The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-02-28

BERLIN. Feb 97.-The situation In Ber
lin late this afternoon seemed to be uude
the absolute control of the police. and con
tinued so until nightfall, when rowdyisn
renewed its tussle with the authorities
The first encounter occurred at tn
Haeckesche market The patrols got S
blocked in by the masses of the crowd tina
they sent for reinforcements. Then the,
charged the mob with sabers drawn
driving the crowd towards Neue Fried
erIch-strasse and ainienburger-strasse
Several thousand rioters thus split up BY
the police tactics reassembled later on
parading the streets in the northern
quarters. The Rosenthal-strasse became
the next focus of the rioting. and the
position there at 9 o'clock appeared criti
cal. A great mass of people, many o.
whom were obviously genuine workmen
but among whom were host of loafers
assembled in groups listening to Socialis
tic speakers, who violently denounced the
government, the police and everything
comprising the existing order of things.
The police made another charge on The
mob and repeated it again and again; but
the crowd, after giving way little at eact
charge, reclosed its ranks and fought the
police with desperate energy, using as
weapons sticks. stones, heavy biifets oi
wood, or anything else they could lay
hands upon. The police were getting the
worst of the contest, as they had only used
the sides of their swords in striking: but
when they saw the tide of battle turning
against them, they did not hesitate to use
the edges of the sabers, and they struck
right and left, determined to overcome
the rioters. A large numbe ofthe rioters
were badly hurt. The wounded were taken
TO surgeries in the vicinity, where their
injuries were attended to. BY 1890 D. M
the Rosenthal-straSse melee was over, and a
large number of rioters were safe under
lock and key in the police stations.
As on Thursday, some of the rioters
took advantage of the uproar to smash
shop windows and seize upon the goods
displayed in them, or anything else that
came within reach. A feature of tonight's
rows has been the large increase in the
number Of workingmen mixed up with
the moo. Hitherto the greater part of the
mob has consisted Of professional agitators
and the dregs of humanity which intest a
city. All the police available were con-
centrated tonight in the northeast district
of the city. After the fight in Rosenthal-
strasse a serious collision occurred in
Brunnen and Frankfurter-strasse As
the rioting increased the authorities issued
an order calling upon the people to close
their houses and remain indoors This
order, however, did not suffice to keep the
curious of the streets, and many unof-
lending persons must have suffered for
police.
At a late hour the authorities were
warned that the disorders were spreading
TO Tegol, an outlying suburb, where a
crowd, which was certainly not composed
Df loafers, had been fighting the police. A
mounted gendarmes company was called
put in the Ner Bsrinum district. Tonight
eloses with worse prospects for tomorrow
The authorities, believing spread of the
rioting as then likely have taken extended
precautions to meet the trouble. All the
troops are now ordered to be confined to
their barracks, and Sunday is auxiously
awaited. il is believed that should serious
disturbances occur tomorrow it will be
necessary to appeal to the military au-
thorities for help. The police are tired
put with the struggles of the past three
days, and are in no fit condition 10 handle
the situation energetically.
Tracing the immediate genesis of the
riots, 1t will be found in an appeal of un-
employed masons TO Burgomaster Forck-
enbeck for employment in municipal work.
The city authorities could give no assur-
Rnce of giving work to the unemployed.
Then followed meeting of $500 unem-
p!oyed masons, carpenters and painters A
resolution was adopted by the meeting.
which simply declared that, in view of the
distress prevailing, the authorities might
begin the erection of new buildings as
nObh 90 bOSSiBle, anu NnuS IufQlSh work
for the destitute. There is no truth in the
report that extreme Socialist views were
expressed, and that the crowd demanded
tnat the government furnish them with
work or bread. Several speakers made ad- |
dresses and proposed that a demonstra- !
tlon be made TO show the people of Berlin !
and the authorities the great number of
men, who were out OF work The sense of /
the meeting, however, seemed to be against |
making manifestation of any kind.
The truth of the whole matter is that /
the workIngmen, at first had nothing To /
do with the demonstration 1t was the /
lower strata on the edges of the meeting I
that began the demonstration. As the /
excitement has extended the ferp,ent |
among the better class of workingmen has
grown. The emperor's advice to the mail /
contents 10 emlgrate has added fuel to the !
hames, and the end now cannot be told /
though II IS certain that if the soldiery
are called upon much bloodshed will |
follow
Berlin is not alone in the trouble. Dis.
tress Is prevalent in every populous cen
ter of Germany, and the cry for bread is
clamorouS During the week bread riots
nave occurred IN Dantsic and Brunswick,
Meetings OF the suffering poor have been
held In Hamburg and Breslau. Ia scores
OF places strikes have occurred during the
past lew months, always resulting in the
ueleat OF the men and the exhaustion of
their benefit funds, and have assisted their
employers 10 reduce work, thus causing
further trouble for the men.
J saT-e