Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-05-17
HORRIBLE
TORTURE STORY
DR.. Reitman, Emma CoIdman's
Manager, Describes How
Tarring' Was Done.

Los ANGELES. Cal. May III was
taken from the U. s. Grant Hotel Tues
day night by fourteen men and placed In
an automobile, said DR.. Ben Reitmau.
manager of Emma Goldman. yesterday
in telling of his experience with San
Diego vigilantes, by whom he was given
a coating of tar and feathers carly on
Wednesday morning.
When ] refused to go four of them
placed revolvers against my body. They
were well-dressed and apparently refined
One clasped hls hands over my mouth
and the police cleared a path to tho
waiting machines. i.
W drove thirty miles into the desert,
followed by another automobile crowded
with vigilantes. The torture began then.
Fingers were thrust up my nose and into
my eyes; they stuck pencils into my
n~ostrils. tore out hair by the roots.
stuffed filth In my mouth and applied
cpithets worse than I ever heard in the
vilest criminal dens in the lowest coun-
tries on earth.
AT n certain spot more men were
awaiting us around a fire. The automo-
bile searchlights Illuminated the place.
First my clothing was torn off. Then
they. committed upon me vile acts of
hendish, gross, barbaric indecency, the
details OF which are unfit for publication.
Begged to BE Killed.
Screaming with pain, l begged them
to kill me. MOI they replied. They
wanted me to go away and tell how they
treated advocates of FREQ speech in San
Diego. Being unable to sing THE Star
~Spangled Banner. ! was beaten with a
club. ] stood naked in a yelling circle
of white men who advanced In pairs,
their eyes glittering in the searchlights,
TO inflict pain. ! have read of Indians.
but even they could not devise more
ingenious means of producing suffering
than those fourteen Americans. They
We'd to see who could conceive the most
diabolieal torture, Being of strong
physique, ! withstood their utmost eff
forts.
One asked me If 7 believed In God.
I replied that no God would permit such
desperate deeds. Each of the fourteen
stepped forward and propounded a ques.
ton. ] answered truthfully and oocb i.
nv III nc idft us ! .BpOke.
Their final torture before the burnin,,
was compelling me to run the gauntlet.
] ran through "A double row of men. eacl,
beating me with a club as | passed.
They got that from the Indians.
Then, while six men held me on the
ground. another slowly traced figures
on my PACK with a lighted cigar, scorch-
ing the flesh horribly. Their one crv
WINS. fNNafra A aarIna,r n.1 -.at,,
you to keep away from San Diego,
was smeared with filth and then the
American flag was thrust into my throat
until %strangled.
Apply Boiling Tar.
after enduring two hours of torture
the boiling tar was applied and desert
grass stuck to it. Then ] was chased
into the desert, one following and beat
ing me with my. own cane until he
stopped exhausted. They said they
would treat Miss Goldman the same way
If she were captured.
"At dawn | reached a little town
called Barnndo and entered 1t. Before
turning me loose my underclothes, vest
and $50 in money were given me. |
did not get my watch or papers. l
bought turpentine and these clothes dn
ulCdliDB the clOlhihS no Woret, Wdbne1
and dressed as well as I could. We
cannot prosecute. Governor johnson
has been appealed to In vain. What
are we going to 'doT"
An Investigation has been started by
the Fedora Grand Jury at Los Angeles.
A large package of documents taken
from Reitman by the vigilantes has
been forwarded to the United States
D.strict-Attorney's Office here. The
situation in San Diego Is quiet.