The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-01-04
ENGLAND'S CAPITAL
SCENE OF Big BATTLE

thereafter all idea of rushing the
house was abandoned.
The besieged men kept up a oontin-
uous fire, which was as continuously
answered. Squad after squad of po.
lice arrived Every coign of vantage
was occupied. at corners, in arch
ways and on roofs First from one
window and then apother Of the two
upper stories the besieged fred from
time to time. inhicting slight wounds
on policemen or civilians. Bullet af-
ter bullet crashed through the win
dows, but none found its mark.
Finally the police communicated
with the home secretary. Decision
was Immediately taken to call out the
military III less than half an hour
| 100 Scots Guards, quartered in the
Tower of London, gray-coated with
rifles on their shoulders, 100 rounds
of bali cartridges in each pouch, and
with them o Maxim gym, swung into
the field of action to aid 500 men In
their attack upon the fortress held
by two. Every guardsman was o
picked marksman.
Now" shouted the crowd "they
have them" and strange crowd it
was. The scene of the affray might
have been In some far-off land in
stead of in the heart of the British
empire. Foreigners from nearly every
country on the face of the globe
formed the major part of the crowd.
The crowd watched the sky grad
ually redden as fire engulfed the
premises. Some of the soldiers open.
ed fire from windows of ali opposite
fortress. Others lay at full length in
the street. while crack shots occu-
pied a loft in neigboring brewery,
keeping up a steady fire, which at
last seemed TO daunt the defenders,
but for long the battle ragged
The defenders did not lack &C ur.
nge. Now at one window. then at
another, a smoke-blackened hand
holding a Mauser pistol was seen,
and half a dozen shots would be
poured at the assauters. In a couple
Of seconds the bullets of the guards
men and the police shattered the
|
brckwork by hundreds. Still the de.
tenders remained unhurt, still they
replied with shot after shot, but the
end came at last.
Then smoke began to creep out of
the windows Of the tenement house
The besieged had preferred death to
surrender. Showers of charred paper
| vffn1 In q
the destruction of documents. The
smoke grew denser and flames ap-
peared. Fire engines in plenty were
ready, but the fire the besieged had
created was left to accomplish what
the soldiers and police had failed to
do. The soldiers continued to pour a
rapid fire into the blazing house, but
now there was no reply. For so min
utes this continued. Then two shots
were heard within, This was the last
sign from the desperate defenders.
A few minutes later the roof and
copings were falling and the ground
/ floor windows were belching flames.
When the fire and heat were subdued
two charred bodies at last rewarded
} | luN hd9 -lOhb VI lilt pOllNt
soldiery.
Never before in all their record of
long centuries had the Royal Horse
artillery been warned for duty in
London. with instructions to fiji their
limbers with case shot and shrapnel,
but London was spared a lombard
ment by the self-lighted funeral pyre.
The authorities deliberately chose
this method OF securing their prey,
but when the press and public fully
realized the nature of this whole epi-
sode, which no imagination could
have conceived as possible in the
capital Of civilized state, it will be
strange If feeling of strong indigna-
tion will not be manifested.
The Scots Guards in action, a Max
i'm and two other guns ready for bat
tie, bullet-swept streets, men wound
ed in an assault, a house allowed to
blaze and burn to the ground, a gov
ernment minister, q regimental com
mander and the highest police Off
cials in charge of the proceedings
and all to capture two desperate bur
glars.