The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1902-11-28
STRIKE RIOT At HAVANA
Two Men Killed and Eighty
n Two Wounded.
All LABOR IS AT A sTANpsTILL.

Other Trades Cease Work to Sup.
1 port Striking Cigar Makers--Mayor
Accused Of Aiding TroubIe-PaIna
Threatens to Send Troops to Scene.
r Havana, Nov. 25.-As the result of
conflicts of a serious nature between
The police and the men on strike here,
two strikers are dead and eighty-two
other persons are wounded. Five of
the wounded, one lieutenant Of po'
lice whose throat was cut by a striker,
have very severe injuries. Eight
other policemen are wounded. The
police have the rioters well under con.
troll but every precaution Is being
taken to prevent a further outbreak
rural guards in the suburbs have been
summoned to concentrate in Havana.
The strike, which at first only con.
Eerned the cigar makers, became gen.
eral yesterday by the calling out of
all trades in sympathy with the cigar.
makers. All the tradespeople closed
their doors yesterday morning, clerks,
cooks and every class Of workmen
having obeyed the command of the
union, except the motormen and con.
ductors of the electric cars, who re
fused to join the general strike.
Mob Stones Street Cars.
Trouble began early by the holding
up of the electric cars by the strikers
whose wrath naturally was directed
against the street railroad employees.
Several cars were held up and stoned
in the outskirts of the city and the
passengers were compelled to walk
into Havana, among these being the
British and German ministers. Sew.
eral cars were wrecked and some
motormen and conductors we're in.
jured during the rioting. The car.
men, however, continued running their
cars until 10 o'clock, when Superin.
tendent Greenwood ordered suspen.
sion of traffic. The employees were
willing to remain at work, but the Off.
GERS of the company, in order to pro,
tect the property, deemed it wise to
suspend the service. Mr.. Greenwood
had asked for protection from the
civil governor, but the authorities
were unable to protect the public
vehicles. A mob of strikers drove
the men on the Western railroad
From the trains during the morning.
The mayor Of Havana and the sec.
retary Of government had during the
past week openly sympathized with
the strikers and had given orders to
the police not to use force in dispers
ing the crowds, and under these con
hitions the police were unable to cope
with the strikers.
T, Palma Takes a Hand.
The situation was approaching a
critical point at noon, serious disor
ders having taken place in front OF
the palace itself, in which a police Off
Ger named Maso and a number of po
1icemen and strikers received injuries
when President Palma sent word
to the mayor that unless the city au
thorities could preserve order and pro
tect the railroad company, the state
would intervene. The mayor then
took drastic measures and issued ar
edict prohibiting crowds from gather
ing in the streets and authorizing the
chief of police to kill, if such action
should be necessary, to preserve order
A similar show of force early in the
morning undoubtedly would have pre-
vented the trouble, but now the strik
ers had become emboldened and fre
quent clashes between them and the
police occurred in all parts of the
city. The police were obliged tC
charge a mob of rioters at the slaugh
ter house and several among the lat
ter were injured. The vigorous atti
tude Of the police now made itself fel,
and traffic on the car lines, which haG
only been suspended for brief period
was resumed and was continued from
this time forth, with only occasiona
Interruptions. Most of the injuries
sustained by the strikers were caused
by the policemen's clubs.
The Central Veterans union, headed
by General Gomez held a meeting IL
the afternoon and sent word to the
labor union that II the disorders con
tinued the veterans would offer theil
services to President Palma to pre-
serve order. No bread or meat was or
sale yesterday and a continuance o
the strike will cause much suffering
to the poor.