Norwich bulletin., 1918-11-26
Service Men Resent Display of Red Flag
Attacked International Social ists at Mass Meeting in New York.

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 ists at Mass Meeting in
 New York.
 New York, Nov. 25.-Hundreds of soldiers, sailors and marines broke through a eordon of police surround ing Madison Square Garden tonight and attacked international socialists who had attended mass meeting at which Bolshevik doctrines were ex- pounded. The men and women leav- ing the hall broke and fled as the men in uniform charged past the police, but were pursued into the side streets in all directions
 At 10 o'clock several hundred sol diers and sailors who had gathered in Madison square charged the mounted, police who had surrounded the build Ing and tried to force an entrance but were driven back. They then organiz- ed a mass meeting in the square. In the meantime two more arrests had been made for the display Of red flags. The attack on the socialists came at the close of the meeting which threat ened from the moment # began to | break into a riot. It was called os- tensibly to protest against the execu- 1 tien of Thomas J. Mooney but Scott |
 CT speakers devoted most of their at- tention to pleas for the release of 'tpo- | liticar' offenders.
 Several men and women were ar-
 rested for displaying red flags snug 1 gled into the garden in defiance of an
 edict by Mayor Hyiand. Large num-
 bers of men in uniform entered the building before the doors were lock- ed with the avowed determination of preventing attacks upon the govern ment They were restrained with diff fculty by the police and detectives from making an assault en the stage l Scores of fist fights were Interrupted in the opening round by officers.
 Soldiers and sailors who were una ble 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 haC
 been planned to take place when tho
 oratory was ended, and the interna-
 tionalists started for their homes
 Madison square was the rallyins
 point for thu military. They quick.
 staged an impromptu meeting at whicl
 speakers denounced the ',Belsheviki
 They were cheered not only by tn, men in uniform, but by civilian sym 7 pathiZers. When someone called upol 'loyaI Americans" to charge the gar !; den and attack the intcrnationalists several hundred responded The, , were driven back, however, by tn , mounted police and men on foot Wh l had surrounded the building. ? Realizing that they had failed i
 the first attack, the soldiers and sail
 ors resumed their meeting and await
 ed the arrival of endorsements. Prob ably 1000 men of both branches C ' the service had assembled by the tim the meeting adjourned.
 q The opening of the doors of the gar l den was the signal for a secon : charge which the police were unabl Il to repel. The soldiers and sailor $ fought their way past swinging nigl y sticks and attacked the socialists, Wf : had packed the building.
 Almost instantly the square wa II filled with yelling, running. fightin T men. The screams of Frightened VIC . men, most of them wearing red rose = or. carnations in lieu of the forbidde p flags, rose above the 1in as the If clawed and scratched the soldiers an q sailors who were pummeling the ma Il socialists
 0 Mounted police, reinforced by autC 0 mobile loads of reserves, rushed fro If every station house within a radil e of a mile, struggled valiantIy to clet e the square, out made little progres
 Soldiers and sailors, thoroughly ange )f ed by what they considered an insid 'r ous attack on the flag they had swol T. to defend, paid little attention to u d blows from night sticks. They we d bent on getting revenge from the il '- ternationalists and many of them SUI 1T ceeded.
 le The square was cleared of millil | n I11y Tuf1 Iictc- L1xt K twos and in groups broke and fie r. The scrimmage in the park then w W transferred cn a smaller scale in L. every neighboring street
 IS Groups of, socialists socn were rul ? ing madly along Fifth avenue a ha es mile north and south of Twent
 Sixth street, pursued by shouting UT 7e formed men. Most of them were ha pr less and oDatless; having lost the m lS jor part of their garments in the scu af fie.
 pr When they went to the meeting t st men, almost without exception, wo I@ red neckties because the red fla
 were under the official ban. The
 red ties were the special mark of t
 soldiers and sailors. After the bat n they were cherished souvenirs An
 thing red reused the wrath of the mi Ie tary men and they promptly pursu S. it.
 as Hundreds of the socialists we ~. badly beaten but so far aa could us learned none was seriously hurt. T soldiers and. sailors evideatIy had ht intention of doing more than take P few ''wallops" at those who attend Tn the meeting. Their enthusiasm in u ne direction led them, however to ass pn numerous bystanders who had not tended the meeting and who mer al were watching what was going on. IT. United States Marshal McCart as and police inspectors were inclined
 blame the uniformed men for 1 ed trouble. They declared the meet would have proceeded peaceful s- enough, in spite of the more or | a. explosive speeches, had it not been Ter the soldiers and sailors. They VI ed the ones who started the attack, officials asserted.
 to The police had the situation W al- in hand within half an Lour after IT, close of the meeting and the stre
 had been cleared except of straggle
 There were TO more socialists to seen.