The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-02
CONFLICT WITH THE TROOPS
SOLDIERS AT A CARTRIDGE FAC
TORY FORCED TO FIRE ON 4 MOB.
Two People Killed and Eighty
WOunded-BuiIdings Wrecked
and Contents Burned.

Wenzel-Platz had to be dispersed by in
fantry and cavalry. The university build
ings are threatened by the rioters and have
to be protected by large bodies of police
Troops have been drafted to Judenstadt,
owing to the mob threatening to run riot
there.
During the afternoon the riots increased
in this city. The synagogue windows were
smashed and the windows cf the houses of
Jews displaying German trade signs in sew
eral streets of the Jewish quarter. Since
o'clock this evening the streets have been
held by twelve battalions of infantry and d
squadron of Hussars. All traffic is sus-
pended and the shops and business houses
closed. In spite of the military a large
Czech mob made a descent during the
evening upon the German quarter and plum
dered houses and shops in several streets
| The furniture of we-known German cafe
| was piled up in the street and set ON fire.
| When a detachment of troops approached
to dispense the rioters, the soldiers were
greeted with showers of stones, broken
glass and other missiles. The officer in
command ordered his troops to prepare to
fire, but at the urgent request of the police
official the order was not carried into effect.
Shortly after 9 o'clock a mob attempted to
suburb of Prague, on the other side of the
Moldau The troops stationed at the fac
tory poured a volley into the crowd. 1t is
known that at least two persons were killed
outright and it is feared that others were
killed or wounded. The same body of riot
ers set fire to house at Zinzhkow, but the
flames were soon quenched. In various
other parts of the city and the suburbs
windows were smashed and German sign
boards demolished. 1t is said that the mob
was melted by articles in the Czech news
papers, and by false report that the Ger
man students had organized an attack on
the Czech National Theater.
At a late hour threatening crowds made
repeated rushes and attempts to storm the
German newspaper offices, but by IL o'clock
the town quiet; and the troops had
been withdrawn, except patrols at threat
ened points.
In Smichow, the southwest suburb of
Prague and thickly populated industrial
quarter. at a late hour in the evening a
riotous mob attacked and plundered the
German National School The rioters fired
shots at the police detachment which ar
rived on the scene to disperse them;
whereupon the commanding officer, acting
with great promptitude, drew his revolver
and fired at one of the ringleaders, the
bullet piercing his arm. He then arrested
the man. and the result of this energetic
action was the dispersal of the mob with
out much further difficulty.
The German gymnasium in Alstaedter-
Ring, in the center of the city, was plum
dered by a mob which was finally dispersed
by a combined charge of soldiers and police
Already resenting the German jubilations
and illuminatons of clubs and beer halls
over the fall Of Count Badeni the Czech
population was still further melted by the
speech of the Czech burgomaster delivered
Monday night to the town Council.
Two special sufferers from the riots are
Baron Won Aehrenthal, representative of
the German landowners in the Reichsrath,
and Count Won Salm. Baron Won Aehren-
thals palace is on the Wenzels Platz. The
mob smashed the windows and tore out
the window frames on the ground floor last
night. Similar outrages were committed at
Count Won Salm's palace, which is the edi-
torial office of the German paper Bohemia.
During the night the Aehrenthal palace was
boarded up, but the rioters soon removed
the planks and threw large stones into the
luxuriously furnished rooms, smashing
valuable objects of art and costly furni-
ture Damage to the amount of many thou
sands of forms has been done to German
firms, clubs and other institutions having
German proprietors patrons. No per-
formance was given at the German Theater
tonight.
The constant cry of the rioters was
Down with the Germans Down with the
Jews Ladies venturing on the street were
obliged to wear the Slav tri-color in order
to avoid being attacked. German signboards
are being hastily removed by their owners
and replaced with Czech inscriptions No
body dares to utter a word in German
The Kinsky palace was plundered of it's
furniture, which was thrown through the
windows. heaped in the street and set on
fire, the mob preventing the fire brigade
from approaching.
The WenZels Platz, where the revolution
of 1913 began, has been the chief center of
excitement. 1t is about so yards in width
and $50 yards in length and will hold a hun
dred thousand people.
The police and the military have made
two hundred arrests and it is reported to-
night that altogether eighty persons have
been injured.
At the United States consulate the Amer
ican flag was hoisted.
1t is said that the riots were organized
by secret society animated by hatred of
Germans and Jews
Shortly before midnight there were fresh
disorders. and two shops in the Pingman-
gasse were broken open and pillaged The
military patrol was dispersed by the plum
derers. Disorders are reported in various
other suburbs. At Weinberg the rioters
sprinkled shop with petroleum and set it
on fire At Lieben twenty-one armed riot
ers were arrested Another gang plundered
liquor saloon and shortly afterward the
patrol found twenty persons drunk in the
street.
PILSEN, Bohemia, Dec. 1.-As a result
of the threatening mob gatherings yester-
day the houses of German residents are
specially guarded by the police. To-day
three thousand people gathered in front of
the Town Hail. and after singing national
songs proceeded to the German gymnasium.
where they broke the windows. The police
dispersed the crowd, wounding one. The
rioters then returned to the Town Hall.