The Washington herald., 1917-02-25
MOB ATTACKS HOTEL
coNrINUED FROM PAGE ONE.

SS@s@@@sS - - 3A%0AA = 49, 49,
hungry. We came to get help; not to
tight the police
Gashe. Policeman's Face.
Isabella Sorkin, pretty girl Of 10. be-
gan a savage assault upon one OF the re-
volving doors. The girl seemed to have
lost her reason. She called upon the
crowd at her back to come with her.
Policeman Jordan. bucking through the
crowd as a football halfback.. reached the
frantic girl and tried to haul her away
from the door. She turned upon Jordan
and dug her finger nails into his face. She
tore six deep gashes down his cheeks and
then, fiinging herself upon him with the
fury Of an Amazon, she hurled him back
ward.
Her shrill cries made her sisters bold.
They fastened upon him as the girl had.
Jordan was thrown to the pavement The
policemen formed a hollow square around
Isabella and began to remove her to the
police station. In the fight that ensued
another woman and man were arrested
and thrown into the center Of the riot
formation with Isabella To add to the
furore women began to realize that their
children were lost and a wailing was
set up.
Police Are Helpless.
The policemen seemed unable to handle
the mob. They declared they could have
cleared the streets in fifteen minutes had
there been men to deal with. But the
harder they pushed and the louder they
yelled, the wilder the women became.
They screamed curses at the police and
prayers for food and help. And the
curses and prayers arose, in half a dozen
tongues.
A guest Of the hotel was set upon as
he, apparently innocent OF the temper of
the mob. sought to force his way to the
doors. He was a big chap. well over
six feet and 200 pounds. When the police
finally rescued him. he was bleeding from
the nose and one ear His collar and tie
were gone and the sleeve Of his over
coat was missing. The big fellow seemed
dazed
my God" he sasped, has war been
declared?"
Two women, arriving in a taxicab,
made an effort to enter the hotel by
way OF the servants entrance. They
made a dash for the door and a crowd
of 100 women from the mob entered the
race yelling:
Listen to US. lady; listen to us. We
want food and coal and you can help
u.s.
Women Well Dressed.
Both the women were welI-dressd and
poor runners. One Of them, seeing en-
trance to the hotel impossible ned toward
Broadway. The other woman was
caught. In the fury of the meeting she
was stripped of her furs. her hat and
the back of her skirt. She disappeared
as though by magic.
A hatless. bedraggled woman with a
husky voice of tremendous volume,
began to address the mob at the corner
of Fifth avenue and Thirty-fourth street.
She had anN<ar fnr a rnnnaAnt n0lv whAn
there came another rush. another wild
Jam and she fell to the street screaming:
Use their tactics; use their tactics. Let
them shoot. You might as well be dead
by the bullets as by starvation"
Here and there a man was seen exhort-
ing the women to do this or that. In the
fury Of the babel 1t was only occasionally
the words of a speaker could be heard.
One motor car sought to nose its way
into the throng. A score Of women
leaped upon the machine, screaming mad
ly. They thrust the chauffeur back from
the wheel. They slowed the machine
around. The driver started his machine
and fed eastward.
Women Knocked Down.
A hundred women at least were knock
ed down and trampIed. They scrambled
to their feet. some bleeding. some weep
ing Historically and all hatless and dis
heveled. Two women were taken to hos
pitals.
The loss of at least two dozen children
was reported. In most cases the women
were SO hysterical that they could neither
recall the child's name nor age nor give
a description.
Fifth avenue looked like the campus of
a college after a canerush when finally,
by charging and cutting large groups
into small groups. the police managed to
scatter the mob.
Some one from an upper window OF the
Waldorf threw out a handful of small
coins and the rioting broke out afresh
for a time.
bewildered- looking woman. without
skirt, coat. shrtwaist or hat. wandered
into a drug store to demand food. A
woman threw her coat
around the daZed woman and escorted
her to the curb. There the well-dressed
woman half lifted the unfortunate one
into limousine.
Result of Misunderstanding.
'Drive home" she told the chauffeur.
vkI2 i.