The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-03-09
II
A RIOT IN PORTO RICO.
AMERICA SCHOOL SUPERTNTEND-
EMIT RESCUED FROM MOE.

Objection to HIS Alleged Rough Treat
Crowd Dispersed by Soldiers Without
Orders, After the Police Had Failed to
Act-Action of the Soldiers Deplored
by Governor Allen.
San Juan de Porto Rico, March ga
serious riot occurred here yesterday. AT
6 o'clock in the evening five artillery
men and a corporal of artillery named
Hiscock left their guard post without
orders and charged across the plaza into
q street in which mob Of people had
assembled. The soldiers fired a volley
into the air, dispersed the mob and res
tued School Superintendent Armstrong,
fwho was besieged by the rioters in a
house situated about a block from the
q city center.
For hours previous to the rescue of
Superintendent Armstrong the city had
been overrun by a riotous crowd Of
probably 1900 persons, who shouted
Down with the Americans!" and other
similar cries. The excitement originat
ed in a trivial school incident involving
Superintendent Armstrong and illustra
ting the exc1table nature Of the Porto
Ricans. The superintendent reprimand-
ed girl, ten years of age, for disobedi-
ence and forcibly but harmlessly march
ed her to the front from the rear of the
school ROOM Her dress caught in a
desk and was thereby torn and the girl
reported to her mother that she had
been kicked and abused. This excited
the girls mother, and sensational sto-
ries We're circulated, with the result
that when the school children were dis
missed number of boys gathered and
paraded the streets. They were Joined
by many loafers and men, and it be-
came necessary for the police to escort
Superintendent Armstrong from the
schoolhouse to his home. The superin-
tendent and the policemen were stoned
as they passed through the streets and
as the crowd constantly increased in
size they sought refuge in the Inten-
dencia building. A number of persons
from the crowd outside succeeded in
entering the building, but they were
SUBSEQUENTLY elected by employees and
others.
BY 5 o'clock affairs had assumed
such a threatening aspect that Cover
nor Allen ordered the mayor to dispense
the mob, notifying him that he could
ask for government assistance if he was
in need of it. The mayor, however, paid
no attention to the governors notifica-
ton, although the city police were pow
eress, not being in any way respected
by the rioters, whom they did not at
tempt to dispense.
AT $50 p. m. the offices were closed
and Martin G. Brumbaugh, the COM
missioner of education of Porto Rico.
asked for police protection of his office
and hotel. A treasury clerk, who was
one Of the men who elected the rioters
from the Intendencia, was attacked
stoned and disarmed by a mob.
The insular police, who have no juris-
diction in the city except in cases of
emergency and at the call Of the mayor
and governor, were not called upon I'M
lery men previously referred to took the !
initiative without orders and dispersed |
the gathering. In the meantime the |
city police had fired about one hundred |
shots, mostly in the air, for there were
no casualties. Several other Americans |
besides the treasury clerk were stoned |
from roofs and balconies.
At s o'clock last night the city pre- |
scented it's usual tranquil appearance, |
and up to the hour of filing this dis |
patch to-day there has been no further |
demonstration.
Governor Allen deplores the unfortu-
nate occurrences, especially the action |
of the artillerymen. Corporal IIiscock |
has been placed under arrest and Is |
now in the guardhouse. 1t is probable |
that he will be tried by court-martial. |
The teachers who have been questioned |
on the subject have made statements |
agreeing with those Of Superintendent |
to the effect that the girl
was not harmed.
1t is probable that four-fifths of those
who took part in the rioting did not
know why they We're mobbing the
Americans. The rioters mostly belong
ed to the unemployed men of the popu-
lation.