The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-02-23

the police They were not 10 fire their
maskets under any circumstances unless
the order came from him, The FencibIes
grounded arms, repressed a cheer for the
gallant major, and were marched TO a
Philadelphia Rapid Transit barn near Ger
mantown and Lehigh avenues.
The announced intention of the Phlla-
deiphia Rapid Transit to run cars along
Germantown avenue and the news that
the Fencibles were coming to safeguard
the cars attracted crowd of 1000 peo-
pie, who strung themselves along Ger
mantown avenue and massed heavily in
Lehigh.
Thirty PAGES Apart.
Up came the FeneIbles with rifles on
shoulders After some confusion caused by
the immense crowd, the soldiers were
stationed for FIVE blocks along German
town avenue, from Huntingdon to In
diana avenues. They were posted on each
side of the thoroughfares. about thirty
PAGES apart. and the isolation OF each
man from his neighbor was a sure invi-
tation to the crowd for somebody to
start something. Between the ordered
|
each way along Germantown and Lehigh
avenues the crowd was packed solidly.
You knew before you had been there
| five minutes that unless the soldiers could
keep their tempers and stand lot of
rough joshing they were in for a bad
session.
| II began rather amusingly. Parties OF
young men and girls strolled by the stifiy
erect young Fencibles and commented
audibly upon the fit of their uniforms.
the way they held their muskets, and the
set of their broad-brinmed hats
Bit by bit the crowd BECAME bolder
and more annoying Harmless jests be-
came sneering insults. Presently, as If
the whole movement had been carefully
organized. squads Of young men and boys
stole up behind each far separated SOL
der and stole cartridges from his belt,
snatched at his hst, or tried to jerk
his muket out OF his hands. Here and
there a militiaman lost his temper and
struck out with mis- fist or the butt OF
his gun.
No One to Give Orders.
In no time at all. there was scufiing
all along the line The soldiers looked
to their captains for orders to charge the
crowd with bayonets or TO shoot. The
captains looked 10 the major. but the
major was so busy at the moment that
/ he hardly knew what was going on.
| Blocks away he was talking with d. T
/ Pierce, executive assistant to President
I Kruger, Of the ?. r. T., and explaining
/ &c Mr.. Pierce how the Fencibies could be
depended upon TO suppress trouble If
cars were attacked.
Suddenly near Huntingdon avenue
woman screamed and attacked one OF the
| soldiers with her fists, scratching at his
! face Real trouble broke Ike a thunder
/ clap BOYS and men sprang on the SOL
diers. fifteen or twenty 60 a soldier. bore
| them down. took their muskets away
| from them, tore their coats of their
backs, struck them in the face with
clenched fists, and rolled them in the dirt
| The crowd. now converted into a mob.
wedged itself between the mllitiamen and
/ the Fencibles were utterly helpless 10
defend themselves. II the order had come
TO shoot they could not have obeyed
Many of them had lost their guns and
there was hardly man in ten who had
single cartridge left in his belt.
Mounted Policemen Arrive.
Then came the rapid clacking of horses
feet down Lehigh avenue Acting Sergt
Buehler, riding at the head Of ten mount
ed men, all ex-cayalrymen. hit the mob
at full gallop. There was no longer the
| suggestion OF humor. The Joke had turned
into bloody reality. Every time a mounted
policeman swung his club somebody. man
Or woman. went down with a broken head
or a paralyzed arm. There were thou
sand men for every city cavslryman. bur
the sergeant didn't stop to reckon odds.
He was mad clear through
AS he swung past d church near Lehjgh
avenue, Buffers club struck woman on
the side of the head. She dropped with
a scream of pain that was heard above
the roar of fighting. A young man sprang
on the steps of the church and fired
revolver az Buffers head. The buIIet
missed. and the young man fired again
and again until his pistol was empty.
foot policeman leaped up the steps and
beat the youth down with heavy blows
Of his club.
The Fencibles. meanwhile. were with
drawing by main strength from the fight
They were worse than useless, and no
body knew it better than themselves Bv
ones and twos they wrenched and drag
ged each other out Of the battering mass
and assembled finally near the barn from
which they had marched so jauntily. The
night continued long after they left.
Mob Attacks Car.
All through the crowd men had drawn
pistols. boy named Francis Kolb was
shot in the side. He was carried out Of
the jam and stretched out on the floor
of drug store. Later an automobile
took him TO the Samaritan Hospital In
the thick of the fight a Germantown car
rumbled up
The mob. stiIl fighting with Buhler.s
mounted men and a squad of fifty cons
on foot that had been dispatched from
City Hall. turned its attention To the
car. Windows were smashed and bricks
went sailing in. one of them laying out
policeman vino was guarding the car.
road superintendent of the PhiladeI-
phia Rapid Transit. Lew Smith, saw the
policeman go down and fired at the man
he thought threw the brick. The bullet
struck man named Walter Stead in
the left side just below the heart.
Kolb may recover. but Stead probably
will die.
Somebody in the crowd shot John
Hughes in the abdomen. Two policemen
were carried out of the mass, HELPLESS
from bullet wounds
1t was nearly O'Clock when the police
got control of the streets. more. per-
haps, because the mob had spent its VIC
lepea than bacauee tba r,oHo -