$25,000 FIRE DAMAGE IN COLORED DISTRICT
Claim Republican Police Said, "They're Negroes Let 'Em Burn," As Hundreds Flee
Attitude Of Party To Negro Unchanged 
The opposition that has been stirred up by certain leaders of the Race, including several of our preachers who were first in sympathy with the independent movement, the breaking up of the Lincoln party meetings on the streets by ruffians of the race, the ridicule and villification of those who are taking the lead in the movement by paid hirelings and the large number of police scattered about the city to encourage those who are used to break up meetings held by their own people, and the arresting and attempt at intimidating colored men seen on the streets and known as opposers of the Republican party, and especially those who are known as sympathizers or workers of the Independant party, show that the Republican machine has things well in hand and that its henchmen and all who are engaged by them as tools and otherwise are well trained to do the machine work be it dirty or a little worse.
However, the police of the Republican party, Republican police have not been instructed to be any better or have any higher regards for the Negro or give any more protection to his property or to his rights as a [citizen?]. All that has been said and is [illegible] being said about the party by [illegible] who rightfully oppose it and [illegible] is being done to keep the [illegible] line, as desperate [illegible] the [illegible] in their [illegible] win the election November 8th, the Negro citizen is not treated any better and receives no more protection by the party police right in the middle of a hot political fight than he receives when there is no election in sight. In the neighborhood of Fifteenth and Sixteenth streets and Garland avenue and Kentucky streets early Sunday, with hundreds fleeing from a fire which caused a loss of more than $25,000, members of that community were amazed at the alleged words of a Republican policeman, "They're Negroes Let 'Em Burn."
Charges are also made that there was great delay in answering the alarm, that water could not be obtained from the nearest fire plug, and that when the hose was first laid it was too short.
Mrs. Ella Daniels Matthews, colored, who owned two houses destroyed, went to the firehouse at Twentieth street and Garland avenue Sunday morning and registered a complaint about the action of the firemen and police. The story of Mrs. Matthews is corroborated in many details by both colored and white residents of the neighborhood.
Two fire engines, they say, apparently failed to work, and ten minutes later a second alarm was sounded when the blaze began leaping from house to house.
Alois Arnold, vice president of A. Arnold & Sons, movers and packers whose loss is $18,000, estimated that nearly twenty minutes elapsed before the firemen got water on the fire.
Fire Plug Didn't Work.
Jack Parker, colored, living at 1529 Kentucky street, and Ella Matthews said that the first fire company stopped at a fire plug near the fire and after failing to get water hitched up the horses and drove a block away. This time, they said, they laid the hose too short and were obliged to turn the water off and splice on more hose. Many colored families began moving their effects, and it was then, according to the two that the policeman made his speech.
The blaze started in the garage in the rear of the home of George L. Sills, 1520 Garland avenue. Here a turing car valued at $1,500 was destroyed. The big stable in the rear of the home of Alois Arnold, 1528 West Kentucky, was soon in flames and residents sounded an alarm. Four big trucks with a total value of $12,000, and a valuable touring car were destroyed, together with many tires and tools. The blaze leaped the alleyway while neighbors tore down fences.
Many Homes Destroyed
The homes of Pankie Roberts, Horace Grudy and James Long, colored, living in the rear of 1627, 1529 and 1531 West Kentucky street, were destroyed. Two sheds on this side of the alley and trees and grape arbors took fire.
The blaze next leaped to an open place and destroyed the shed and chickenhouse of Mrs. Mary Browning, 1526 Kentucky street and burned the side of the stable of Mrs. Lena Rieger, 1624 Kentucky street.
Mr. Arnold and George Sills, whose places were destroyed, Mrs. George Lodenkemper, 1515 Garland avenue, and Ray Leatherman, a resident of the neighborhood, described the actions of the firemen yesterday. Many of the residents, say an employe of the Louisville Gar and Electric Company came to the rescue of the firemen and manned one of the fire engines when the water failed to start.
Delay in Answering
Harry P. Akin, of 1548 Kentucky street, says the department was twenty minutes in answering the alarm.
Mrs. Ben Heckman, his sister-in-law, sent in the alarm. The alarm box was pulled twice and when there was no response an alarm was sent in by telephone. 
Rosa Grundy, Lewis Brooks, and Ernest Beech say the department was twenty minutes getting to the fire. [Illegible] says that when the [illegible] too short and had to be unspliced and laid again.
This is the kind of service given colored people in a colored community, the most loyal group of the Republican party in Louisville and Kentucky, and yet some of these people, perhaps and others will continue to say the Independent party movement is wrong, they will continue to preach that the Republican party is the ship and all else the sea. But all right thinking Negroes, all those who have a spark of manhood running through their veins will go to the polls November 8th and register their disapproval by voting the straight Independent ticket.

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