One of the reasons why there was only one conviction was that many of the witnesses did not appear in court because they were afraid they would be harmed if they testified. A woman named Kate Howard was indicted for her part in the destruction of Loper's Restaurant. While she was being held for trial in the County Jail she took poison and died.

There was a lot of publicity when Joe James was brought to trial. In September 1908, he was found guilty of the murder of Clergy Ballard and hung.

George Richardson was freed from jail and the assault charges against him were dropped. The was because Mabel Hallam admitted that she had lied about the assault. The Hallam family left town. George Richardson continued to live and work in Springfield for the rest of his life.

Some black families left Springfield during the Race Riots and didn't return, but most black families stayed in Springfield. During the riots, many black families went to the Arsenal where they were protected by the militia. One of the persons I interviewed for this report was Mary Culver. She told me that her grandfather gave shelter to many black families on his farm during the rioting. I also read that some white families tried to protect black people they knew or who worked for them by giving them shelter in their homes during the riots.

The fact that there were 107 indictments but only one conviction and no convictions for murder made some people who were concerned about civil rights very upset An author from Chicago named William Walling wrote that there should be an organization to look out for the rights of black people.

A positive outcome of the Springfield Race Riots was the formation of the NAACP. The riots were the catalyst for starting the NAACP in 1909. NAACP is an abbreviation for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Following the Springfield Race Riots, the Niagara Movement, a group of black intellectuals led by W.E.B. DuBois, joined with concerned white citizens to create the NAACP. Its aim is the elimination of all barriers to political. educational, social and economic equality for black and other racial minorities.

During the riots 7 people were killed. Two of them were black, Scott. Burton and William Donnegan. The other five people were hospitalized with injuries from the riot.

Many businesses and homes were damaged and destroyed during the riots. Forty homes of black people were ruined and two dozen businesses, mostly black owned, were closed.