River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1912-05-09
VIOLENCE DONE IN
=. NEWSPAPER STRIKE
CHICAGOANS ARE ATTACKED BY
sLUGGERs WHO, IT is AL
LEGGED, ARE "HIRED."
HANDLE DEALERS ROUGH
Wagon Load of Papers Set Afire.-
Positions Vacated by the Strik-
ers Are Being Rapidly
Filled.

Chicago, IllinOiS.-PrOfessiO slug
gers alleged to have been employed by
the striking pressmen, stereotypers
and newspaper delivery drivers, who
are assaulting small newsboys, are to
be rounded up by the police and placed
under arrest.
The police know many of these men.
In the early hours of the morning
many assaults on newsboys were re-
ported and in some instances on wom-
en- newsdealers who had the regular
Chicago newspapers for sale. At the
stations of the elevated railroads,
bundles of newspapers were seized
and torn up. In some instances bon
fires we're made of the papers in the
streets and customers were intimi-
dated.
At West Madison and Halsted
streets mob of several thousand men
gathered and tried to prevent the dis
tribution of wagon load of Examin-
ers.
When the wagon which was guarded
by police stopped on the corner, a
small boy about years of age, was
induced to hold lighted match to
the newspapers on the wagon. The
boy was so small that he was over
looked by the police and as he was on
the side opposite to where the police
stood, the papers were ablaze before
the act was discovered.
AS soon as the blaze was discovered,
the police threw four bundles of pa
pers into the street and stamped out
the fire. Edward E. Merriott, an en-
ploye of the Examiner was assaulted
by Frank Van Mine, printer. Van
Mine was arrested and locked up on
charge of assault and threats to
kill.
Feeling ran high in the mob and it
was with difficulty that the police
kept it in check. The sidewalks were
lined with policemen who were jeered
at by the crowd and the appearance
of the newspaper wagon seemed to add
to the infuriation of the mob.
Regular subscribers received their
Sunday papers delivered by carrier as
usual. The publishers are hourly add
ing to their mechanical forces and are
in position to get out their regular
editions. Inside the newspaper offices
things are going smoothly, the real
trouble appearing only on the streets
and at news stands.
A number of women news dealers
were roughly handled and inundated
from displaying their daily papers. At
the Fifty-fifth street station of the
south side elevated there was dis
turbance caused by one of the striker
sympathizers interfering with a man
who bought a morning paper. A po-
dceman arrived before the alteration
resulted in blows.
At North Clark street and West
North avenue gang made bonfire OF
some of the newspapers displayed on
nearby news stand. Several persons
who had purchased morning papers
we're assaulted and the papers torn
tram their hands.
Many of the men who were called
but on strike and were given to be-
ieve that the strike would not last a
lay, are growing discouraged. They
ire remaining at their homes and TAX
ing no part in the violent demonstra-
lions witnessed at downtown street
corners.
Many youths in search of excitement
Ire being led into trouble. In certain
sections of the city gangs who have
no connection with the strike because
they never work, wait around news
stands and try to create disturbance.
The newspaper strike is being
taken advantage of by the publishers
of papers in small surrounding cities
who are flooding Chicago with spe-
cial editions of their papers. Aurora
and West Hammond, Ind, Joliet and
other nearby towns are selling more
papers here than in the cities of pub
LEGATION.
The public is eager to get newspa-
pers, especially for the baseball re-
suits, and the Socialist which is run
ming extra editions here is devoting
its columns largely to accounts of the
newspaper strike