The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-11-26
Men and Women SociaZistsFzee
 Before Attachof" "Khaki" Boys
New o K Boishevik Meet in comes Rout When
 dreds of Sailors and | Soldiers Interfere
SEVERAL ARRESTED
 FOR DISPLAY OF
 HATED RED FLAG

Police Unable to Repel Charge of
 Men Determined to Prevent Att
 tacks Upon Flag They Had
 Sworn to Uphold
 New York, November %.
 Hundreds of sailors, soldiers
 and marines broke through 8 cordon of police surrounding Madison Square Garden to- night and attacked interpa- tional socialists who had at tended a mass meeting at which bolshevik doctrines were ex- pounded. The men and women leaving the hall broke and fled as the men in uniform charged past the police, but were pur- sued into the side streets in all directions.
 l The attack on the socia lists came at the close of n meeting which threatened from the moment 1t be- | gan to break into riot. It was called ostensibIy to protest against the ex- 1 ccutiOn of Thomas J. Mooney, but Scott Nearing, who presided, and I the other speakers. devoted most of Shesw attention to plens far the r. rcleaxr of political ofSe enders. 1 Several men and women were ar- | rested for displaying red flags l smuggled into the Garden in de- hance of an edict by Mayor HyIan. Large numbers Of men in uni- form entered the building before 1 the doors were locked with the | avowed determination of prevent ing attacks upon the government. They were restrained with difficulty by police and detectives from mak- ing mn assault on the stage. Scores of fst fights were interrupted by officers.
 Soldiers and sailors who were un- able to get into the meeting sent out patrols to round up all the men in uni- form who could be found to join in the charge on the socialists, which had been planned to take place when the oratory was ended and the interna- tionalists started for their homes.
 HOLD MASS MEETING Madison Square was the rallying point for the military. They quickly staged an impromptu mass meeting, at which speakers denounced the Dol sheviki." They were cheered. not only by the men in uniform, but by civilian sympathizers. When someone called upon loyal Americana to charge the Garden and attack the internationalists, several hundred responded. They were driven back, however by mounted po- lice and men on foot who had sur rounded the building.
 Realizing that they had failed in the first attack, the soldiers and sailors resumed their meeting and awaited the arrival of endorsements. Probably 1000 men of both branches of the service had assembled by the time the meeting ad- journed
 POLICE HELPLESS
 The opening of the doors of the Gar den was the signal for a second charge. which the police were unable to repel. The soldiers and sailors fought their way past swinging night sticks and att tackled the socialists, who had packed the big building.
 Almost instantly the square was filled E. II. screams of women, most of them wear | ing red roses or carnations in lieu of the forbidden flags, rose above the din 1 as they clawed and scratched the so1- | diers and sailors who were pummeling l the male socialists.
 MAKE LITTLE HEADWAY
 Mounted police, reinforced by auto- | mobile loads of reserves, rushed from I every station house within radius of l miles, struggled yaliantly to clear the | square, but made little progress.
 Soldiers and sailors, thoroughly an ! gered by what they considered an in- | sidious attack on the flag they had | sworn to defend, paid little attention | to blows from night sticks. They were | bent on getting revenge from the inter- | nationalists and many of them suc- ceeded
 The square was cleared of military f men only when socialists by ones and | twos and in groups broke
 The scrimmage in the park was then | transferred on a smaller scale into every neighboring street.
 Groups of socialists soon were running | madly along Fifth avenue. half mile up and down Twenty six street, pursued | by shouting uniformed men. Most of them | were hatless and coatless, having lost | the major part of their garments in the | scuffle.
 When they went to the meeting the men almost without exception wore red neckties. because red flags were under the official ban. These red ties were the special mark of the soldiers and sail or After the battle they were cher ished souvenirs
 Hundreds of the socialists were badly beaten but so far as could be learned | none was seriously hurt.
 The police had tho situation we'll inJ hand within half an hour after the close of the meeting and the street had been cleared except of stragglers.
 United States Marshal Mccarthy and police inspectors were inclined to blame the uniformed men for the trouble They declared the meeting would have pro ceeded peacefully enough in spite of the
 tContiaued on Page Two.) |