Evening star., 1919-03-11
GERMANS F|eHTlNG
FWlEKTElBERG
Government Troops Expect
Hard Struggle-Defeated
in Opening Clash.
CRIMES BY SPARTACANS
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
BERLIN, Monday, March 10 tnoon).
troops were busy to-
day in driving Spartacan bands from
various sections of Berlin. and in
preparing for a determined effort
a gainst the Spartacan stronghold OF
Liohtenberg. a suburb to the east OF
the city.
ThesSpartacans are reported 70 have
large depots of weapons and aHmuni-
tion in Lichtenberg. Government
troops sent to Lichtenberg Sunday to
protect the post office and police sta
tion were annihilated by the Spar
tacans
who were not killed during the fight
ing for the post office and police sta
tion. or who did not escape from the
buildings. were murdered by the
Spartacans. Many were tortured and
killed in the streets. At least one
woman was among the victims of the
Spatacans. The police archives in
the Lich tenberg were burned and
SO. 900 marks were stolen from the
post Office. = ts7.f
Probably $50 Killed.
No attempt has yet been made to
ascertain the number of persons
killed in the present uprising. but the
number is believed to exceed 15o,
Reports of spartacan atrocities con4,
tinne to pour in and resulted today in
the Issuance of an order by Herr
Noske. the minister of defense, that
all found opposing the government
troops with weapons would tie shot
Many Spartacans were
TAX en- prisoner during the forenoon.
and summary executions began at
once, the order of Herr Noske befr1g
welcomed by the embittered govern
ment forces
Armed civilians stopped Red Cross
ambulance today and killed or wound
ed all the persons In il. Another band
of Spartacans dubbed two soldiers to
death with the butts of their guns and
killed householder who attempted TO
interfere.
The Independent socialist newspa-
pers Die Freiheit and Die Republik
have been forbidden to appear. Al
though the independent socialist lead
ers protest that they are not conneci-
ed with the insurrection. the indeA
pendent organs have been attacking
the government with. bitter invec-
tives and endeavoring to stir up the
people against the government and
the government troops. The leaders
of the Independent socialists also con-
tinue to make attempts to embarraxs
the government and to play into the
hands of the SpartHcars by dem aesds
that the volunteer troops be with
drawn from Berlin. Many inAepend-
ents are known to be fighting in the
Spartacan ranks
There, is reason to believe that Vim
lister Nosl1e has been given q nee
hand to put down the revolt, and the
preparations indicate,
- <x . A. .tw~~<~
The government military command
ers expect that it will take at least
two days of steady fighting to break
the Spartacap resistance in the east
ern part Of Bertha. and TO-, exptufsi
Isichtenberg and the subprbs Of Ko-
all on the eastern outskirts of Berlin
The communists. wffhrneNf fresu- the
criminal and hooiEAp elements cQqE'
tinase, to eterss stout ophOeftfen, $50
the government troopa. naturally, are
taking slow progress IN the street
fighting They are taking no pris-
oners. - ~
The government forces have the
task not only of crushing the main
Spartacant strenghe elds, but also OF
comba ting the guerrilla tactics of the
insurgents, who. realizing that they,
troops in straight fighting. are sepe-
rating into small bands and terroriz-
ing districts which have, been unmo-
Tested up to this time. s.
One daring Spartacan band last
night succeeded in taking a machine
gun into a house opposite the bar
racks of the guard regiment on
short distance
north of Inter den Linden From this
point of vantage they bombarded the
barracks. Another squad penefFated,
the newspaper district and threw
hand grenades into the courtyard Of
the building occupied by the semi
official Wolff Bureau.
The possibility of an outbreak in
the radical suburb of Spandau mas
been met by the government by the
of a battalion of pioneer
troops whose loyalty was questioned
The order calling on the general
strike was obeyed only in part today.
Nearly all the small establishments g.
and a number of the big plants re:
zumed work, but workmen in the fac
tories dominated by radicals declared
they would not return to work until
the government troops were with
drawn from Berlin