The Washington herald., 1908-07-31
SIRIKBRSARBSLAIN
BY FRENCH TROOPS
GendarmeS Fire YOlleys Into
MObS of Workers.
RESULT OF A SMALL WALK-0UT
Trouble Arises Because Officials
XIII Two Employees in sand Pit for
General Confederation Calls for
Memorial Services TO Martyrs.

Paris. July So-There were serious strike
riots this afternoon and evening at VII
leneuve and OraveL
Troops repeatedly fired volIeys az the
mobs-
Many persons were killed or wounded.
The two places are small neighboring
villages. twelve miles southeast Of Paris.
where the chief Industry IS the working
OF sand pits. The men thus employed
struck three months ago. and during an
attempt by gendarmes TO arrest a man.
two strikers were killed Manifestations
have continued ever since There zas
one last Monday. which resulted in sew
eraI arrests being made one Of the
prisoners was q man Of the name Of
Ricordeau. a leading member of the Gen
eral Labor Confederation
This body. in reply. pIaoarded Paris
with a notice saying The building
trades organization has confirmed its pre-
vious decision. decreeing a general strike
FOR twenty-four hours Consequently all
building employees should cease work
Wednesday evening and resume Friday
morning and attend a manifestation TO
be held Thursday afternoon at . o'clock
at Draveil.
Secretary orders Strike.
Secretary Gri6uelhes. Of the General
Labor Confederation, explains in an arti-
Gle in the Matin that this short general
strike is intened 10 habituate workers 10
collective action and 20 train the proieta-
riat in solidarity. just as an army is
trained by drill and maneUvers-
The strike. however. is not general
The bakers and electric workers, who were
E.-~-
thousands Of building employees made
their way by trains and tram cars TO
Draveii, where some 4.00o troops were
drafted Wednesday This number proved
far too limited SO that when the meeting
began at go some 6,o08 strikers assem-
bled inside and before a large shed. Vio-
lent speeches were made infiaminE the
audience. the members Of which decided
to go to the VilleneUve Cemetery to honor
the memory Of the meE killed in the early
days Of the strike.
Meet the Soldiers.
AS they advanced. they met a squadron
Of dragons. on whom they fred with re-
volvers. but without wounding any one
A second regiment Of cuirassiers was sent
in pursuit Of the manifestants and caught
them on the railway bridge, where there
was a fight lasting an hour before the
soldiers dlsIodged them.
The troops used their sabers only.
Meanwhile, in Villeneuve barricades
were erected. One. composed Of ma
terials from an unfinished house. was
very solid At 5.25. the troops began 10
attempt to clear the town Missiles Of all
sorts were rained on them from windows.
roofs and other places
a legal summons was made for the
rioters to disperse.. and two rounds were
fred into the air. A spent bullet struck
man. who fell. Then, for nearly an
hour, the troops fired continuously at the
barricades, into cafes, and notably near
the station Eventually the street was
cleared. The manifestants evacuated the
station. and about o'clock trains began
to take them TO Paris. where there was
no attempt 70 continue the demonstra-
tor. which it had been feared they would
do
At the Labor Exchange It is said that
eight were killed while advlces from
Draveil say that eighteen persons lost
their lives and five officers and forty
soldiers were wounded.