The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1918-11-28
SAILORS BREAK UP
RED FLAG NEE TING
SOLDIERS AND MARINES ALSO
MIX IN BATTLE ROYAL.
SOCIALISTS ARE PUT TO ROUTE
Men in Uniform Charge Past Police
and Pufnmel 6olshevik Orators
Meeting Ends When Mooney
Sympathizers Rush to Cover.

New, York, Nov. 26.-Hundreds of
soldiers, sailors and marines broke
through a Gordon of police surround
ing Madison Square Garden last night
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 fed as the men
in uniform charged past the police
but were pursued into the side streets
in all directions.
The attack on the socialists came
at the close of meeting which
threatened from the moment it began
to break into a riot. 1t was called
ostensibly to protest against the ex-
ecption OF Thomas J.. Mooney, but
Scott Nearing, who presided, and
the other speakers devoted most of
their attention to pleas for the re-
lease of political" offenders.
Arrest Flag Wearers.
Several men and women were ar
rested for displaying red flags snug
gled into the garden in defiance of
an edict by Mayor Hylan. Large
numbers of men in uniform entered
the building before the doors were
locked with the avowed determine
ton of preventing attacks upon the
government. They were restrained
with difficulty by police and detect
ives from making an assault on the
stage. .r.
Scores of fist fights were interrupt
ed by officers.
Soldiers and sailors who were un-
able to get into the meeting sent out
patrols to round up all the men in
uniform who could be found to join
the charge on the socialists which
had been planned to take place when
the oratory was ended and the inter-
nationalists started for their homes.
Rush Over Police.
Madison Square was the rallying
point for the military. They quick
ly staged an impromptu mass meet
ing at which speakers denounced the
"bolsheviki." They were cheered
not only by the men in uniform but
by civilian sympathizers. When
some one called upon loyal Ameri-
cans" to charge the garden and at
tack the internationalists, severa'
hundred responded. They were
driven back, however, by mounted
police and men on foot who had
surrounded the building.
Realizing that they had failed in
the first attack, the soldiers and
sailors resumed their meeting and
awaited the arrival of achievements.
Probably 1000 men of both branches
OF the service had assembled by the
time the meeting adjourned.
The opening of the doors of the
garden 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 attacked the socialists, who
had packed the big builing.
Mob Finally Dispersed. ......
Almost instantly the square was
filed with yelling, running, fighting
men. The screams of women, most of
them wearing red roses or carnations
in lieu of the forbidden flags, rose
above the din as they clawed and
scratched the soldiers and sailors who
were pummeling the male socialists.
Finally the police reinforced by the
reserves rushed from every station
house within a radius of miles, strug.
gled vaiiantly to clear the square bat
made little progress. Soldiers, thor
oughly angered by what they consid.
cred an insidious attack on the flag
they had sworn to defend, paid little
attention to blows from night sticks.
They We're bent on getting revenge
from the internationalists, and many
of them succeeded.
Socialists Run Away. ...
The square was cleared of milling
men only when socialists by ones and
twos in groups broke and fled. The
scrimmage in the park then was
transferred on a smaller scale to
neighboring streets. Groups Of social
lists soon we're running along Fifth
avenue a half a mile north and south
of Twenty-sixth street pursued by
shooting uniformed men, most Of them
hatless and atless.
When they went to the meeting
the men, almost without exception
wore red neckties because red flags
were under official ban. These red
tics were the special mark of soldiers
and sailors. After the fight they were
cherished DIS souvenirs.
Hundreds of the socialists were
beaten, but so far as could be learned
none was seriously hurt.
The police had the situation we'll In
hand half an our after the close of
the meeting and the street was cleared
except for stragglers.
Keeping II Up Today.
As result of the outbreaks against
the twelve thousand socialists who
met In Madison Square Garden last
night flying squadrons Of soldiers,