RACE CARNAGE IN ILLINOIS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3012, 8 October 1908, Page 3

RACE CARNAGE IN ILLINOIS.

INEGRO QUARTER DESTROYED BY WHITES.

A "Central News" New York 'message says that telegrams from Springfield, Illinois, report that sanguinary rioting is in progress there, and that the town is practically under mob law. The trouble arose on Friday, August 14th, through a particularly brutal assault committed on a white woman by a negro, the news of which, quickly spreading, inflamed public . opinion against the large coloured population to such an extent, -that the police were powerless to cope with the situation. Bodies of armed . -men made an organised move on the negro quarters, from which the majority of the residents flew in terror, though many remained to offer resistance. Several of these possessed revolvers, and firing quickly became general. Early in the affray two white men were shot dead, a circumstance which Heedless to say, served to intensify hostility against the negroes. Whenever any of the latter fell into the hands of the avenging whites, they - were mercilessly beaten with sticks, or clubbed with revolver butts, while, as a perfect fusillade was going on all round, wounded persons were constantly dropping. The police appear to have made repeated efforts to quell the rioting, bat all were fruitless, and presently the rising of smoke and flame from several directions simultaneously indicated that the negro quarters had been fired. Before this, however, the maddened white 3 had practically t wrecked the entire district.

MOB FIRED ON BY TROOPS. Until Saturday morning the troops were powerless to check , the disorders. At last Governor Dencon, of Illinois, alter repeated warnings to the mob in support of what had already been said by the Mayor, ordered the troops to fire. At the first volley no one was injured, for the riflss were aimed high, but, this not serving to disperse the whites, the ssco.id volley, aimed at the legs of the crowd, injured scores. That for a tima checked the trouble. All the saloons in the district were ordered to be closed. Until mid-day on Saturd?y there was a lessening of the trojble, though fighting broke out in sone places. The negroes, having obtained arms, robbed and shot the assistant county treasurer, Mr W. Bowed, who is now in a hospital. The 4th Regiment having arrived, the authorities were at last able to ensure a thorough , patrol of the streets, and ta escort the terrorised blacks to the Normal i'ark, where they are now herded under military protection. FURTHER OUTBREAKS.

Munday m.orning's news from Springfield shows that, despite all the efforts of the authorities torestore order in the town, the race rioting continued. Fouv thousand txo hundred troop j, however, are now in the placs, and are slowly, but it is beiieved surely, getting the upper hand of the mob. Thousands of negroes are (lying from the town on foot and by tramcir and railroad. Th p black porters employed at the local railway stations have left their posts in terror, and quitted the neighbourhood. Two more of the negroes woundad in Friday's fighting have died, and many still remain in a very serious condition. A soecial jury is being empanelled for the purpose of thoroughly investigating the whole affair, and to adjudge the responsibility for the terrible happenings of the past few days. Governor Deneen now has 5,500 troops guarding the streets of Springfield, Illinois, and all serio'is rioting is at an end (says the Chicago correspondent of the "Post"). A special grand jury has been called to investigate the lawlessness of the pist two dv/s, ana two hundred arrests of alleged leaders in the riots have bsen made. The authorities declare that wherever the evidence warrants, convictions will follow, and the accused will be so dealt with ai to demonstrate that the negroes cannot be attacked with impunity. _ To emphasise th 3 srcnli foundation for the disorders, it lrinspired on Monday that Gsorge Richardson, tha nesjro who was arrested on Friday and partially identified as the man who assaulted Mrs Hailam, has been able to prove an alibi.