Connecticut western news., 1894-05-03
The March to the Capitol

WASHINGTON, May 2.-The march of Cox ey's commonweal army, which started from Massillon, O., on Easter Sunday, that it's leader might speak from the steps of the capitol in advocacy of his bills for non- interest bearing bonds and for giving work to the unemployed on public roads by an issue of legal tender, ended, as might have been predicted, in interruption by the DO lice. -...a
 Fortunately and remarkably enough, there were no casualties, and today Gener- al Coxey has his burlesque army in camp. Marshal Carl Browne occupied a police station cell for a time, and Christopher Co lumbus Jones, leader of the Philadelphia commune and the comedian of the move ment, endeayored to appropriate a share of the martyrdom in an adjoining cell.
 The performance which was enacted within the shadow of the capitol is with out counterpart in the memory of Wash ingtonians. Over the broad, smooth plaza of several acres facing the east front of the capitol was packed a crowd of men and women numbering 10000 by conservative estimate-such a gathering as is never seen there except on inauguration days.
 All conditions of people were there, the lower clements in largest proportion, with many negroes among them. The capitol
 
 pillars were packed with we'll dressed peo- pie of both sexes, and most of the memb bers of congress were in the throng.
 Congressmen In the Crowd. An early adjournment had been taken by the senate on account of the death of Senator Stockbridge, but the house, not wishing to seem to be terrorized by the demonstration, went through the sem blance of session with a handful of mem bers. More than 200 city police re-enforced the capitol officers, and detectives from several cities were sprinkled through the crowd, for the concentration of lawless To- cal characters gave just grounds for appre- hension of trouble apart from the presence of the Coxeyites.
 It was shortly after o'clock when the army halted in the public street south of the capitol grounds Its five mile march down from Brightwood through the prin- cipal streets of the city had been witnessed by thousands attracted more from curios- ity than by any interest in the movement, although their good natured yells were in- terpreted by the commonwealers to be ap- plause. Such d fantastic aggregation never before paraded itself in seriousness before the public.
 There were 800 in the line-Mrs. Annie L. Diggs, the populistic agitator of Kan sas, in barouche; Coxey's 17-year-old daughter in white on a creatn colored steed, representing the Goddess of Peace; Carl Browne on a great gray Percheron stallion; General Jacob Slecher Coxey, his wife and the infant Legal Tender Coxey together in another carriage; Virginia la Valette, said to be an actress, on horse back, draped in an American flag, as the Philadelphia commune's 8 Goddess of Peace; the unemployed carrying white flags of peace on slaves, and the nondescript ban ners setting forth the doctrine of reincar- nation, good roads and enmity to pluto crats sprinkled through the caravan. Browne and Coxey Went Alone. Marshal Browne halted the procession | there in the street and walked back to | Coxey's carriage. The general kissed his wife, and then the two moving spirits of the affair, Browne swinging aloft a small banner, forced their way over the plaza to the capitol steps, their men, acting under orders, standing in their tracks.
 After Coxey and Browne pressed yell l ing crowd of several hundred men, most l of them following Browne, conspicuous | because of his unique costume.
 Trampling and tearing its way through | the costly shrubbery the mob went, while the squad of mounted police which had 1 headed the parade, dazed for a moment by | the unexpected move, charged recklessly into their midst.
 Coxey was confronted by the police as | he took off his hat to speak on the steps and his demand for his constitutional right, as he called it, being refused, he thrust upon them a printed protest, which proved to be we'll worded epitome oi populistic doctrines
 | Meanwhile Carl Browne was being liter ally dragged by the collar of his coat through the crowd toward the nearest sta tion after he had made fight to retain his banner.
 Police Used Clubs Freely.
 Two police captains, lieutenant and sergeant thrust the mild hammered Coxey without violence back across several hun dred feet of humanity to his carriage Mounted police were forcing their horses among the people, several of them crack l ing their clubs over the heads of the near est persons Women were shrieking in terror and men yelling fercely. Some were being knocked down and trampled upon.
 For five minutes there was a riot in that section of the mob in front of the east steps | which occupied about an acre of the as phalt Then the two agitating spirits hay | jng beenxemoved and half dozen partic ularly bcfligerent men having been takeI in by the police, the disturbance was quell ed without serious injury to a single per son.
 | Another riot was started almost imme diately near Coxey's carriage in the street whither the crowds pressed as soon as th' leader had rejoined his lines. Clubs wer' A z4 &r