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THE N.A.A.C.P.

THE NEW YORK BRANCH.

Though the headquarters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People are in New York, the Association has for some time felt the need of a New York branch, in order that the national organization might devote all its energies to the whole field and not dissipate them by too much attention to the local problems of New York. As a result the New York branch was formed last winter with the following officers: President, Mr. J. E. Spingarn; vice-president, Bishop Alexander E. Walters; recording secretary, Mrs. F. R. Keyser; corresponding secretary, Miss M. W. Ovington.

The branch proceeded immediately to organize its work and to spread the propaganda of the Association. Meetings have been held in various places, especially in colored centers, in order that the colored people of the city might themselves be brought to realize the need of organization and effective work. Several important cases have been investigated, with more or less satisfactory results. One of the most interesting is the Mingo case.

William Mingo, a colored man of good character, living at 351 West 36th Street, was hired by the Walwood Wine Company as teamster and driver in place of a white man who had to be discharged because of continual periods of intoxication. The stable at which the Walwood company put up its horse and wagon is in 38th Street, where most of it, if not all, the other wagons and teams were driven by white men. In addition to these a very rough crowd or gang of white men made it their headquarters for lounging.

As soon as Mr. Mingo took up his work all kinds of threats were made against him, not only by the discharged employee but by the gang in sympathy with him. They repeatedly stole things off of his wagon, followed it and purloined goods when he would be on the inside of places delivering orders. This of course, was much to Mingo's annoyance and to the discomfiture of his employers.

On Saturday evening, June 3, when he was driving his wagon to the stable, Mingo was attacked by this crowd of hoodlums, but as he was carrying a hatchet from the store to the stable in order to mend his harness, he held them off until the stable was reached. Putting up his horse, he came out with his wife, who is an intelligent woman and who in the meantime had joined him.

When in the middle of the block and near Eighth Avenue, he was struck on the head by one of this gang. Immediately his wife screamed, "Help! Murder!" and he started to run for the store pursued by the gang, now augmented by large numbers who saw him running. Just as he reached the store and turned to open the screen door so that his wife, who had been running behind him, might enter, a policeman who had been following on a bicycle got off his wheel, and running to the middle of the sidewalk, deliberately, and without any provocation, shot Mingo twice. The man fell half way into the store, and as soon as possible an ambulance was called and he was taken to the New York Hospital, where his wound was pronounced serious, but where he rallied more swiftly than had been deemed possible.

The policeman, to justify his action, sent in a report that Mingo had the hatchet raised to strike him and that he shot in self-defense. The case came before the Magistrate's Court, 314 West 54th Street, on July 3, Judge Kernochan presiding. The policeman's testimony in many instances contradicted that of the defendant's best witness, Mrs. Mingo, and the judge declared the case should go before the Grand Jury. This will be, probably, some time in September. In the meantime Mingo is out on bail.

The Association secured the attorney, Counselor William Smith, to defend the case and intends to do all in the power to see that justice is secured.

The branch feels that it is especially important to fight the Mingo case to a final conclusion, in order that the police of New York may be made to realize the rights of colored citizens.

Very typical is the Mitchell case: Robert Mitchell was walking along 150th Street, near Walton Avenue, the Bronx, when two young white women suddenly turned a corner, and surprised, probably, by seeing a Negro, screamed. Mitchell was attacked at once by two white men, and seeing that he would not be able successfully to ward them off, he started to run. The two white men were joined by others until he was pursued by hundreds, beaten and kicked and cuffed and knocked down until he sank helpless in a doorway through which he was attempting to escape for refuge.


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He would undoubtedly have been beaten to death had it not been for Mr. John Huble and Mr. Arthur Graham, two white men, who successfully warded off the crowd, fighting the crowd back and themselves receiving very rough treatment until the police officer appeared. Instead of the officer arresting some of his assailants or commissioning Mr. Huble and Mr. Graham to do so as citizens, he blew his whistle, and upon the arrival of other officers, Mr. Mitchell was taken to jail where his wounds were dressed by a physician, who had accompanied the officers and who was returning from a visit, Dr. Hall.

By the evidence of a Mr. Gregory, a white man, who fortunately had seen the whole thing, the evidence of the girls that Mitchell had sprung at them was so thoroughly discredited that Mitchell was discharged. Mr. Gregory was passing on the other side of the street and saw Mitchell leisurely walking along when the girls turned the corner.

The case was investigated by Mr. MacNeal, 219 West 63d Street, who secured Mr. Gregory's attendance at court, as well as that of the other witnesses.

This case illustrates the proposition which has been laid before the Police Commissioner that in the cases where hoodlums are attacking colored men, whenever the officers arrive and have to beat back the crowd, a number should be arrested, even if at the point of revolvers, in order that charges of felonious assault may be brought against them. District Attorney Whitman has promised to prosecute to the utmost extent of the law any bona fide case of these outrages that come within his province. 

But the most important work of the branch has been the creation of a New York Vigilance Committee for the immediate investigation and relief of all cases of outrage or discrimination of colored people in Greater New York and its vicinity. The executive chairmanship of this committee has been entrusted to Gilchrist Stewart, whose work in the Brownsville investigation is well known.

The committee will welcome all factions and sections of the community to its membership, regardless of their affiliation with the national organization or local branch, and will make every attempt to stop the outrages which have been perpetrated against colored people in this city.

The city has been divided into districts, each with its "captain," who is to report all cases of injustice immediately to the executive offices. A corps of voluntary investigators is also being formed. A campaign of publicity will soon be started, so that all colored people in the city may realize that in case of trouble they should immediately communicate their case to the committee.

The New York Vigilance Committee will feel that its work has been successful when every colored man and woman in the city has come to feel that their rights are safeguarded by a disinterested and responsible body which will leave no means unemployed to give them justice.

THE OKLAHOMA LYNCHING.

After the lynching in Oklahoma of a colored woman and her child the Association sent a letter to the Governor of Oklahoma commenting on the horror of the action and expressing the association's belief that the State would bring the guilty parties to justice. The following reply was received from Governor Cruce. With his permission we print it in full:

June 9, 1911.

Mr. Oswald Garrison Villard, Chairman of Ex. Com. of National Assoc. for Advancement of Colored People, New York City.

My Dear Sir:

I was out of the city when your letter of the 27th ult. reached my office, and have had no opportunity to reply to it until this date. 

With reference to the lynching of the Negro woman and boy at Okemah, to which you call attention, I beg to state, that immediately after this lynching the District Judge of that district called a Grand Jury investigation to try to apprehend the perpetrators of this outrage. The result has not been satisfactory, but the effort is still being made and will continue to be made to apprehend the guilty parties.

It is not a question of the civilization of our people, as you seem to think. In this connection, permit me to state to you, that our people are just as highly civilized as the people of New York; in fact, more highly civilized than the masses of your people. There is not a State in the Union that can boast of a citizenship more cultured than Oklahoma when you take its population as a whole. With our Negro population eliminated we can show a higher percentage of literacy than most of the States in the Union.

It was simply a question of passion and race prejudice that resulted in the unfortunate lynching of the Negro woman and boy. An officer in the discharge of his sworn duty was wantonly shot to death by this woman and her son. I thoroughly agree that there was no justification for this lynching, and as Governor of the State I shall do everything it is possible for the Chief Executive to do see that those who are guilty are brought to punishment.