Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-03-27
WYOMING VALLEY
SCENE OF VIOLENT
CAR STRIKE RIOTING
Wilkes-Barre Police Defied,
Service Interrupted and Prop
erty Destroyed in City and
Outlying Sections
EMPLOYEES BADLY BEATEN

wILK KES-BARRE, Pa, March 81
George F. Buss, Sheriff of Luzerne
County, today issued a proclamation
in which he declares that "a condition
exists at this moment in this commu-
nifty which is in violation of every
/ principle of law and order in fragrant
/ disregard of the motives and purposes
which prompted the wise fathers TO
prepare for our use, guidance and OBJ
servance living code of social and
political conditions. | sincerely cOnse-
crate my official position and personal
influence to bringing about condition
of affairs in this community which
will compel the lawlessly inclined and
the criminally active to observe
scrupulously the supreme majesty of
the law"
WILKES. BARRE. Pa. March 2S.--F'ol.
lowlns riotous demonstrations of Satur.
day night and yesterday by sympathizers
with the strikers at the wilkes.Barre
Street Railway Company IN which a num-
her of patrons and employees OF the road
were injured and a number of cars in this
city and at other points in the Wyoming
Valley were wrecked. disorders started
afresh today. Sympathizers with the strik-
ing carmen attacked the first two cars
sent over the Grove and Brown division
of the company, battering in windows
and beating the motormen and conduc-
tors one of them very seriously. No |
policemen were on the scene and by the |
time word of the trouble reached head. |
quarters and special men were sent out. |
the damage had been done. No arrests |
were made
The Grove and Brown division is |
manned by residents of the Wyoming Val. |
ley. These employees are called permanent |
employees of the company. When the first
car reached its terminus a crowd of sew
eral hundred men and boys and few
women pelted the car with all sorts of
things. The crew was forced to leave the
car and as they alighted rioters pounced
upon them and beat them. One of the
crew suffered two broken ribs and his
face and head were badly cut and bruised
The next car over the line was attacked
in the same way. The crew was com. |
PEELED to abandon the car and leave 1t to
the mob Conductor and motormen were
they begged for mercy
SHOTS EXCHANGED.
At westmoor. late last night. shots
we're exchanged between carbarn guards
and rioters AT least 20 shots were fired
after a mob of several hundred had bat
erred the car windows No one was in
ured, but reports are that boy was shot
n the crowd and that rioters carried him
away.
The riots of yesterday and today are
considered by the Mayor and municipal
as "A direct challenge to the
Law ana Order League, which was re-
Gently formed. For a period of several
weeks order has been maintained, but
he announcement late last night that 900
,itzens had secretly formed the Law and
order League and that they intended to
see that riotous scenes OF several weeks
lgo were not repeated. is said by the
authorities to have stirred resentment.
A secret meeting of several prominent
.esidents was held late yesterday. Mayor
Iohn v Kosek was called into the meeting
md informed that unless he preserved
leace and order a call would go out to
he Governor for military law. 1t was
,aid rioters had defied the law in this city
md valley and that the citizens had
'eached the conclusion that municipal au.
horities were unable TO cope with the sit
latlon and could not prevent the reign of
disorder.