New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-04-13
MORE RIOTS IN BRUSSELS.
GENDARMES CLEAR THE STREETS
WITH SWORD AND BAYONET.
ONE MAN KIILED-DEPUTF VAN DER
VELDE, THE SOCIALIST LEADER.
ARRESTED BY MISTAKE.


Brussels, April 12-when NJ Van der velGe.
the Socialist leader left the Chamber of Depu-
ties this afternoon, and emerged into the street.
he was recognized and followed by number
of persons. The police dispersed the crowd and
arrested NJ. Van der Velde. who was conveyed
to the police station but released.
with the official explanation that his being
taken into custody was due to mistaken identity.
After being released NJ Van der Velde pro-
ceeded to the Maison du Peuple. where he ad-
dressed the crowd, urging them to refrain from
creating disturbance and not to give the police
a pretext for further violence. The crowd grad
ually dispersed, but later reassembled In the
square facing the Maison du Peuple- de-
tachment of the Civic Guard thereupon marched
through the square, clearing it and the con-
tiguous thoroughfares. At 1870 o'clock the
mob again grew troublesome and. the gem
darmes were ordered to clear the narrow tor
tuous adjacent streets in which threatening
crowds were massing. The gendarmes charsed
with drawn swords and fixed bayonets, and
were greeted with hail of stones The people
in some of the houses hurled flower pots. knives.
lighted boxes and matches upon the heads Oh
the charging police. revolver fusillade was
begun by both sides, and some of the gendar1nes
fired their rifles. Several rioters were injured
two of them being shot one of whom has since
died. few of the police were hurt
After this encounter wide area around the
Maison du Peuple was Systematically cleared
by successive charges of gendarmes carrying
drawn swords and revolvers and Civic GUARDS
with fixed bayonets.
The squares in the neighborhood OF the NAL
son du Peuple are still occupied by troops DUSTY
engaged in dispensing the groups winch hao
gathered on the outskirts of the cleared zone
ba6
out and gone home, and there is little like
Hhood of further trouble tonight. but there IS
every reason to expect renewals of the disturb
ances at daylight as a majority of the rioters
are apparently roughs and young irresponsloieS-
Mounted gendarmes wherever the crowd looked
ugly fired blank cartridges from their revolvers,
while the officers shouted at the top OF their
voices, Close your windows" Every open win
dow was covered by the rifles of the troops until
it was closed.
The soul of the socialist movement in Belgium
is NJ Van der Welde. a brilliant speaker, VINO
has great influence over the masses He is tall
and 1.-The with a quiet manner. and his keen
eyes peer through eyeglasses which he invar1-
ably wears. He recently married an English
woman who is also an active socialist. and is
president of the Women's Federation of Belgium
\ representative of The Associated Press talked
20 him at the close of to-day's session OF the
Chamber. of which he is a member NJ van
der WeIde evnced the utmost readiness 10 ex-
plain to the American public the situation IN
Belgium. -
We are determined go on now, he SAID
until We have secured revision. Under the
present unjust electoral regime. the working
man has only 100000 votes out of 2tooOOo
whereas under the one man vote system. We
would have 400 600 out Of 100000.
The general strike next Monday will testify
10 the strength of the Socialist party We count
on one hundred thousand strikers in the mining
and industrial districts. where our call VIII Ger
tainIy be generally answered. We have invited
the men to act according to the best interests
of their districts. and thus there will be no
strike at Client where the textile industry is
undergoing crisis but there will be demon
STATIONS in favor of universal suffrage