The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1918-11-29
ANGRY FIGHTING MEN
ATTACK SOCIALISTS
Demonstration in Madison Square
at Which Red Neckties and
Flowers Were Used to E.
wade Mayors Edict.

wade Mayors Ediet.
New York, Nov. 25.-Hundreds Of
soldiers, sailors and marines broke
through a Gordon Of police surround
ing Madison Square Garden tonight
and attacked international Socialists
who had attended a mass meeting al
which Bolshevik doctrines were ex
pounded. The men and women leav'
ing the hall broke and fed as the mer
in uniform charged past the police
but were pursued into the side strets
in all directions.
The attack on the Socialists came
at the close Of a meeting which threa'
tened from the moment it began to
break into a riot. It was called os.
tensibly to protest against the exc
cution of Thomas J. Mooney, but
Scott Nearing, who presided, and the
other speakers devoted most Of thei,
attention to pleas for the release OF
political offenders.
Several men and women were ar.
rested for displaying red flags smug.
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 determi.
nation Of preventing attacks upon the
government. They were restrained
with difficulty by police from making
an assault on the stage. Scores Of
fist fights were interrupted by officers.
Soldiers and sailors who were uu-
able to get into the meeting sent out
patrols to round up all 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 srstory was. ended and the inter.
started for their homes.
Madison Square was the rallying
point for the military. The quickly
staged an impromptu mass meeting
at which speakers denounced the Boil.
shevik. They were cheered not only
by the men in uniform, but by civil
lian sympathizers. They were driven
back, however, by mounted police
and men on foot who surrounded the
',uilding.
Realizing that they had failed in
the first attack, the soldiers and sail.
ors resumed their meeting and await
ed the arrival Of reniforcements
Probably one thousand 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 second
charge which the police were unable
to repel. The soldiers and sailors
fought their way past swinging night
sticks and attacked the Socialists
rho had packed the big building. AL
most instantly the square was filled
with yelling, running and fighting
men. The screams of women, most
of them wearing red roses or carna
tions in lieu of the forbidden flags
rose above the din as they clawed anc
scatched the soldiers who were pu
melting the male Socialists.
Mounted police, reinforced by au
tomobile loads of reserves, rushed
from every station house within {
-adious of miles, struggling valiently
clear the square but made little
progress. Soldiers and sailor:
thoroughly angered by what they con
sidered an insidious attack on the flag
hey had sworn to defend, paid little
attention to blows from night sticks
They were bent on getting revenge
from the internationalists and many
Of them succeeded.
The square was cleared of milling
men only when Socialists by one anc
twos and in groups broke and fled
The scrimmage in the park was ther
transferred on a smaller scale int
every neighboring street.
Groups of Socialists soon were run
ming madly along Fifth Avenue hal:
mile north and south of Twenty-Sixtl