The Brunswick news., 1912-01-16
SOLDIERS NOW
AREPROTECTING.
MILL PROPERTY
FIFTEEN THOUSAND STRIKERS
CAUSE TROUBLE IN MAssAcHU-
sETTS FACTORY DISTRICTS.
Several Men Have Been Injured Dur
: ing Rioting Which Has Taken Place
at Lawrence, Mass, LateIy-Wase
Cut Cause of Row.

Lawrence, Mass, Jan. 15.-Striking
operatives of the big Lawrence textile
mills became so unruly this forenoon
and created SO much disturbance
about the mill gates that seven COM
panies of infantry and field bat
terry were called from neighboring ci.
ties to help the police.
AT noon the situation was well in
hand During the near-rioting the
militiamen used their bayonets dis
creesly. "A dozen persons were hurt
and thirty five troublemakers were
arrested.
Nearly thirty. thousand hands are
idle, half of whom are actually on
strike and the others locked out. The
trouole is due to a general reduction
in vases, necessitated, the manufac-
turers say, by a cut in the working
time from Sc to 81 hours a week by
new state law governing establish
ments where women and minors are
employed.
Mills That Are Clcsed. u
The mills closed are the Wood, Aver
& Washington, controlled by the
American Woolen company and en-
ploying $4,000 persons; the cotton
mills of the Arlington. Everett, Penn
berton corporation and the mills of
the Lawrence Duck company, employ
ing 5000 more
Other wool and cotton mills, the
employees, of which aggregate $500,
are running on small scale.
1t was believed practically every
mill in Lawrence would be forced to
close.
The trouble this morning began with
an attempt by the strikers to rush
the doors of the Wood worsted mills
and the Prospect wooden mills. The
attempts at both places were re-
pulsed by the police.
Great Crowds Gathered.
The greatest crowd gathered at the
Wood mill before the hour Of opening.
A thousand hands had reached their
places in the mill. There strikers,
who had evaded the police and the
watchmen, brandished clubs to force
the operatives out. The disorder was
SO great that the mills were shut
down. Then strike sympathizers
marched to the Prospect mills and as
sailed the gates.
They resisted attempts of the po-
lice to force them back. Another
crowd gathered at the Washington
mills, where they had several minor
scrimmages with the police.
At the Pacific cotton mills strike
sym2athizers had worked themselves
into a fighting mood and had just
emerged from an assault on the mill
gates when the Washington mill
crowd arrived. Soon all was in an
uproar. With chunks of coal the
mob bombarded windows of the Paci-
fic weave shed. Six operatives inside
were hurt. The police charged the
mob and fired in the air The shots
did rot scare the strikers. At this
time two companies Of militia were
ordered out for service and the riot
act was read.
Captain Randlett's orders to the
crowd to dispense was not Immediately
obeyed and ne sent the half hundred
militiamen TO charge with bayonets
set. During the charge many of the
bayonets were pressed against the
crowd, but the militia was careful not
to :nlict wounds Two rioters were
hurt.
Battery c, light artillery, was or
dered out. After unlimbering guns, the
battery cleared the street with little
trouble.
Additional police were requested
from Boston, Lynn, Lowell, Hayer-
hill, Salem and elsewhere, and were
on their way here by 10 a. m. Thirty
arrests were made during the fore
noon.