CampLogan1917

Promptly at ten o'clock on Thursday morning, November 1, 1917, the court-martial of Sergeant William A. Nesbit and sixty-two other members of the Third Battalion, Twenty-fourth Infantry, convened in Gift Memorial Chapel at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. Despite the strong objections of many local citizens who thought it inappropriate to try "the Houston rioters" in the beautiful new chapel, the trial took place there primarily because it was the only building large enough to accommodate a court

There were three courts-martial associated with the, "Camp Logan Mutiny and Riot of 1917. They were referred to as the: Nesbit Court Martial (The 1st court martial) Nov. 1, 1917

Allbritton's Cafeteria on Waugh Drive was my all time favorite cafeteria in Houston, Texas. Sonny ran as good a business and restaurant as you'd ever want to imagine. The food was outstanding, the servings were generous, the help all had double digit longevity, the atmosphere was like home and you were never a stranger because Sonny had something nice to say to everyone. Their holiday meals like Thanksgiving was not to be missed with unique dishes like a combination pumpkin pie on top with a mince meat pie on the bottom. It was a sad day on the last day they ever served a meal in Houston on July 4, 1996 because they were truly a Houston Institution and were a throwback to a time when businesses valued their customers and you knew it as a customer! CampLogan1917

plumber2, I am still trying to identify where that old wooden structure was located. This is the link to the photo and the statement, "The structure in the picture is all that remains from Camp Logan." Last Structure of Camp Logan. I do have a couple of old timers I am talking to that I sent that photo to that are trying to ID that building. Admittedly, the posting on this photo and statement dates to "Oct. 3, 2003" but I will continue to research it. CampLogan 1917

I could not agree more, MadMax. Marguerte Johnston did a magnificent job on this book. As a matter of fact she did such a good job that I was hoping she had written a HOUSTON: The Unknown City 1946 - The Present but alas she did not and no one could do it the way she did with her "signature" style. One of the reasons she did such a good job on this book is because she had unique access to the key families in the drama. The basis of this unique access is that Marguerte Johnston came from that circle of Houston Citizenry which gave her a special and unique perspective for chronicling this story. But, let's not forget that she had a fine writing style, also. CampLogan1917

NenaE, The Sanborn Maps are available on line but with the project I'm on at work I can only access New York and Michigan because they require separate passwords. So, it will take someone that has access to the Sanborn Maps for Texas to access the maps for Camp Travis, Fort Sam Houston, Camp Logan and the area outside of Camp Logan where the rioters traveled. Hopefully someone will post them. CampLogan1917

Since I am having such a difficult time coming up with photos of the events surrounding this incident then let me start by painting some "images of the mind" with some of the most grizzly images like the actual execution of the Rioters or Mutineers. The authoritative book on the topic is called, "A NIGHT OF VIOLENCE: The Houston Riot of 1917" by Robert V. Haynes. He starts off the book with the 1st chapter titled, "The Execution" which is just what it says the execution of the 1st round of Rioters and Mutineers that have been found guilty by courts martial at Fort Sam Houston. The book is very hard to find and when you do find a copy of it it is usually in excess of $100 and more than likely $200 or $300 for 1 copy. So, here goes the 1st 7 pages of the book decribing the execution. "> ">"> This photograph is from the Library of Congress and it is an Aerial View of Camp Travis which is adjacent to Fort Sam Houston at that time was located on the east side of San Antonio, Texas. The photo is a very good photo that was taken in 1917 just about the time of the executions of the 1st round of Rioters/Mutineers. I'm not familiar enogh with the topography to be able to make out where the executions took place. Maybe there are those out there with more familiarity with the location that could pinpoint the location if indeed it is in this photo. I don't know how they work and if Sanborn Maps were used in Texas back in 1917 but for those that have access to them it would be interesting to see the Sanborn Maps of Camp Travis, Fort Sam Houston, Camp Logan, and the areas along the route of the Rioters. Since the large panoramic view did not zoom in large enough to make out the detail I decided to cut up and enlarge the panoramic view so hopefully we can see more and better detail. Here are the three pieces left to right. Left Center Right Thanks for listening. CampLogan1917

Just FYI I changed the name of this thread from, "Camp Logan" to "Camp Logan Riot/Mutiny of 1917" because it is now much more descriptive of the intent of this thread than it was with its old title. There was also some confusion between this thread and the thread titled, "Camp Logan Pictures" which has a totally different intent as I see it. "Camp Logan Pictures" is just that pictures of Camp Logan and my interest is in raising the consciousness about the Riot or Mutiny that took place surrounding the incident that took place starting at Camp Logan and spreading out onto the streets of Houston. The real intent is to get the photos that exist but are not readily available during the riot, the rioters, the victims, the courts martial(s), the sentencing, the stockade where the condemned were held, the transportation to the execution site, the execution site, the execution itself, the dead soldiers, graves and location of the graves. After all there are photos of the execution of the conspirators in the Abraham Lincoln assassination surely there must be photos of this incident and all that I have outlined above. I believe there has been a lid placed over this incident that is keeping the inflammatory photos away from the public eye. The reason I say this is because I have seen a number of the photos I have mentioned but they have been part of private collections and commercial video enterprises. This incident is something that involved the U.S. government, the U.S. military and a municipality in the State of Texas and it's hard for me to believe that these documents and or photos are not available somewhere to be viewed by U.S. citizens. Again, I would encourage anyone that has photos of any and all the steps I enumerated above to please post them on this thread for all of us to see. CampLogan1917

Whitesman, Good points you made concerning the "Mutiny" book and the other book about "Memorial Park, with a chapter about the riots, but with no pictures, just a map of the march route." In addition I have the book, "Houston: The Unknown City 1836 -- 1946" which I have posted on this thread without any photos, also. Your suggestion about Mike Kaliski's video about the Buffalo Soldiers along with bauhausmedia dot, that hosted the making of the video possibly knowing might be a good lead. I will research an email address for either of them and ask them the question directly. We do know there are photos of the milestones surrounding the incident because they are in the video. It's amter of where those photos are and how to access them. Many of the photos we are looking for are probably in the Houston Public Library Archives but unfortunately I'm in the Middle East right now and can't get there. Thanks for the thoughts and interest, Whitesman! CampLogan1917

Just FYI! I think I am starting to get the picture, no pun intended, about why I am not seeing many or any pictures of the Camp Logan Mutiny of 1917 I have been asking about i.e. the Camp Logan mutineers courts martial proceedings, either the 1st or subsequent courts martial, the gallows, and/or photos of the executions, burning of the gallows after the executions and possibly the graves at Fort Sam Houston where the mutineers were buried. It's because there are either no photos of the kind that I have been looking for, they are being so closely held by the Army or they are so obscure that they are hard to come by. I have found the people on this website to be some of the best researches you will find anywhere yet so few or maybe none of those photos have turned up by HAIF contributors. I know that some of those photos exist because I have viewed the video of the PBS special on this topic and have seen some of them. To carry this a step further many years ago I read a copy of "The Night of Violence" by Robert V. Haynes and I remember even years ago having problems getting my hands on a copy of this book. Finally, I had to get a copy of this book through intra-library loan from the University of Michigan and I was living in LA at the time. Recently, I did a search for this out of print book and found it on Amazon.com used for upwards of $100 per copy which I purchased one. And, to my utter surprise there was not one photo in the entire book about, "The Houston Riot of 1917"! There were only 4 hand drawn maps of routes and related locations of the riot and rioters. So, once again, I ask members of HAIF to contribute any of the photos of interest I have mentioned if they have them in their possession. Thank you. CampLogan1917

Taken from "Houston, a History and Guide" Visit This Website Still looking for and haven't found anymore photos of the "Mutiny of 1917"! CampLogan1917

Whitesman, Thank you! That's a great photo of the Texas Historical Commission Camp Logan Historical Marker. Where exactly did you find that marker? I looked but I couldn't find it. Thanks, again. CampLogan1917

Does anyone have any photos of the Camp Logan mutineers courts martial proceedings, either the 1st or subsequent courts martial, the gallows, and/or photos of the executions, burning of the gallows after the executions and possibly the graves at Fort Sam Houston where the mutineers were buried? If you do would you consider posting them on this thread for all of us to see? I'm sure these pictures exist somewhere it's just a question of where and who might have them. Thank you ahead of time. CampLogan1917

Whitesman, Thank you for pointing out that I was remiss in not acknowledging Mr. Kevin Jackson for the wonderful work he did with photos, topo and dialog. This has really become a fascinating search and adventure for a piece of Houston history associated with Camp Logan. Thank you Mr. Kevin Jackson for all of your contributions to this very interesting thread. CampLogan1917

Whitesman, What fabulous 1st hand research on the ruins of Camp Logan you did. I was fascinated by the photos and your words describing your search and adventure along with the topo map, Google Map and your insights about something that existed so long ago. CampLogan1917

"> "We met an automobile with a white man in it. They stopped him and Sergeant (Vida) Henry told the white man to get out of the car, but he did not get out, and all the soldiers that was up in front shot the man. I judged that about 50 shots were fired at the man." This was a sworn statement Leroy Pinkett, an Army private, gave to Houston police. On this day in 1917, a group of soldiers assigned to Camp Logan marched down Washington Avenue, Shepherd Drive, continued along what is now West Dallas, past Montrose and stopped near Valentine Street, where Founders' Cemetery is located today. Along the way, Houston police officers fired on the troops and vice versa. A few Houstonians, curious about the commotion, were shot dead or bayoneted. Although tensions between the soldiers and police officers had been strained since the soldiers' arrival earlier that summer, it was rumors over the treatment of an off-duty military policeman that sparked the riot. Rather than restate the specifics of what happened that evening, I've listed some other sites that go into more detail about the event below. But let's not forget the end results. Five Houston police officers were killed in the melee: Rufus H. Daniels, mounted police officer E.G. Meinke Horace Moody Ross Patton, mounted police officer Ira D. Raney, mounted police officer Four soldiers were killed: Capt. J.W. Mattes Sgt. Vida Henry M.D. Everton Bryant W. Eight Houstonians were killed: Eli Smith "Senator" Satton, barber E.M. Jones Earl Finley, age 16 A.R. Carstens, painter Manuel Garredo Fred Winkler, age 19 C.W. Wright Military tribunals indicted 118 enlisted soldiers for their part in the riot. Of those, 110 were found guilty. Nineteen mutinous soldiers were hanged, 63 received life sentences and one was judged not competent to stand trial. No white civilians were brought to trial, the Handbook of Texas reports. Credited to: The old Bayou City History at:http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://img92.imageshack.us/img92/3012/ww1xi7.jpg&imgrefurl=http://bayoucityhistory.blogspot.com/2006_08_01_archive.html&h=689&w=500&sz=267&hl=en&start=72&um=1&usg=__CIN_ZRdi8cpFpS7uqpr4MUBOnhc=&tbnid=ypIHW-WLie6grM:&tbnh=139&tbnw=101&prev=/images%3Fq%3DHouston%252Btexas%252Bcamp%2Blogan%252Bhistoric%2Bmarker%252Bphoto%26start%3D54%26ndsp%3D18%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26channel%3Ds%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN I have combed the web as much as I know how to find a photo of the Texas Historical Marker for the Camp Logan Riot/Mutiny of August, 1917. If anyone has a photo of this marker I would appreciate them posting it in this thread. CampLogan1917

It's interesting to see all the Camp Logan photos and post cards but I'm still looking for photos related to the Camp Logan Riot or Mutiny, participants, officials, victims, Houston residents, aftermath, courts martial, executions and grave sites. So, I hope there are folks out there with these kinds of photos that would like to post them on this thread. CampLogan1917

Major General John Wilson Ruckman, whose name was already a mainstay in the nation's leading newspapers, had drawn exceptional attention to himself by building a set of gallows overnight and sending thirteen soldiers to their death at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. The hangings were in relation to courts martial following the Houston Riots of 1917. CampLogan1917

Were there Sanborn Maps for Texas? If so maybe if someone has access to them they might show if there was a cemetery located anywhere near the above mentioned location. And, if there are not Sanborn Maps for Texas I'm sure there must be some other kinds of maps used for insurance purposes. What do you think? I'm sure the architects and builders on this site would know. CampLogan1917

I don't have any idea about either of your question -- where this location is and when it was torn down. Maybe someone that has knowledge of those two questions can post the answer to them on here. That way maybe we can get some participation going. Kevin Jackson, you mentioned that you have upwards of a dozen photos on this topic. I would encourage you to post them here if you are of a mind to. Thanks. CampLogan1917

On August 23, 1917, two white policemen arrested a black soldier for interfering with their arrest of a black woman. When a black MP inquired about the soldier's arrest, words were exchanged, & one of the policemen struck the MP. The MP fled; & while fleeing, the MP was fired upon. The MP was pursued into an unoccupied house, where he was arrested & brought to police headquarters. Despite a quick & unhindered release, a rumor rapidly reached Camp Logan that the MP had been shot & killed. After several minutes of mounting tension, the rumor mill brought word to camp that the MP was in fact alive but being held unlawfully. After intense debate, a group of soldiers conclude to march onto the police station in Fourth Ward & secure the MP's release. If the police could assault model soldiers like the military police, they reasoned, none of them were safe from abuse. Realizing something foul was afoot, the white officers of the company ordered the collection of all rifles & loose ammunition. During this process, word of an approaching white mob struck fear into the hearts of the men. In a wild scurry to defend themselves, the soldiers rushed into the supply tents, grabbed rifles & ammunition, & then embarked on a two-hour march into the city, hoping to curb the mob. The white officers found it impossible to restore order. Over a 100 armed soldiers marched into the Fourth Ward, where they encountered the mob: members of which consisted of Klansmen & supporters, police officers, & members of Houston's elite white class, who saw armed blacks as a threat to their ruling order. There was an intense exchange of fire, lasting for several minutes, which resulted in the death of many people. The structure in the picture was the last remains from Camp Logan but it is gone, too, now. CampLogan1917

I guess I'm not going to get any help with the heavy lifting today so here goes. Hopefully somebody will come along and get inspired with me and help. In the spring of 1917, shortly after the United States declared war on Germany, the U.S. Army ordered the construction of Camp Logan, to facilitate the training of American soldiers. The black 24th Infantry Company was ordered, on July 27, 1917, to guard the construction of the site. The company was stationed in the state of Illinois; a majority of the men had been born & raised in the south & were familiar with segregation, but as army servicemen, many figured, inequality wouldn't be an issue. From the very onset, the black soldiers faced racial discrimination when they received passes to go into Houston. The established elite of the city, & those sworn to protect it-the police & other public officials-viewed the presence of black soldiers as a threat to racial harmony. A large majority of white Houstonians feared that if the black soldiers were shown the same respect as white soldiers, black Houstonians would expect & demand similar treatment. Feeling unsupported, the black soldiers were willing to abide by the legal restrictions imposed by segregated practices, but they resented the manner in which the laws were enforced. They disliked having to stand in the rear of streetcars when vacant seats were available in the "white" section & resented the racial slurs hurled at them by white laborers at Camp Logan. Some police officers regularly harassed African Americans, both soldiers & civilians alike. Most black Houstonians concealed their hostility & endured the abuse, but a number of black soldiers openly expressed their resentment. When ways to keep the enlisted men at the camp were attempted, the blacks disliked this exchange of their freedom for racial peace. The signs of discord were evident for the world to see, but the white officers & city officials did nothing to stop or even impede the pending eruption of violence. The crosswalk in the picture marks the former main entrance to camp. "> CampLogan1917

Page 5 of 5 "Houston: The Unknown City 1836-1946" Chapter 36, page 204. The 5th and final page of this story. ">

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