The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1910-03-12
FIERCE FIGHTING
UniOniStS and Police Clash
in Philadelphia.
SCORES BtATENAND TRAslPlfD
Mounted Police Rode Down March
ers, While PstrOlmen Unmerci-
fully dubbed Men. Wo-
men and Children.
BEATEN AND TRANPlfD

uonal League park 10 the city hall
was a battle-ground for two hours.
The great thoroughfare was choked
with men and women who struggled
TO break down the police barbados
and surround the city hall They were
leaderless and advanced in the wild
est disorder. Their progress resembled
stampede. Without the downright
courage 10 form and beat the small
squads OF policemen out Of their way.
they came on in a chaotic horde. Hun
dreds OF them were pounded TO the
street stones> tramplcd by men and
horses. kicked and cuffed and whiried
headlong into the side streets.
II is impossible 10 say how many
were hurt. The police troubled TO
make few arrests, but the mob was
split and broken. You saw scores OF
men. and now and then a woman.
whose heads had been cut open by
the savage blows OF a club. whose
faces were bloody or who were nurs-
Ing an arm paralyzed by the smashing
impact Of the policeman's mace
Hurled Clothing at Police.
Broad street was curious spec.
tacle after the battle had roared itself
away and none were left but the files
Of policemen on guard For squares
the asphalt was Uttered with mems
and women's hats that had been crush
cd and swept away in the driving
rushes of the policemen. There were
shoes that had been torn OF by their
owners and thrown at the police. and
many Of them were women's. Occa-
sionaily one came across a coat or an
overcoat that had been ripped OF it,
owners bar in melee.
The bali park was surrounded BIZ
fully 10000 persons when Strike
Leader Pratt and several others a..
rived in an automobile. When the DO
lice refused to admit the labor leaders
10 the ball park the machine was
headed down Broad street
When Pratts machine swept on.
into the open somebody started the
cry that the union chiefs were leading
march to the City hall There was a
yell raised. "On to the city hall" II
was taken mp thunderously all around
the park. From all sides the stampede
started. There was a steady trampinV
10 the chorus OF many voices. Theg,o-
iicemen on duty AZ the park STAYED
where they were. except for a com.
pany OF troopers who split thu crowd
and galloped on down Broad street.
The multitude swept on without re.
sistance for several blocks
Then the van understood that the
police were blocking the way. For
distance OF two miles. from the base
ball grounds TO Spring Garden street.
were posted at short Intervals more
than 1000 policemen. while troops Of
police cavalry trotted up and down
the sides OF Broad street held In re
serve
At York street the police ripped into
the first OF the sections. clubbing saw
ageiy. The mounted men drove the
people aEainst the sides OF buildings
pushing thcm hard. until they yelled
for mercy. Frequently you couldn't
tell what was going on 10 the thick Of
she press. You saw club sweep up
&c foract dagnwa pLSnsng. "a
Wrecked men and 49,
The air rang with curstS- 80 IS Is
ugly a spectacle as ever was seen on
any street Of this City Of Brotherly
Love
Women Fight Police.
Street by street the details OF police
hammered unionists OF the public
highways. There was long series OF
encounters that were oddly like the
scrimmages a. a football game. You
saw policemen swing a club with
men scrambling all around. lose his
footing. go % his knees and be buried
for a few seconds under a weight Of
twisting. squirming figures. Men dart
ed out OF the fighting. holding their
hands TO their heads. OFTEN the hands
were dripping with blood The women
displayed more spunk than the men
They were seen TO claw az the faces
OF the bluecoats and hurl shoes
straight az the police When they re
fused 10 be driven back they were
knocked down. II was not at all IN
common 70 see a woman pick herself
up clutching at her head There was
never a moment when the police hest
lated over methods OF dealing with
the mob. They We're told to smash IL
and they were carrying out orders
At Norris street where wall OF
policemen lad been stationed the ad
vancing crowd spied two trolley cars
that had been stopped near Broad
street. The motormen were looking
curiously from their platforms. Voices
| started up in the mob;
Here they are. XIII EN-"
The motornen and conductors
jumped off the cars and ran for dear
life. pursued by men who detached
themselves from the marchers and
ran with bricks IN their hands. Before
the policemen could get going both
cars had been wrecked and the mob
was swirling back into line in the
center OF Broad street The police
jumped IN and used their clubs saw
9gely. An old man. who paused to
light his pipe. Wen; down under a
heavy blow. lie lay where ne was un-
I'll the mob had swept by.
Throughout all the clubbing not a
shot was fired by the strikers or their
friends. Occasionally the police shot
over the heads Of the crowd as a
warning. Block By block the mob Yves
split apart and the sections beaten
into submission.
The general strike situation IS little
changed. The unions made some gains.
but they suffered some losses. They
managed TO pull 500 more men from
a DO 4