Commemorating the Killed

Born: 1882
Occupation: Teamster
Killed: July 27th, 1919
Cause of death: Bullet Wound

James Crawford, an African American, was born around 1882. He and his wife, Gertrude, lived at 2959 Federal Street in Chicago. While living in the city, Crawford worked as a teamster. On Sunday, July 27th, shortly after George Stauber killed Eugene Williams, Crawford was involved in some of the initial clashes on the beach.

The Chicago Commission Report states that, after Williams was killed and his killer identified, “a mob of about 1,000 Negroes congregated at Twenty-Ninth Street and Cottage Grove Avenue.”[1] This so-called “mob” was enraged at the Chicago Police, particularly Officer Daniel Callahan, who refused to arrest Stauber, the one identified as throwing the stone that killed Williams.

As tensions escalated, Chicago police attempted to disperse the crowd when Crawford fired into a group of police. After the police officers returned fire, Crawford ran. The report further states that, “a Negro policeman (Officer Jesse Igoe) followed Crawford, attempting to stop him by firing.”[2] Crawford was struck by at least one bullet and taken to nearby Michael Reese Hospital, at 2929 S. Ellis Avenue. Crawford died of his wounds on July 29th, at the age of thirty-seven.

Eve L. Ewing wrote the poem “James Crawford Speaks,” in her deeply researched book of poetry, “1919.” In this poem, Ewing imagines the murder of Williams through the eyes of Crawford, a Black witness to the killing. Her poem reads in part: