat ing the younger girl. Demand Prosecution For several weeks after the race trouble, which followed the spread of the first story, it was whispered about Coffeyville that white men had been implicated in the affair. The fact that some of the men in the affair were married caused the scan dal to be discussed even more. A minister announced one Sunday that the superintendent of the Sun day school would make some revela tions concerning the affair in a talk the following Sunday, but when the next Sunday came, not a word was said publicly. The warrants on which the arrests j were made were sworn out by Walter S. Keith, city prosecutor. Bonds of $20,000 are asked for each of the two prisoners. The Mooney girl is a member of this year’s graduating class of the Coffeyville high school and was to have received her diploma with her classmates in commencement exer cises. The Akers girl is a member of a lower class of the high school. County authorities charge that Miss Mooney connived with the as sailants and that Miss Akers was an Kennedy, who has a wife and four children, denied the charges, declar ing that he was in Wichita the night of March 17. His wife corroborated his statement and said he was at the home of her mother at Augusta, Kan sas, that night. Mrs. Kennedy explained that she and her husband had occupied the house in which the attack occurred and that Miss Mooney was a roomer. Miss Akers, the younger of the girls often passed the night with her friend, Mrs. Kennedy said. YOUNG MAN QUICKLY FOLLOWS HIS MOTHER - I Henry Blackwell, aged 32, died , at the home of his sister, Mrs. Char-! les W. Dickerson, 2814 Ohio street, Saturday afternoon at 1 o’clock, af ter a few days’ illness. His mother,. Mrs. Missouri Blackwell, to whom he was unusually ■ devoted, died April 25. Always of rugged health and sturdy constitution, Henry complain ed of a bad cold Sunday night. A physician was called Monday and his condition did not seem very serious. Adverse conditions developed Wed nesday resulting in his death Sat urday. The funeral was held Mon day at 10 o’clock from Myer’s fu neral home, interment being in For est Lawn cemetery. Rev. John Al bert Williams officiated. He is sur vived by two brothers, Bert of Des Moines, la.; and Frank of Omaha; a sister, Mrs. Charles W. Dickerson and other relatives. WORLD POPULATION NEARLY TWO BILLION Boston, Mass.—The population of the world is estimated at 1,906,000, 000 in a report issued recently by the World Peace Foundation on the | basis of figures prepared by the league of nations. The report states that of the total population approximately 1,680,000, 000 persons occupy territory “with in the orbit of the league.’’ Approx imately 17 per cent of the total pop ulation, according to the report, were i nationals of states which do not be | long to the league. “The Challenge of Race Adjustments” Speech Delivered by Dr. George E. Haynes, Secretary of the Commission on the Church and Race Relations, Fed eral Council of Churches, at National Council of Congregational Churches at Omaha May 26th “The world war gave a tremen dous increase to the trend of Amer ica from agricultural pursuits to manufacturing, mechanical and com mercial occupations. This change in occupation was accompanied by a rapid movement of the population from the rural districts to the urban centers. Today between 50 and 60 per cent of our total population is an urban population. One-Tenth Population Negro “One person in every ten of the total population is a Negro. Negroes are part of the great urban industrial development. The migration of Ne groes to cities and to northern in dustrial centers during the world war was so outstanding a fact that it attracted the attention of all ob servers. This migration, however, of the Negro from the country to the city and from the south to the north had been going on for more than 40 years preceding. In 1920, 36 states and the District of Columbia had 6,000 or more Negro population, these numbers have increased every year since the last census. Of course, the large majority of the Negroes still reside in the southern states. While this is true, it is also a fact that the border states like North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio and Indi-* ana are increasing in their Negro population in proportion more rapid ly than the states farther south; in fact, as near as we can estimate, some of the states of the far south have had an actual decrease through migration of the Negro population, /mother significant fact in the situ ation is that the white population of the south has migrated to north ern industrial and commercial cen ters in larger numbers than the Ne groes. Between 1910 and 1920 more tnan twice as many white people mi grated to northern industrial and commercial centers as Negroes. The Race in industry “In the field of industry white and Negro workers by the thousands in i all of the northern and border cities i and in many of the southern cities aie in keen competition in the same occupations and often in the same in dustrial plants. The white worker to a large extent is organized in unions and workers’ associations. The j Negro to a large extent is unorgan ized except through his churches. 1 he organized white worker looks with prejudice born of fear upon the potential competition of the Negro! because he believes this means low-! er wages and less power to bargain and contend with his employer. The Negro worker, on the other hand, be cause he has suffered at the hands of white workers in the past is bus- j picious of them and cautious about | joining them in any organized way. Ambitious for Education “In the field of education the Ne gro is knocking for the door of op portunity to open wide as for other groups. The Negro today is just as ambitious for the education of his children—if not more so—as were the freedmen of the past generation. They are no longer dependent, how ever, upon mission schools and funds for that education. More and more Negroes are coming to the conviction that education should be furnished from public funds and in public schools. In the south where there are separate schools a crucial issue is one for a fair division of public school funds. That there can be lib eral-handed justice, fair play and j hearty co-operation by both races in the distribution of public school funds has been emphatically illustrated in the state of North Carolina, where during the past eight or ten years a liberal policy has been developed which provides for the education of ! the Negro citizens from college down to the lower school grades as justly as for the education of white citi zens. "The housing, sanitary and health conditions in the neighborhoods and communities into which these people come by the thousands must be faced and handled. Church Relation* “Another phase of racial adjust ment that may be mentioned as a challenge to America today is the racial relations within the churches themselves. Nine out of ten Negroes today who are members of churches are affiliated with distinctive Negro denominations and practically all the Negro members of denominations that have both white and colored ^members are grouped together in separate congregations; the result is that today we practically have a uni fied division along racial lines within the church itself. The Negro church in history, tradition, organized strength and financial support is by far the greatest institution the Ne groes themselves have and have built up. It is their very own by virtue of its history, the fidelity with which it has been supported and the en thusiasm it arouses. Most of the channels of group expression are more or less blocked, so that the, church has furnished a great outlet j for this expression. It is still the ! greatest agency for social adjust I ment for the Negro grou. The Church’s Business “It seems to me it is the business of the Church to stimulate white leaders to see that even-handed ju-s I tice and full recognition of Negro manhood day in and day out is the only sure road to sound democracy. Personality the Key “Let us remember in considering j this question that race relations are, above all, human relations, and the greatest factor in human relations is ; respect and sympathetic understand : ing and personality. Perhaps the I greatest difficulty today is the fact the white race has been entrusted for , so many centuries with dominant power over other groups that it is I difficult for white people to realize j that there is personality in other races demanding and expecting rec ognition and respect equal to that which the white man seeks for him self. The great problem is to secure that respect and recognition for per sonality which makes for co-opera tion and fellowship between racial groups. The Negro today has come 1.0 a realization of his own worth and a consciousness of his manhood which demands of his white fellow citizens full respect for his manhood and personality. He wants nothing more; he can be content with nothing less.’’ SOCIAL WORK GRADUATES . Atlanta, <ia. — Fourteen young women have received diplomas from the Atlanta School of Social Work, having completed a year of study and pracical experience in this field. The commencement address was de livered by Rev. W. W. Alexander, director of the commission on inter racial co-operation and the diplomas were presented by Prof. E. Franklin Frazier, retiring director of the school. SAYS MODERN MOTHERS AHt LACKING IN MODESTY Oakland, Cal.—The dress and manners of American women were denounced by Mrs. F. Langworthy of Chicago recently at the national '"n - -css of parents and teachers. Mrs. Langworthy said very few mothers are more modest than the younger girls. She defined an immodest dress as one that “draws attention to the hodv rather than to the personality of the wearer.” WHITE RAPISTS, NOT NEGROES, CAUSED RIOT IN COFFEYVILLE White Newspaper Now Admits the Charge Made by N. A. A. C. P. Attorney Last May New York, N. Y.—Charges made by Attorney Elisha Scott, retained by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in May, to the effect that white rapists, not colored, were responsible for the race riot of March 18 in Coffeyville, Kansas, are now admitted in a front page display story in the Coffeyville Daily Journal of May 30, which says: “Whites, not Negroes, were the bedfellows of Julia Mooney and Margaret Akers, Coffeyville high school girls, the night of March 17, the black letter night in the city’s history which led up to rioting, mob violence and bloodshed, if prosecu tions statrted by the state are based on justice.” As early as May 11, in response to telegraphic appeal from the Coffey ville branch, the national office of the N. A. A. C. P. wired Attorney Elisha Scott, asking him to go at once to Coffeyville. Mr. Scott on May 15 reported to the N. A. A. C. P.: “This case is of unusual impor tance because the Negroes made a stand, turned back the mob and sav ed the property of our folks. And it is a fact without dispute, that those two white girls that I have named, were not assaulted by Ne groes.” Mr. Scott, retained by the N. A. A. C. P., has undertaken the defense of two colored men, Anderson and Ford, who are charged with firing into the mob which ran riot in the Negro district. All of the white peo ple arrested in connection with the rioting have been .discharged. The N. A. A. C. P. is financing the case. According to the Coffeyville Daily Journal, Ira Kennedy, white, former automobile salesman, has been ar rested and charged with rape, and one of the school girl “victims,” Julia Mooney, is held charged with being an accessory to the attack up on her friend, Margaret Akers. “At least two other white men will be arrested, according to semi-offi cial predictions,” reports the Coffey ville Daily Journal. “It is alBO ru mored that persons alleged to have offered to use money in diverting the course of justice will feel the heavy hand of the law.” In the course of the riot, which followed the assault upon the white girls, a number of Negroes were brutally assaulted and beaten by the white mob, one at least being left for dead. Attorney Elisha Scott reports that the sentiment of the best white peo ple has ben sympathetic to the Ne groes. Mr. Scott’s report to the N. A. A. C. P. says in part: “The record shows that a white boy was shot through the hand and one fell to the ground and his shoulder was dislo cated and was beaten, but our inves tigation shows from rumors that can be relied upon, that at least three white men were killed, probably more.” The mob fired upon by colored men defending themselves “was stopped before they reached Ander son’s pool hall.” FLORIDA SHOULD PASS ANTI-LYNCHING BILL Tallahassee, Fla.—By a vote of 67 to 24, the Florida house of repre sentatives Tuesday passed an anti evolution bill after appending to it an amendment prohibiting the teach ing of evolution or kindred theories “as fact.” VETERAN COP RESIGNS Los Angeles, Cal.—A. N. P.—Al lan A. Watson, veteran race police officer resigned June 1, after more than 20 years’ service on the Los Angeles police force. Ill health, re sulting from a serious accident, was the cause. FRANTIC .... SUBDUED BY VOLLEY FROM MACHINE GUNS Two Killed and Many Hurt When 1,000 Storm Jail to Get a White Man Accused of Clubbing Fam ily of Five to Death Tampa, Fla.— (Special)—Fighting with “bulldog” tenacity first local officers and then national guards men made the most determined stand against mob violence that has ever been witnessed in this section in guarding the life of a white man who is charged with clubbing to death a family of five white persons as they slept in their beds. Casualties resulting from repeated efforts of 1,000 white men, women and children to storm the Hissbor ough county jail, where the alleged murderer, B. F. Levins, was thought to be confined, in the face of teare gas bomb barrages, rifle and ma chine gun fire was placed at two killed and fourten injured, several seriously. The mob members literally saw “red” when their bluff was called in their first effort to storm the jail where Sheriff Hiers had told them that the man they sought was not confined, but which they refused to believe, and to their astonishment . he actually directed his men to fire on a group as they stormed the jail. Several of their number were injured by the firing. Following this act the mob grew rapidly, hundreds of irate lawless whites coming to get the officer who dared to shoot a white man. The sheriff car was burned and jagged holes torn in the jail wall by the attackers. Only the arrival of the national guard after a hurried call perhaps saved the men in the jail. Even after the guardsmen ar rived it took the machine gun fire to retard the angry mob. FALLS TWENTY-FIVE FEET IN ELEVATOR SHAFT IN BANK Lovejoy Crawford, Messenger in United States National Bank Fractures Shoulder and Arm Lovejoy Crawford, messenger at the United States National bank, narrowly escaped death Wednesday morning when he fell a distance of twenty-five feet through an elevator shaft. His left shoulder and arm were badly fractured in the fall. He was rushed to St. Joseph’s hospital where the fractures were reduced and a careful examination was made for internal injuries which were at first feared. No internal injuries were found. Crawford was running the eleva tor in the absence of the regular conductor, Burns Scott, who was on his vacation. It is said that another employee ran the elevator to an up per floor in his absence. Crawford, not knowing this, opened the door and fell through the shaft. WILL STUDY KANYA AFRICANS ——— « New York, N. Y.—President Fred erick P. Keppel and Secretary James Bertram of the Carnegie corpora tion of New York, sailed for Havre last week, from this port, on their way to the Kanya colony and South Africa, where they will make a study of the educational organization. They will be away several months, Dr. Keppel said. RECEIVE GOLD MEDALS Bessemer, Ala.—Seventy-three col ored employees were among 116 miners who were honored by the Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad company recently for long time em ployment at Muscoda. Colored employees were presented with medals at a barbecuse Friday night, June 3, in the ball park at Muscoda. There were 73 colored employees, who had been with the company from 26 to 40 years, it is stated. HEAR PICKENS SUNDAY.