The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-05-02
WOMEN TRAMPLEDI IN
UNION SQUARE RIOT
I. w. W. Clash With Police
Ends 10000 Socialists May
Day Fete in Panic.
IRON FENCE BROKEN DOWN
Terrified Crowd Flecs From
Danger in Wild
Stampede.

| lneTe was n uTeduful minute to"hfu
the close OF the great Socialist May day
demonstration in Union Square. last eve
ning when Second Deputy Police Commits |
sloner Rubin's face went white as print
paper.
| In that minute he saw thirty feet OF
strong iron fence al the east side OF the
square bend like wire against the pres
sure OF thousands Of frightened men.
women and children. give way completely
and sag. posts uprooted. to the grass. He
saw young girls. who had been crushed
, against the fence, fall with IL and lie face
downward, screaming, while a wave OF
human beings rolled over them and buried
them from sight
Rubin himself walled back the wave
with fifty policemen that he swiftly gath
cred from ali about. but he and the men
who stood with him were afraid to look
when the bluecoats hurled back the crowd
and lifted the mass from the girls who
had been crushed and trampled under II.
As things ordinarily happen those women
would have been killed or terribly injured.
But by Rubin's quick thinking and by the
best Of good luck perhaps they were more
frightened than hurt. Half q minutes de-
lay in blocking the panicky flight would
| certainly have cost several lives.
Climax OF Nervous Afternoon.
II was a near thing and 1t came as the
| climax of a nervous afternoon through
every hour Of which the police COM
manders and other men whose business
took them TO the centre Of the close packed
crowd OF 10000 were afraid that the
demonstration would not end without
bomb throwing. savage fighting and kill
ing.
This apprehension was not caused by
the attitude OF the Socialist organizations
that marched to Union Square to celebrate
the international labor day and who had
a right to the park. Their attitude was at
all times peaceable. good natured and
friendly toward the police. The appre-
hcnsion was caused by the hectoring, the
insults and the threats from the ]. w. w.
the anarchists and the roughs who cursed
under no particular flag. These human
adulterants Of a decent crowd were re-
| sponsble for six hours for a series OF
fights, paiics and clubbings. and finally
brought about the curious wave OF fear
which came near ending the lives Of the
women who were swept under when the
iron fence gave way.
This occurred at $40 p. NJ. A group
Of Italian socialists. who were unable to
/ get near the pavilion from which the
} regular speakers were talking, organized
q meeting Of their own at the north OF the
square and directly across from the
Everett building in Seventeenth street.
. The Italians spoke from an automobile
In which Miss Caroline Dexter and other
we'll known socialists were sitting.
! Insult Socialist Speakers.
Three loud voiced. sneering men. iden-
tilted by the socialists as I. W. w. anar-
chists OF the Berkman- O. Carroll follow
ing. shouldered to a place near the auto
mobile and insulted the socialist speakers
vilely. The hot tempered Italians were
for leaping at them, but Miss Dexter and
her friends restrained the angry men.
Twenty or more policemen in the crowd
drew together. formed "A wedge and drove
for the trouble makers These tried to
run, but the solidi;y of the crowd ham.
pered them. 80 they turned and clawcd
at the policemen. The policemen were
young and they were separated from ex-
. perienced commanders. so they forgot the
danger of using clubs In the thick of A
vast crowd They let fly at the dlsturbers
! and when !. w. w. sympathizers some
distance on threatened them they charged
the sympathizers. using clubs pretty Sc
verely.
In English and Ylddsh men and women
screamed that the police and the l. W w
, We're hgAtlny panic wave started at
the north side of the square and rolled
east and south so that in no time at
= all at leO 1000 persons were trying to
, get away from the little rumpus at the
north.
The crowd saw safety within the park
and started that way. II moved slowly
r at first and then gathered momentum.
The fence halted it momentarily and then
. the fence bent and gave way
. Chief Inspector Schmittberger and act
Ing Inspector Morris. alive to the dan
gers OF clubbing. were struggling through
. the crowd trying to get at their young
, policemen. Schmittberger isn't as young
y AZ he used to be. but he owns the kind
!, OF a voice that goes with an old time
cop and above the rumble and clash
, you could hear it, the German accent
! rising TO the top In his excitement
u mo clups! No clups Put down dose
clups, !"
). lie checked the panic at Its source.
b. but neither he nor Morris knew for a
minute or two what was going on at
the fence. only one or two policemen
had been stationed there and they were
unable to stop the multitude As good
I | luck would have IL, Commissioner Rubin
was on the spot
All save one or two of the persons in.
tured were hurt In this l. W. W. precip.
tatcd panic.
q Paul Bologne. who lives AT 355 East
a lsfth street. was raped on the head by
Il something that was hard enough to break
n through hair and scalp,
n Richard DAILY. 20 years Of age OF 39G
Third avenue. was bruised also.
- Two Girls Hurt as Fence Falls.
,s Two girls were slightly hurt when they
fell over the fence, They were Jennie
n LOWER OF Ell Henry street. who WAS
n bruised and who became historical and
2 a girl whose face was cut and whose
hands and arms We're bruised and cut.
She was taken away by friends hrfore
the police or the reporters could get her
name.
v For twenty-five years May dnv has
u meant lively afternoon in Union Square
&c Yesterday the biggest crowd that ever
e gathered there to talk for socialism ana
: organized labor crowded the north and
d east sides OF the square
), The socialist organizations had a per.