Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houston_Riot_(1917) http://users.hal-pc.org/~lfa/BB55.html http://www.houstontx.gov/abouthouston/exploringmemorial.html(Picture only) [rquoter]Wikipedia - The Houston Riot of 1917, or Camp Logan Riot, was a mutiny by 156 African American soldiers of the Third Battalion of the all-black Twenty-fourth United States Infantry. It occupied most of one night, and resulted in the deaths of four soldiers and sixteen civilians. The rioting soldiers were tried at three courts-martial. A total of nineteen would be executed, and forty-one were given life sentences.[/rquoter] [rquoter]Aulbach - The acts of violence took place in two locations along Buffalo Bayou. The first was the suburban residential community of Brunner, located on the north side of Buffalo Bayou and centered at the intersection of Washington Avenue and the modern Shepherd Drive. The second scene of rioting took place on the south side of Buffalo Bayou along San Felipe Road, now known as West Dallas Avenue, in a residential area of the Fourth Ward known as the San Felipe District. ....E. A. Thompson was among the first to be killed by the rioters, presumably near Washington Avenue. Adam R. Carstens, a 48 year old house painter with a large family, was shot and killed near Parker Street and Center Street. M. D. Everton, a member of Company H, 5th Texas Infantry, was found dead near Carstens. He had been shot in the liver and in the right shoulder, and he had been bayoneted in the abdomen.[/rquoter] [rquoter]Wikipedia - The condemned soldiers (one sergeant, four corporals, and eight privates) were transferred to a barracks on December 10. That evening, motor trucks carried new lumber for scaffolds to some bathhouses built for the soldiers at Camp Travis near a swimming pool in the Salado Creek. The designated place of execution was several hundred yards away. Army engineers completed their work by the light of bonfires. The thirteen condemned men were awakened at five in the morning and brought to the gallows. They were hanged simultaneously, at 7.17am, one minute before sunrise. The scaffolds were disassembled and every piece returned to Fort Sam Houston. The New York Times, impressed by the clean-up operations, observed the place of execution and place of burial were “indistinguishable.” Only army officers and County Sheriff John Tobin had been allowed to witness the execution. The area where Camp Logan was located is called now Memorial Park. It is bordered by highways I-10 and I-610.[/rquoter] This is the first time I am hearing about this.
I had to write a paper on this for a History class I was taking at Lee College for dual high school and college credit. It was the second to last thing I had to do graduate, the last thing was to pay the overdue library fees because the idiot librarian didn't record that I returned the book. In any case, I don't really think there's anything to see here. Some black troops who'd just been either overseas in WWI or in Mexico chasing Pancho Villa came to Houston and were severely mistreated, I believe one was even beaten up in public by a Houston policeman. Their response was to take up arms and basically invade the city. Racism bad; but the very worst thing that can happen in any stable society (free or otherwise) is for soldiers to attack and invade their own citizens. Everyone of those bastards who happen to be black should have been taken out back and shot in their black backs. It's probably unique for being the one race riot back then that was started by blacks, as opposed to just some pregnant white girl claiming she got raped and then all her neighbors burning down all the black owned businesses.
Well, they didn't get shot in their black backs, but did get hung by their black necks. There is a book about it by Haynes, A Night of Violence.
Great post. Pretty incredible how much history of city is "forgotten" or never even learned by people that have lived there for years. Thanks.
