Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-08-08

ls3 ~ 7SSE,s.9 VnNzM3 great Stflke OF
Ifil Ha ksW the Broth er-
E.li a@ - pE@Ss hood of Cloth
\ h ESsxs,-k,TZ 1&leaUi work kers- three
II; NJ gsSss ssSs ss&SNs TIL ou n d of
|. ..ss,l.SIEI fs'ft5I. them; and the
eS4sisss'IT9 III NUsE. other, the sud
I,4& ESsS+Ns3NNIl den appearance
& ~ in the city of a
little band of dangerous anarchists.
The cloth -workers-for the most
part they were Russians and Poles
were peaceable and industrious work
ers, at ordinary times. Even now, in
the excitement of the strike, with no
work and no wages, and nothing to do
but congregate in the streets and dis
cuss their grievances, they had created
no public disturbance, but they wore
complaining bitterly and loudly of their
employers, and some of them were be-
ginning to make threats of violence.
The anarchists-at least, they were
believed to be such by the police
were, as it happened, also Russians
They We're evidently bent on some
mischief and were consulting with
some of the strikers, and though the
authorities had, as yet, no ground for
arresting them, they were kept under
| close watch.
Every day the papers had accounts
of the troubles of the cloth work ers,
their mass meetings, the conferences
of committees, and the fiery speeches
of the leaders. Some papers de-
voted whole pages to descriptions of
the people themselves; their life be-
fore they came to the Western world /;
their journeyings across continena
and an ocean to find freedom; their
homes here, such as they were, in
dark, crowded tenements on the East
Side; the daily and nightly gather
ings on the streets of their men and
women.
Every day, too, the same papers
had much to say of the mysterious
anarchists and gave portraits which
represented them as particularly ugly
and vicious fellows.
Somehow, for no particular reason
at first, and then because everybody
suggested it to everybody else, the
public came to think of the two things
together, and all sorts of rumors
gained currency. 1t was said that
the clothworkers had brought the
anarchists here to intimidate their en-
| ployers; that the cloth workers them
selves were half anarchists, and finally,
that there was plot to set the city on
fire.
The public mind was much dis
turbed, and the papers began to hint
at dynamite stored in the tenements,
and of the hateful red flag of anarchy,
hidden away as yet, to be unfurled at
any moment as the signal for fire and
death.
Beneath all there was also an un-
easy fear that some of these strikers
had, perhaps, much to complain Of
beggarly wages, excessive hours OF
labors, wretched homes; and that they
were smarting under a sense of injus-
tice, and We're very ignorant, and
might be led away, in a moment of ex-
citement, by the conspirators, who
hated all forms of government and all
authority, and preached the doctrine
that ruin would give opportunity tc
re-create better social order.
At last, in the second week of the
strike, the cloth-workers determined
to make a public demonstrations
perfectly peaceable one, they said
and applied for leave to parade the
streets on Friday evening.
The officials hesltated. To grant
the permit might lead to serious dis
turbance. To refuse it would Ger
tainly increase ill will and make the
strikers feel themselves to be martyrs
But after some delay, it was decided
to grant the request.
A large force of police was detailed
to precede and follow the procession
and to guard the line Of march. The
men were to gather at various point.
and join forces at the corner of Centre
and Grand streets, at half-past six
and were to march through Broomt
street, the Bowery, Rivington street
and other east side thoroughfares, ant
finally to pass through to Chatham
Square and there disband and go al
once to their homes.
This determination served only tc
increase the general uneasiness in the
city. To bring 50 large body of the
disaffected foreigners together, ant
to enable them to display their griev
ances in public and excite sympathy
among tens of thousands of the look
ers-on, seemed to many the height o
folly. The talk of dynamite and tn,
red flag was renewed, and to ado
to the confusion, an evening paper an
nounced that it had discovered the
existence of an extraordinary plot.
1t had been found that there were
certain women among the strikers, Sc
the account ran, who were thorough
going anarchists and exceedingly vim
dictive and daring; and it had beer
determined that while the procession
was on its march, and many of tn,
police were withdrawn from thei
usual beats, these women should carr,