Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-06-24
FURIOUS HEBREWS.
Sacrilegious Doings IL a Jewish
Synagogue.
A DESPERATE FIGHT OF FACTIONS.

Bloody Conflict with Thirty Men on Each
Side, Many of the Participants Being
Leading and Wealthy Mem bers--One of
the Warriors Receives n Probably Fatal
Wound, and Number of Heads Are
Broken-The Synagogue Furniture Used
for Weapons.
TRAVERSE CITY,, Mich, June 24-It is
difficult to associate the term synagogue
with the bloody fight that took place in
the Jewish temple of worship in this city
Monday night, the participants being the
leading Hebrews of the town, many of
them wealthy men. The comcomitants of
that scene began to gather two years ago,
when one faction of the chnrch dis
charged the rabbi and elected another in
his place; but the mutterings of discon-
tent gave no prophecy of Monday nights
scenes. About thirty of the majority fac
ton were engaged in the usual Monday
night meeting when about an equal num-
Der marched in and straight up the aisle
to the rabbits desk
An Epithet Leads to Blow.
Herman Bischel was at the head of the
invaders, and he ordered the others to dis
perse and give over the place to the only
true sons of Abraham The others shout
ed back defiance and ranged themselves in
battle array, with Abraham Cohen at the
head. Cohen applied singing epithet to
Fischel and Fischel made blow at him
with chair at the same time that Louis
Steinberg brought chair down on his
head, laying his skull open and stretching
agsgl. ~
brother of the stricken man, wrenched a
lamp bracket from the wall and struck
Steinberg full in the face with it, laying
him under the pew with the blow.
Blind with Rage and Blood
The tight then became general, the COM
batants wrenching loose the lamp-brack-
cts and chandeliers for weapons, and rush
ing to the woodshed for billets of wood,
axes, and whatever they could lag hands
on. The noise of the fight was heard two
blocks away, and the four policemen of the
place rushed to the scene. The infatuated
Hebrews were by this time too wild with
rage and blind with blood which flowed
from their cut heads to recognize or re-
spect the officers of the law, and the police
had to quell the small but able-bodied riot
with brute force, three of them receiving
scalp wounds in the melee
The List of Wounded.
When the officers finally brought order
out of the chaos it was found that Abra-
ham Cohen was still insensible and had a
fractured skull, which:will probably cause
his death. c. Cohen's scalp was laid open
In two places, and he was dangerously
hurt. Louis Steinberg's face was fearfully
cut and one ear torn off S Yalomstein
was senseleSs on the floor with bad scalp
wound, while fully a score of others had
all kinds of scalp and face wounds. The
police arrested Max Segal Sam Steinberg
Peter Meyer, Isaac Sandleman, Herman
and Sam Fschel, and Sam Harris.
SoEie Hope for Cohen.
Yesterday morning warrants were
sworn out for fifteen others. The town is
tremendously excited and all the accused
have been balled for trial Thursday 1t
was reported last night that Abraham
Cohen was dying, but the doctors say
there is still some hope of saving his life.
y number of the others are seriously in
jured, but are keeping out of the way, as
they do not want to figure in the court
scenes. Max Cohen, who was in the fight,
has ing scalp wound.