The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1892-03-05
A BIG RIOT IN BERLIN
THE KAISER KISSED AND HooTED BY
TEN THOUSAND MEN

The Mob Fought the Police Up 70 the
Very Gates Of the Imperial Palace.
-Four Hundred Of the Rioters Injured
and Hundred Of the Leaders Arrested.
BERLIN, Feb g. - Berlin's streets are
drenchedin blood. Ten thousand Of En-
peror Williams unemployed and starving
subjects became a wild and desperate mob,
and fought the police and soldiers up to the
very gates Of the imperial palace, and the
young kaiser must tremble for what may
come next. The quiet Germans seemed to
/ loose their apathy and 10 be fired with the
/ spirit of AS, when their fathers, on that
memorable March day paraded before the
same palace with the peoples dead, while
King Frederick William " stood bare
headed witness Of the ghastly review. Not
since that brief reign of the people has Ber-
| lin witnessed such a scene.
The disturbance originated at a meeting
/ of about 1900 or 1900 worlSmen at Lips
/ brewery. The men had gathered there TO
receive the report Of a deputation which
they had sent to the burgomaster, Herr
| Forckenbeck, asking him to see the emperor
in behalf Of the unemployed workmen Of
Berlin and TO intercede with his majesty
upon their behalf
Their message was communicated to Herr
Forckenbeck who, by the way, is an ex-
treme Liberal, almost a socialist. But the
burgomaster recognizing the fact that the
situation was a very dangerous one refused
to receive the delegation, sending them a
message to the effect that, in his own opin-
ion, the workmen had better return peace
ably to their homes.
on to the Castlel
With this information as the result Of their
visit to the burgomaster the delegates re-
turned to Lips brewery, where they an
nounced to their comrades, who by that
time numbered fully 5000 men, the disap-
pointing result of their mission. The mess
age of the burgomaster was received by the
workmen with howls Of rage and storms Of
bitter execration, mingled with yells Of
"Let's 60 to the ministry Of commercep
Lets appeal in person to the EMPEROR
ITO the reichstagln was the cry. Lets
tear down the gates if necessary, and see
the EMPEROR
The mention Of the emperor's name was
received with howls Of derision on all sides,
accompanied by a perfect hurricane Of
grossly insulting remarks addressed to his
majesty, who must have trembled for the
security Of his throne had he been present.
Shouting and yelling "To the castlel' and
loudly singing the "MarsellAise,n they made
their way through the streets to the Inter
den-Linden, cheered on by encouraging cries
from the thousands upon thousands who
had heard Of the disturbance, and who were
evidently, almost to a man, in sympathy
with the rioters,
A Desperate Fight.
By this time the rioters had reached a
point outside OF the castle gates, and there
they halted, sang. the "MRrsellaisen in thun-
dering tones, and wildly shouted for the
emperor TO appear.
So soon as the force of police on the spot
had been sufficiently reinforced a charge
upon the rioters was ordered and then be-
gan a series Of the most desperate hand to
hand fights ever witnessed in the streets Of
Berlin.
While this battle was being fought almost
beneath the castle windows Emperor Viii
liam, of Germany, pale and looking like a
man just recovering from a severe attack Of
sickness, watched his subjects struggling
with the men they had termed his ''butch-
ers,n their only crime being that they de-
sired to appeal to their monarch for the
justice which they claim they are unable to
obtain elsewhere
When the presence Of the emperor at the
window became known (he stood at large
window on the first story there was such a
howl, mingled with cheers, that it must
have caused him a very uncomfortable feel
ing But by lifting his hand he could have
put stop to all the rioting and by address
ing few calming words to the mob prom
ising to investigate their complaints, he
could have sent them home satisfied; but
he did not do it, and the battle between
the police and the dissatisfied workmen
continued The mob by this time had
swelled to 10000, and fought so desperately
that the police were driven back and it
began to look as if the guards Of the castle
would be compelled to fire on the mob.
Reinforcements, however, enabled the po-
lice to beat back the rioters who retreated
into the eastern quarters, attacking stray
bodies of police en- route, routing a number
Of them and fighting desperately with the
authorities at every opportunity.
1t is not known how many were killed, If
any, but over a hundred were seriously, if
not fatally, injured, and at least 800 less Sc
verely cut. About a hundred persons are
in jail.
Everybody admits that it has been a most
eventful day in the history Of Germany, and
some people look upon this riot as the dawn
Of a new era, as the first encounter between
the officials Of the government and the peo-
pie.