HALTED A NEGRO PARADE. ~ Laundry Wagon Driver Was Roughly Handled by Negroes.

August 28, 1909
HALTED A NEGRO PARADE.

Laundry Wagon Driver Was Rough-
ly Handled by Negroes.

During the parade of the negro Knights of Pythias yesterday morning at Twelfth and Central streets a small race riot took place when W. S. Jarboe, a driver for the Fern Laundry Company, accompanied by his wife, tried to drive his wagon in the direction that the procession was marching. His horse was seized by several negroes and others drew the wagon to one side. The excitement subsided of its own accord before the arrival of police from headquarters. Sergeant Robert Smith, in command of the squad, decided that the trouble had been magnified and returned to the station without making any arrests.

After the trouble had subsided and the parade had passed, Jarboe and his wife drove to police headquarters and made a complaint to Daniel V. Howell, assistant city attorney. A warrant was issued for the arrest of George Thompson, a negro lawyer who was leading the parade, and who first seized the horse which Jarboe was driving. The warrant was served last night and the case will be tried in the municipal court this morning.

"I'm not injured -- except my feelings," said Mrs. Jarboe, as she told her trouble to Attorney Howell.

Spectators, both whites and negroes, agree that Jarboe used considerable indiscretion in trying to drive his horse up the line of the parade. Even after the police had arrived and the horse had been rehitched to the wagon, Jarboe had to be restrained from whipping his horse into the mob of persons that were lined along the curbing.

There was very little excitement, considering that it was purely a racial affair, and the parade did not stop. There was no interference on the part of the "armed knights." Mrs. Jarboe was not injured, aside from her feelings, as she admitted to Mr. Howell.