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FREEDOMWAYS          THIRD QUARTER 1969

to attack every Negro in sight.  None was spared.  The conflict took on riotous proportions, and for hours the manhunt continued with stabbing, clubbing and shooting.

back to East St. Louis

Let my father take up the story again.

He had gone to work that day unaware of the seriousness of the trouble, but he soon learned.  The men quit work, as they were doing everywhere, and either went downtown to get in the ruckus or tried as best they could to keep out of it.

"There was only one thing for me to do," my father went on.  "That was to get to Belleville to Mom and you kids.  I first went to the boarding house to bundle up my clothes-I knew even then I wouldn't be coming back-and I walked downtown, or tried to, to get the interurban to Belleville.

"Not too far from the factory I ran into that fellow I was telling about, the one who could recite the Second Inaugural.  I said to him, "Good God man, get out of here.  Light out over the fields.  Get out, and get out fast."

"'I don't have a cent,' he said.

"Well, I had two dollars and a half.  I had to keep the 50 cents to get to Belleville, but I gave him the two dollars.  All I had.  

"'Take it,' I said. 'Take it and get out.'

"'But how will I get it back to you?' he said.

"'Hell,' I said.  'I ain't worrying about getting that two dollars back.  I just want you to get out of here.  Get out of here!'

"He took the money, and thanked me, and struck off through the fields.  Me, I kept walking to get to the interurban, still not knowing how bad things were getting.  Near downtown a policeman stopped me, and headed me around the block, to be safe, I guess.  But what did I do but walk right straight into that mob, coming full force!

"There was only one thing for me to do, join it.  The safest place then was right with that mob, and there I stayed, and that's how I really know what went on, better even than the reporters, better than anybody, for I was right there, in front of that mob.

"Now a mob's lost all reason.  Men and women in one do things you couldn't get them to believe they'd done.  They stuffed bodies down the sewers.  I know they did.  They hung men on telephone poles.  I saw them.  They burned the houses, and they shot Negroes when they ran out.  The police and the National Guard, it had been there even before the riot-did little or nothing.

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Transcription Notes:
---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-02-15 11:35:02