The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
Killing of Anarchists Is Criti-
 cised by the Press
POLICE MADE RIDICULOUS
Action In Bringing a Thousand Sol- diers and Police Together To. Capture Two Men Is Held
 To Be Absurd

London. January 4-After a days re- flection, the sober thought of London appears to be that the marshaling of a great force of police and military to de- stroy a little nest of outlaws was mis- take.
 A number of provincial papers, too, crit icise the authorities sharply. The Man. chester Despatch says that Englishmen have been made to appear ridiculous, and that the affair is one which the country will be glad to forget.
 The impression is gaining ground that the policemen should have dealt with the business instead of calling on the sol diers and that the summoning of the horse artillery was particularly unnec- essary move.
 Nothing has since developed to establish that more than two men held the tene- ment against several hundred police, two half companies of Scots Guards from the tower of London, a detachment of horse artillery, with two machine guns and Calling guns and fire brigade, to say nothing of tens of thousands who lent their moral support expressed in vocifer- ous cheers
 It was said during the night that the police had discovered & third body in the ruins of the building. but this is not true.
 Only two men are known to have been killed. The police had located, according tc. their belief, Peter the Painter and "Fritz' in lodging room on the top floor of the tenement house on Sydney street.
 Some of today's critics point out that instead of walking upstairs. kicking in the door and taking their men, or taking whatever chances any officer is likely they summoned the landlady from the upper floor and then reoonnoitered about the house until they drew the fire of the anarchists from the windows of their room The battle then begun. ended In the burning alive of two human beings within the sight of as many Of London's s thousands as could crowd into the nearby streets.
 The extent of the popular excite ment aroused by the unprecedented exhibition will be better understood in the light of the fact that the cir culation of the local newspapers last evening and this morning was greater than at any previous time since the critical stages of the Boer war were heralded in the capital. Surprising as 1t seeAns, the papers in London last night and again this morning far ex- ceeded the number disposed of on the day of King Edwards death.
 The intense interest hardly abated to- day and the evening papers prepared for a tremendous special sale.
 The presence of the horse a/hllery. although their guns were not brought into action, seems to irritate many more than any other Incident. There Is some mystery as to who was re- sponsible for the employment of the military. Home Secretary Winston Churchill, who personally directed the operations of the combined forces dur ing the latter part of the seven-hour battle is connected generally with having authorized or approved the un- usual measures taken.
 For a time public concern over ru- mors of anarchist plots matched in London appears to be overshadowed by the discussion of the manner in which the suspected anarchists were dis nosad of