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Hellraisers Journal – Sunday November 27, 1921
Excerpt from The Voice of the Negro by Robert T. Kerlin
Note: On Saturday we featured a review of Kerlin’s “Voice of the Negro,” which includes a section on the so-called “riot” at Elaine, Arkansas. This deadly event, which we refer to as the Elaine Massacre, was a bloody rampage led by the plantation class, initially against the Progressive Farmers and Household Union of America (sharecropper’s union) and later against the entire Afro-American community of Phillips County, Arkansas.
From Kerlin’s introduction to article:
The outstanding incident of the “Arkansas pogrom” was the slaying of the Johnston brothers. From The National Defender and Sun (Gary, Ind.), October 25, I take an article that appeared in substance throughout the colored press:
From The National Defender and Sun of October 25, 1919:
ALMOST ENTIRE JOHNSTON FAMILY IS MURDERED
BY FIENDISH HELL-HOUNDS OF ARKANSAS(Special to the Defender and Sun.)
Helena, Ark., Oct. 24. [1919]-The report that the four Johnston brothers who were outrageously murdered near Elaine, Ark., met death in a riot at the latter place, is not true. The four brothers, one of whom. Dr. L. H. Johnston of Cowweta, Okla., who was there visiting his other brothers, had been hunting and were peacefully returning home with their game when they were intercepted by a white man, supposed to be a friend of the Johnston boys, and told that a race riot was in progress in Elaine and advised them not to go in that direction, but to return to a point below Elaine, leave their guns to avoid suspicion, and take the train for Helena. After considerable persuasion on the part of their supposed white friend, the Johnstons followed his advice, trying to avoid trouble that they knew nothing of.
When the train on which they were riding en route to Helena reached Elaine, their good white “friend” led a mob aboard the Jim Crow coach and with guns drawn commanded the Johnston boys to throw up their hands, according to eye-witnesses, and in a few seconds had handcuffed three of the boys, evidently not recognizing Dr. L. H. Johnston as one of the brothers, and was marching them out of the train when Doctor Johnston spoke to the men, saying: “Gentlemen, these men are my brothers, and I want to know why you are taking them from this train.” In reply, one of the men said: “If you are their brother you’d better come along with them.” To this Dr. L. H. Johnston retorted: “Well, I will certainly go,” whereupon he was handcuffed, and the four forced at the point of guns to get in a waiting auto and hurriedly driven off. That night about eleven o’clock the bodies of the four brothers, riddled with bullets and mutilated with knives or other sharp instruments, were found by the roadside. They had been murdered in cold blood!
The perpetrators of this gruesome atrocity then issued a statement to the effect that one of the Johnstons took a gun from a deputy sheriff and killed him, causing the posse to fire on the four brothers, killing all of them instantly.
Mrs. Mercy Johnston, mother of the unfortunate quartette, who lived in Chicago in a home purchased for her by her sons, was at the time in Pine Bluff, visiting relatives. She accompanied by relatives and friends, her heart all but breaking over the sad occurrence, went to claim the bodies of her loved ones, that she might at least pay a mother’s last tribute, even though that should be in tears and heartache, but rank insult was added to injury when she was compelled to pay a ransom for the dead bodies. She paid the price, however, and followed the remains to their last resting place in Little Rock. The funeral was the biggest and most impressive ever seen in that city. No man was quite strong enough to look upon this terrible scene. The great wonder is that any black should witness such a scene and be free from that which makes men desperate.
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[Photograph and paragraph break added.]
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SOURCES
Quote Ed Ware, Song fr AR Prison, Fall 1919, Elaine Massacre, Ida B p6
https://archive.org/details/TheArkansasRaceRiot/page/n5/mode/2up
The Voice of the Negro 1919
-ed by Robert T Kerlin
New York, New York, 1920
https://archive.org/details/voiceofnegro191900kerl/page/n9/mode/2up
-page 90: re Murder of Johnston Brothers
https://archive.org/details/voiceofnegro191900kerl/page/90/mode/2up
IMAGE
Voice of Negro Kerlin Cover 1920
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044014273619
See also:
Hellraisers Journal – Saturday November 26, 1921
From the Chicago Broad Ax of November 19, 1921:
Mary White Ovington Reviews “The Voice of the Negro” by Robert T. Kerlin
National Defender and Sun (Gary, Ind. ; Milwaukee, Wis.) 1905-1923
https://www.loc.gov/item/sn83025598/
The Arkansas Race Riot
-by Mrs. Ida B. Wells-Barnett
Chicago, 1920
https://archive.org/details/TheArkansasRaceRiot/mode/2up
Chapter 6: “The Johnson Boys” (Johnston)
https://archive.org/details/TheArkansasRaceRiot/page/n23/mode/2up
Photos: Drs. D. A. E. and L. H. Johnston
https://archive.org/details/TheArkansasRaceRiot/page/n57/mode/2up
Photos: Corporal Leroy Johnston and Ida B. Wells-Barnet
https://archive.org/details/TheArkansasRaceRiot/page/n59/mode/2up
David Augustine Elihue Johnston (1878-1919)
https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/david-augustine-elihue-johnston-13521/
“Elaine Massacre Victim to Posthumously Receive Medals for Service in World War I”
-by Angelita Faller, Sept 13, 2018
Note: Scroll down for photo of 5 Johnston Brothers
https://ualr.edu/news/2018/09/13/leroy-johnston-medals/
Note: the above mentioned photo of 5 Johnston Brothers is from
The Chicago Defender of Oct 11, 1919
-scroll down to set of 5 photos and click on 2 of 5:
https://prospect.org/justice/arkansas-reparations-elaine-race-massacre/
Tag: Elaine Massacre of 1919
https://weneverforget.org/tag/elaine-massacre-of-1919/
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Battle Hymn of the Republic – Odetta
I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel
“As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal”
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel
Since God is marching on