Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1917-07-04
LILA, SOUTH CAROLINA WEDNESDAY July j, 1917,
BOSTONIANS IN BIG RIOT.
Peace Demonstration Broken Up-
Socialist Literature Destroyed.

ceSS 'eIllOHStlattIOn Broken UJD-
Socialist Literature Destroyed.
Boston, July 1.-Riotous scenes at
tended socialist parade to-day
whlch was announced as a peace
demonstration. The ranks Of the
marchers were broken up by self-or-
gahlzed squads Of uniformed SOL
d1ers and sailors, red flags and ban
ners bearing socialistic notices we're
trampled on, and literature and fur
nishings in the socialist Headquarters
IN Park Square were thrown into the
| street and burned.
Pol1ce reserves stopped the rioting
after 1t had been in progress an hour
and a half. Many arrests were made.
me police took into custody some
OF the participants in hundreds of
list tights that were waged on the
common and in the line of parade on
fremont street, while agents OF the
F'ederal Department of Justice arrest
ed number OF persons who were al
leged to have made unpatriotic re-
MARKS IN the heat Of conflict. None
OF the soldiers and sailors who fig
urea In the disturbance was arrested.
Women With Babies In Line.
The procession, which consisted of
hundreds Of men and women, many
OF whom carried babies, formed in
Park Square, and, passing through
Ellot street, marched along fremont
street, one division going to the base
Dall ground on the common where a
meeting had been arranged, and ano-
ther proceeding to Scollay Square.
Most Of the marchers carried small
red flags with white centers, en-
blematic Of the peace demonstration,
and there were large banners bearing
inscriptions such as Russia has a
s1X-hour day-Why not America?
and Liberty Loan a First Mortgage
on Labor" A large American flag
was at the head of the procession.
Half hundred men in the uni
form OF naval reservists, national
guardsmen, marines and Canadian
"kfltfes," who had watched the for
nation of the parade, marched across
the common in double column and
intercepted the procession at the cor
ner of West and fremont streets and
again at the corner Of Winter and
fremont streets. In both instances
the contact resulted in street fight.
Blows were exchanged and flags were
snatched from the hands Of the
marchers While women in the line
screamed in fright.
AT Scollay Square there was a sim
liar scene. The American flag at the
head OF the line was seized by the
attacking party and the band, which
had been playing "The Marseillaise"
with some Interruptions, was forced
to play '"The Star-Spangled Banner"
while cheers were given for the flag.
The police had just succeeded in
quieting this disturbance when the re-
serves were called out to quell an in
cipient riot at the meeting place on
the common. The first of the "peace"
speakers had barely begun when the
reserves arrived. They formed a cir
Gle in the crowd, with the police
wagon as center in front of the
speakers stand, but in spite of their
presence there were scores of indi-
vidual fights in the big gathering. TO
restore quiet, Superintendent Crow
ley, as acting police commissioner,
revoked the permit for the speaking
and the meeting was called off.
Destroyed by Bonfire.
Meanwhile the Socialist headquar-
ters in Park Square had been ran
sacked and it's contents destroyed by
bonfire. The American flag taken
from the paraders was placed over a
statue of Lincoln the Emancipator"
near the scene Of the bonfire.
The peace conference was organ
lied at conference of Socialist
branches, labor unions and work
mems benefit societies of the metro
politan district, acting under the
name of the workmen's council, in
imitation of the council of workmen
and soldiers Of Russia. 1t was an
nounced that the organization repre-
sented 10000 working men.