Death in a Promised Land (24 page)

48
. Gill, “The Tulsa Race Riot,” 55.

49
.
Ibid.,
49–51; Record of Commission Proceedings, City of Tulsa, July 26, p. 142, and July 29, 1921, p. 151.

50
. Gill, “The Tulsa Race Riot,” 71.

Chapter 4: Law, Order, and the Politics of Relief

1
. Mary E. Jones Parrish,
Events of the Tulsa Disaster
(n.p., n.p., n.d.), 224–25; interview with Seymour Williams, June 2, 1978, Tulsa; Tulsa
World,
June 1, pp. 1–3, and June 2,1921, p. 1; Tulsa
Tribune,
June 1, pp. 1–2, June 2, p. 1, and June 7, 1921, p. 4.

2
. Citizens Security Bank and Trust Company,
Ad Libs to Bixby History, 1924–1974
(n.p., n.p., n.d.), 61; interviews with W. D. Williams, June 7, 1978, Tulsa, and Robert Fairchild, June 8,1978, Tulsa; Clarence B. Douglas,
The History of Tulsa, Oklahoma: A City with a Personality
(Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1921), I, 623; Parrish,
Events of the Tulsa Disaster,
13–14, 37; Loren L. Gill, “The Tulsa Race Riot,” (M.A. thesis, University of Tulsa, 1946), 60, 67; Major Paul R. Brown to the Adjutant General of Oklahoma, July 1, 1921, Robertson Papers, Oklahoma State Archives; Tulsa
World,
June 3, 1921, p. 4.

3
. Tulsa
World,
June 3, p. 8, and June 6, 1921, p. 9; Tulsa
Tribune,
June 3, p. 1, and June 12, 1921, p. 13; Parrish,
Events of the Tulsa Disaster,
30–35, 43–47; Frances W. Prentice, “Oklahoma Race Riot,”
Scribner’s,
XC (August, 1931], 156; Gill, “The Tulsa Race Riot,” 57, 64, 66. Gill also reported that some whites secured the release of blacks who were not employed by them (p. 57).

4
. Minutes of Directors Meetings, Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, October 7,1921, in the offices of the Metropolitan Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, Tulsa; Parrish,
Events of the Tulsa Disaster,
14; Tulsa
Tribune,
June 8, 1921, p. 1; Tulsa
World,
June 2, pp. 1–2, June 3, pp. 1–2, June 4, p. 1, June 5, pp. 1–3, June 7, p. 9, and June 14,1921, p. 16.

5
. Tulsa
World,
June 9,1921, p. 7; Parrish,
Events of the Tulsa Disaster,
18; Halliburton,
The Tulsa Race War of 1921,
31; Gill, “The Tulsa Race Riot,” 60; Douglas,
The History of Tulsa,
I, 627; Minutes of Directors Meetings, Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, October 7, 1921.

6
. Interview with Robert Fairchild, June 8,1978, Tulsa; Gill, “The Tulsa Race Riot,” 71; New York
Times,
June 2, 1921, p. 1; Tulsa
Tribune,
June 1, 1921, p. 1; Tulsa
World,
June 2, p. 7, June 3, pp. 1, 13, June 9, p. 13, and June 15, 1921, p. 16.

7
. Charles F. Barrett,
Oklahoma after Fifty Years: A History of the Sooner State and Its People, 1889–1939
(Hopkinsville, Ky.: Historical Record Association, 1941], 213; Douglas,
The History of Tulsa,
I, 621–22; Captain Frank Van Voorhis to Lt. Col. L. J. F. Rooney, July 30, 1921, in Robertson Papers, Oklahoma State Archives; Tulsa
World,
June 1, pp. 1–3, June 2, p. 7, June 3, pp. 1, 13, June 4, pp. 1, 2, June 9, p. 13, and June 15, 1921, p. 16.

8
. Tulsa
Tribune,
June 2, p. 10, and June 10, 1921, p. 1; Barrett,
Oklahoma after Fifty Years,
215—16. Barrett listed only Field Orders No. 1–4 and 7. See also Tulsa
World,
June 4, 1921, pp. 1, 2.

9
. Barrett,
Oklahoma after Fifty Years,
215, 217; Tulsa
Tribune,
June 2, 1921, p. 10; Tulsa
World,
June 4, 1921, p. 1.

10
. Tulsa
World,
June 6, 1921, p. 2.

11
. Tulsa
Tribune,
June 3, 1921, p. 1; Barrett,
Oklahoma after Fifty Years,
215, 217.

12
. Minutes of Directors’ Meetings, Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, June 3, 1921, p. 148; Tulsa
Tribune,
June 3, p. 1, June 6, p. 3, and June 9, 1921, p. 11.

13
. Parrish,
Events of the Tulsa Disaster,
20, 35–36. The term “Home Guards” presents something of a problem for the student of the riot. In its proper usage, it refers to the civilian citizen defense organization organized in Tulsa—and else-where—in 1917 in response to the American entry in World War I, and not to the local National Guard units. Some evidence indicates that many of these “Home Guards” were “special deputies” during the riot. Interview with W. D. Williams, June 7, 1978, Tulsa. On the formation of the Tulsa “Home Guards,” see Tulsa
Democrat,
November 2, p. 1, and November 3, 1917, p. 1; Tulsa
Times,
October 31,1917, p. 1; and Tulsa
World,
November 3, 1917, p. 3. On the Inter-Racial Committee, see
Harlow’s Weekly,
December 10,1920, p. 15; Tulsa
Star,
November 27, 1920, pp. 1, 8; and January 1, 1921, p. 2; and Tulsa
Tribune,
June 23, 1921, p. 5.

14
. During the period under martial law, the legally sanctioned forces of “law and order” in Tulsa included the National Guard, the local police and sheriff’s forces, some three hundred uniformed veterans under the local American Legion post commander, and—for a short period—those men who were given special police commissions on the night of the riot. Douglas,
The History of Tulsa,
I, 623–24, 627; Tulsa
Tribune,
June 2, p. 1, June 6, p. 1, and June 17, 1921, p. 2; Tulsa
World,
June 3, p. 1, June 4, pp. 1, 2, 15, June 6, p. 1, and June 9, 1921, p. 11.

15
. Tulsa
Tribune,
June 2,1971 [sic], p. A7; Tulsa World, June 2, p. 1, June3, p. 8, June4, p. 4, June 6, p. 7, June 7, p. 7, and June 9, 1921, p. 9.

16
. Bell to Rooney, July 2, 1921, in Robertson Papers, Oklahoma State Archives; Douglas,
The History of Tulsa,
I, 627; Gill, “The Tulsa Race Riot,” 59n, 62, 66; Tulsa
World,
June 3, 1921, p. 9; Oklahoma City
Daily Oklahoman,
June 5, 1921, p. 4.

17
. Oklahoma Sun, August 3,1921, p. 3; Parrish, Events
of the Tulsa Disaster,
14–20, 24–27; Tulsa
World,
June 2, p. 7, June 10, pp. 7, 20, and June 24, 1921, p. 3.

18
. Tulsa
Tribune,
June 2, p. 1, June 4,1921, pp. 1, 6; Tulsa
World,
June 2, p. 7, June 3, p. 1, June 4, p. 1, June 7, pp. 1, 7, June 9, p. 8, and June 30, 1921, p. 14; Parrish,
Events of the Tulsa Disaster,
20; Douglas,
The History of Tulsa,
I, 623.

19
. Interviews with Seymour Williams, June 2, 1978, Tulsa, W. D. Williams, June 7, 1978, Tulsa, and V. H. Hodge, June 12, 1978, Tulsa; Tulsa
World,
June 6, pp. 9, 10, June 7, pp. 1, 2, June 8, pp. 2, 7, 15, and December 24,1921, p. 9; Parrish,
Events of the Tulsa Disaster,
20.

20
. Tulsa
World,
June 9, p. 1, June 12, p. 4, and June 15, 1921, P. 12; Oklahoma City
Daily Oklahoman,
June 3, 1921, p. 16; Administrative Files, Series F—“Tulsa, Oklahoma Riot Fund,” Box C-162, NAACP Papers, Library of Congress.

21
. Minutes of Directors’ Meetings, Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, June 15, 1921, p. 154.

22
.
Ibid.,
June 2, 1921, pp. 146–47.

23
. “The Tulsa Race Riots,”
Independent,
CV (June 18, 1921], 647.

24
. Tulsa
World,
June 4, p. 3, June 5, p. 1, and June 16,1921, p. 3; Gill, “The Tulsa Race Riot,” p. 69.

25
. In the end, however, it appears that the Executive Welfare Committee did turn over some $26,000 which it had accumulated to the Red Cross. The Tulsa
World
also raised some $5,600 for relief work. Tulsa
World,
June 3, pp. 1, 8, June 4, pp. 3, 9, 13, June 9, p. 9, June 13, p. 4, June 15, p. 4, June 16, p. 3, and June 1, 1921, p. 8; Douglas,
The History of Tulsa,
I, 623; Walter White to J. A. O. Preus, October 25, 1921, Civil Case 1062, Oklahoma State Attorney Generals Collection, Oklahoma State Archives; Gill, “The Tulsa Race Riot,” 68–69; Tulsa
Tribune,
June 11, 1921, p. 2.

26
. Record of Commission Proceedings, City of Tulsa, June 14,1921, pp. 24–26; Minutes of Directors’ Meetings, Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, June 15, 1921, pp. 154–56; Tulsa
World,
June 15, pp. 1, 7, and June 16, 1921, pp. 1, 2; Tulsa
Tribune,
June 14, pp. 1, 2, and June 15, 1921, pp. 1, 11.

27
. Tulsa
Tribune,
June 3, p. 1, June 19, p. 1, and June 29,1921, p. 5; Tulsa
World,
June 3, p. 1, June 6, p. 2, June 24, p. 2, June 29, p. 16, July 8, p. 9, and July 29,1921, p. 3; Douglas,
The History of Tulsa,
I, 624.

28
. Fire Ordinance No. 2156 affected white property owners in the burned district as well. Tulsa
World,
June 8, p. 2, June 10, p. 17, and July 10, 1921, p. 17; Tulsa
Tribune,
June 7, 1921, p. 1; White to Preus, October 25, 1921, in Oklahoma State Attorney Generals Collection, Oklahoma State Archives.

29
. Record of Commission Proceedings, City of Tulsa, June 14, 1921, p. 25; Tulsa
World,
June 15, 1921, pp. 1, 7.

30
. Minutes of Directors’ Meetings, Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, July 1, p. 162, July 15, p. 171, July 18, pp. 173–74, July 19, p. 175, and, July 22, 1921, no pagination.

31
. Minutes of Directors’ Meetings, Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, August 19, 1921, p. 204.

32
. Record of Commission Proceedings, City of Tulsa, June 28, p. 63, and August 26, 1921, pp. 231–33. During the August 26 meeting, the City Commission passed Fire Ordinance 2182, which was said to be “especially repealing ordinance no. 2156,”
ibid.,
p. 233. The author was unable, however, to detect any really significant difference between the two as they affected black Tulsa, as published in the Tulsa
World:
June 10, 11, 12, August 30, 31, and September 1, 1921.
Tulsa City Directory, 1921
(Tulsa: Polk-Hoffhine Directory Co., 1921).

33
. Parrish,
Events of the Tulsa Disaster,
20; Tulsa
World,
June 23, 1921, p. 16; Tulsa
Tribune,
June 9, p. 3, and June 19, 1921, p. 1.

34
. Tulsa
World,
August 15, p. 1, August 26, p. 3, and September 2, 1921, p. 1; Tulsa
Tribune,
March 19,1959, p. 41; interview with Mrs. Mozella Jones, June 20,1978, Tulsa.

35
. Record of Commission Proceedings, City of Tulsa, June 14, 1921, pp. 23–26.

36
. The Reconstruction Committee appointed some nine sub-committees to “help” black Tulsans, including an “industrial and railroads” sub-committee; what these groups did, if anything, could not be determined. Tulsa
World,
June 17, p. 7, June 18, p. 14, June 23, p. 16, and June 25,1921, p. 16; Tulsa
Tribune,
June 27,1921, p. 5; Record of Commission Proceedings, City of Tulsa, June 29, pp. 68–69, June 30, pp. 70–71, July 8, p. 97, July 15, p. 115, August 30, p. 235, September 27, p. 297, December 2, p. 486, December 30, 1921, p. 567, and January 27, 1922, pp. 79–80.