The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-07-31
MOURNERS RIOT.
Collision Between Hebrew Fu-
neral Procession on One Side
And Spectators and Police on
the Other.

New York, July 31.-The funeral OF
the late Chief Rabbi Jacob Joseph head
of the orthodox Hebrews of the United
States, which was held here was the
occasion of one of the most remarkable
demonstrations ever witnessed i'll this
city, and led to collision between the
masses of Jewish mourners and tie
police The streets were packed with
thousands of Hebrews and stores were
generally closed and every point of van
tage along the route taken by the fu-
neral procession to the different syna-
gOgueS was crowded.
Directly in front of the house where
the body has lain in state for the last
few days 100 patrolmen kept the crowd
from the entrance with difficulty. At
ter the services at the house the body
was taken to each of the six synagogues
on the east side, where brief services
were held.
When the procession was passing the
printing factory of r. Hoe & Co. on
Grand street on its way to the ceme-
terry N Brooklyn the employees of the
factory emptied pals of water from the
windows of an upper floor upon the
spectators maSSed upon the sidewalk.
Pail after pail it is said, was emptied
on the throng, which shouted and strug
gled and Stampeded in vain to escape.
Then overalls and clothing soaked in
water came down from above and even
tools, scraps of steel bolts and dead
cat.
The angry populace, most of whom
were Hebrews, retaliated by throwing
back into the factory windows the mis-
siles that fell on them. They also gath
cred stones and sticks and in a few
minutes there was scarcely a whole
pane of glass on the Grand street side
of the factory. Then some one In the
factory turned on a hose and played it
indiscriminately all over the funeral
procession.
At one time as many as five streams
were playing on the crowd. Drivers of
mourning carriages whipped up their
horses, trampling over citizens, and the
stronger men tramp1ed women and
children under foot in their efforts to
escape.
The police in the meantime had taken
hand in the trouble and were clubbing
the people right and left. They were,
however, unable TO- cope with the crowd,
and the reserves of half a dozen pre-
cincts were dispatched to the scene 1t
was more than half an hour before Or
der was restored and the streets in the
vicinity of the factory cleared. A num-
Der OF arrests were m ade, among them
being several employees of the Hoe COM
pany.
Many persons were found about the
streets bleeding from wounds their
heads and other parts of their bodies.
Ambulances had been summoned in the
meantime and three responded. The
surgeons were kept busy for some time
dressing the wounds of the injured. Sew
eral policemen also were injured, receiv-
ing cuts and bruises. Two men were ta-
/ Ken 10 the QOSplldl. one sCnem ndQ
sustained internal injuries and con-
| tusions, and the other a sprained leg.
| Later in the day the persons arrested
were arraigned in police court and fines
| of $5 and SO were imposed in several
! instances. Bad feeling is said to exist
between some of the employees of the
| Hoe company and the Hebrews residing
| in the neighborhood. and this is said to
| have been the cause of the trouble.
| Herbert Hoe, of the Printing Press
/ company, made a statement after the
| trouble was over in which he says fight
| ing was going on in the ranks of the
procession as it passed the factory; that
! some of those attacked were forced to
! the door of the Office and there the fight
| ing continued, while missiles thrown by
/ the crowd broke many windows of the
| factory. Then it was, says Mr.. Hoe,
| that his employees tried to drive the as
| sailants back by hurting missiles at
! them and finally turning water on the
! crowd. He added that boys working in
| the factory had been in the habit of
everything in his power to have the
| practice stopped, even discharging boys
| of whom com0laint was made.
| After the riot had been quelled the
! funeral procession proceeded to Brook
! lyn, where the body of Rabbi Joseph
| was inferred.
| The funeral procession did not reach
| the cemetery, however, without Incl
| dent As it passed through a Brooklyn
street some one threw heavy block
| of wood from the roof of a building into
the line of mourners The latter broke
through the police lines and tried to get
into the building. Threats of clubbing
by the police finally restored order.
! Forty thousand people were crowded
in and about the cemetery at Cypress
Hills in an attempt to witness the SER
vice at the grave