Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1892-03-11

man rs he approached the distributing
point wa asked how many people he
had in his family, and upon the number
being given he was handed . piece OF
meat and 3 measure or two of -four,
according to the needs Of his household.
While this work of distribution was
going onsin an orderly n in the
public streets skirmishing parties OF
rioters were keeping the police, who
were greatly outnumbered, at bay by
pelting them with stones and charging
bodily upon them and driving the
authorities from the streets. The skir-
mishing parties emptied wine stores,
groceries and other places where food
and drink was to be had, until every
man among the rioters had laid in q
stock of provisions of some kind.
An Orderly Riot.
The mob, in spite of this rioting. was
orderly, if such term can be applied to
riots. For instance, the chief magistrate
previously referred to, while the work
of pillaging the provisions stores was
still in progress, appeared on the scene
surrounded by q detachment of police,
and implored the rioters to maintain
order and to go to their homes without
doing any further damage, promising if
the men would go back to their homes
that the local authorities would over
look, as far as possible, the damage al
ready done. and that they would do
their utmost to provide additional relief
works.
The rioters gathered together in a
compact body and listened impatiently
to all the magistrate had to say, and
then n of them, acting as spokesman,
replied: "You go your way and we will
go ours when we will have food for our
starving families. Is il a worse
crime to take bread for our
loved ones than to see them starve to,
death before our eyes? Leave us alone
and all will be well; If you provoke us
you must take the consequences, and the
streets of Dantzic may be hidden be-
meath ashes and blood" e,
These sentiments evidently met with
the endorsement of the mob, for q roar
of approval greeted them, and in view Of
the threatening attitude of the mob, the
large majority of them being armed
with sticks. tools, stones, and in some
instances, firearms. the magistrate
deemed it wise to beat a retreat, which
he did to the disgust of the police, who
were anxious for a brush with the riot
ers. During this retreat a shot from a
revolver was fred, probably by a
drunken man among the rioters. The
result was that he was Immediately set
upon by his comrades, who tore the
weapon from him and gave the man a
sound humping and kicking. Another
and more dangerous man, not content
in taking part in sacking a bakers store,
dragged some hot Goals from the
oven and threw them upon a large heap
of brush wood which the baker had &C
cumulated for starting the fires with
which to bake. Consequently, the dry
brush wood was soon ina fierce blaze
and the building was in danger of catch
ing fire. This so enraged the compan-
ions of the man who had started the fire
that they caught hold of him and threw
him back into the bake house from
which he had escaped, commanding him
to put out the fire or perish in the
flames, shouting angrily: 1--WE are not
anarchists. We are not socialists. We
are honest workmen who have starving
families to protect. We will burn no
mans dwelling, though we take the
food the authorities refuse to give u.s."
In view of the fact that the authori-
ties are not inclined to be very severe
with the prisoners taken, no further
rioting is anticipated, especially as a
committee of influential citizens is being
formed to take steps to enlarge the re-
lief works SO as to employ at least 1000
men.
The emperor, according to rumor, is
kept advised as to all such outbreaks,
and he is said to be. angry at what he
terms as the lukewarm manner in
which the local authorities of Dantzic
have handled the rioters there.