Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-08-07
RIOT AT A RABBITS FUNERAL
Factory Employees Threw Nari-
GUS Missiles at Mourners.
DRENCHED THEM WITH WATER
Thirty Thousand in the Funeral
Procession.
she Funeral of Chief Rabbi Jacob Joseph of
New York City Attended by Extraordi-
nary neutrality-suspicious. of Hoes Press
Works Attack Procession and Cause Riot.

New York, July 30.--One of the most re-
uaurknble funerals ever held in New York
took place today, 1000 Hebrews marching
in the procession that followed the coffin OF
the late Chief Rabbi Jacob Joseph, head of
the Orthodox Jews in the United States. "
Unfortunately this impressive exhibition
of grief WIS narred by conflict between
the mourners and the employees of large
mandatory, who poured water on the heads
Of the marching procession and thereby
almost caused an extensive riot. Many per-
sons were hurt in the disturbance, though
there were no fatalities.
Al least e, 1000 Jews gatherd this morning,
filling Henry street for blocks, TO show their
grief for the chief rabbi, whose body was
borne out of the door of the house in which
he had lived for years.
They began to gather at daylight, and by
4 10 q. m. there was one of the largest crowds
that ever attended funeral in New York.
That the sorrow was genuine was shown
4 when the coffin appeared, borne on the
4 shoulders of eight officers of the Chevra
Kedar, or Holy Group, and a murmur,
swelling to deafening wall of grief. rose
/, from the crowd. Then in a moment the
throng surged about the hearse. Aged
\ bearded men knelt on the pavement. chant
ing their prayers. Mothers with children in
! their arms stood crushed against the walls
I of buildings; groups of boys in the crowd
intoned the Psalms of David, and hundreds
j phantad
I'VE have lost our friend; may God keep
\ his soul.''
4 The crush was so dense that Sergeant Nc
7 Sweene orderd that Henry street in front of
4 the house be cleared, and policemen charged
4 upon the crowd. A pitiful panic ensued.
4 Women tainted, old men were knocked down
and tranple6 upon, children were torn from
the arms of mothers, little boys and girls
4 were run over by the stampeding multitude.
" The policemen threw themselves with all
their might against the patient wall of
humanity that opposed them. But they
failed to relieve the crush and Withdrew TO
await reinforc ements. Capt. Thompson,
" with 30 men in uniform, arrived and aues
decided In making the streets passable. In
the meantime SCORES of injured had been
taken from the crowd and carried to their
homes and to the police station.
The burial ceremony began at O'Clock,
when the Chevra Kades arrived at the house
4 10 prepare the body for burial. II was
4 washed with ceremony and then swathed in
white linen. Over this was placed the taliph
or prayer robe, and over all was wrapped
tho kite, or death shroud. Then the body
was put into plain pine box, which was
partially draped in black cloth.
The ceremony of preparing the body
lasted nearly an hour, and then the crowd
was admitted to view the face of the dead
rabbi. On account of the smallness OF the
apartments and the necessity of admitting
and diHcharging the mourners through the
same door great confusion resulted.
IL was decided by the rabbits in charge Of
the funeral arrangements that the public
view of the body must be stopped. Diff
Guilty accompanied the carrying out of THU
arrangement, because clamorous thousands
desired admission. Finally the doors were
locked when all had been driven from tn,
house, but the members of the family anc
80 rabbits, who were to chant the prayers fol
the dead until time for the removal of thu
body from the house.
The scene about the house at the tint
was an impressive exhibition of grief. Al
far as the eye could see mourners weri
gathered in the streets, on the roofs, on fir,
escapes, hanging TO awnings, perched OIL
boxes and barrels. The murrnur of thei
prayers sounded like the clatter of waves oil
2 beach, while outside the house the rabbi
lntoned the Psalms.
In Henry street, near the house, 500 boy
were grouped. As the coffin was carried /,
the hearse these boys chanted the Thilim
The chant was taken up by the assemble,
thousands and rolled in cadence throug
blocks md blocks of crowded streets, risinj
and falling as the power of the singers in
creased or diminished.
squad of policemen led the funeral pro
cession. Then came the chanting boys, VIII
continued their song of sorrow along tn
the body of the rabbi, in pine box. cam
next. Then followed between 400 and Sc
carriages, and bringing up at the rear wa
foot.
4 The procession moved through Henri
street to Montgomery, to Clinton, to Eai
Broadway, to Pike, to Eldridge, to Forsyths
to Chrystie, to Grand, to Allen, to Cana
to Norfolk and to Clinton, where gret
crowd Of children from the Hebrew Ere
School Joined the line. 1t passed ever
synagogue on the lower East Side.
- AS the procession was marching by Il
printing! press factory of r. Hoe & Co., @
Grand street, on its way to the cemetery
Brooklyn, several employees of the factor
n ernptied pals of water from the windows
an upper floor onto the spectators 1nasse
upon the sidewalk. Pail after pail WI
emptied on thu throng, which shouted ar
struggled and stampeded in a vain attem
TO escape. Then oyepalls and clothing soak,
x in water came down from above, and eye
tools, scraps of steel, bolts and dead c
were thrown on the mourners.
This enraged the thousands, interrupted
N the midst of d solemn ceremony. They
taliated by throwing back into the facto
window the missiles that fell on them, I
/ y gether with stones ana sticks, and in +,
minutes there was scarcely whole pane
i glass on the Grand street side of the priI
ing-press works. Then someone in the I'd
N tory turned on a hose and played il ind
criminately all over the funeral processio
At one time as many as five streams We
q III playing ON the crowd. Drivers of mourni
carriages whipped up their horses, trampli
over pedestrians. Men trampled women a
and the utmost confusion ensued. 1t look
for time as If an extensive riot must resu
Soon the police took hand IN the trout
4 and dubbed the people right and left. I
first detachment was unable to cope with
II crowd, and the reserves of half dozen p
N lsipv cts were dispatched to the scene II v
n pc1 re than half an hour before order was
Mv .n1 red and the streets in the vicinity of
W editory cleared. Many men were arrest
III rhong them several employees of the I
81 ompany, who were suspected of start
d be trouble.
M Z treets bleeding from wounds on their he,
MI 4 II bruises on other parts of their bod
5H I Ambulances were summoned quickly, {
n 'hree responded. For time surgeons "
ept busy dressing the wounds of the njur
Several policemen were injured, receiv
uts and bruises. Two men were taken
he hospital. One of them had sustained
ternal injuries and Commissions and the OF
a sprained leg.
The men who were arrested were
n raigned later in the police court, and a
"A of IS and $40 were imposed in several
~ Stances
Bad feeling Is said to exist between sc
the Hebrews residing in the neighborhc
and this is said to have led to the indipl
offered the mourners, out of which grew
extensive disturbance.
Mr.. Hoe, the head of the printing p
factory. said he sincerely regretted the
Surrence, but that there was no way
which he or other members of the Arm q,
oontrol the several hundred boys who '
Il tbat~ lttfKn h,,, A. Al a.