The Morgan County press. (Wartburg, Tenn.) 1916-1926, 1919-10-17
MARTIAL LAW IN
INDIANA CITIES
GENERAL WOOD TAKES CON-
MAND WITH 1000 OVER
SEA VETERANS.
Fourth Division, Armed With Cannon,
Machine Guns and Rifles, Declared
Martial Law in Gary-No Disorder
Preceded Action of the Military.

Martial Law in Gary-No Disorder
Preceded Action of the Military.
Western Newspaper Union News Service.
Chicago, Ill.-Major General Leon
ard Wood, commander of the central
department of the United States army,
took charge of the Indiana steel dis
trict cities Of Gary (Ind.) harbor and
East Chicago, with 1000 overseas vet
Grams of the Fourth Division, armed
with cannon, machine guns and rifles,
and declared martial law in Gary,
while Adjutant General Smith, with
1000 state troops, declared martial
law in the other two steel centers.
No soldiers uniforms may be worn
in Gary by CIVILIANS under the Gen
erals order No disorder preceded the
action of the military, but the troop
movements followed parade without
permit of 1000 strikers from the steel
mills in Gary, led by large number
of former soldiers in uniform, and a
mass meeting in Gary park, where
speakers demanded the release OF
strikers arrested after a riot recently
and the withdrawal of troops sent by
Governor James B. Goodrich, of In
diana, at the request of city officials.
This Is the first action by Federal
troops since the steel strike started
September %. 1t came Unexpectedly
as there had been comparatively little
disorder in any Of the cities, but the
movement was rapid. No sooner had
Mayor w. M. Hodges, of Gary, asked
Governor Goodrich for troops after the
mass meetings had been conducted in
violation of his orders, and in al
legged defiance Of the 300 state troops
on duty in Gary, than the Governor
repeated the request to General Wood
at Chicago.
In five hours the regulars at TT.
Sheridan had been loaded in trucks
and transported fifty miles to Garry.
They barely had numbered them
selves from the long ride before Cen
eral Wood issued his order for martial
law. The order provided that no pub
lie meetings or assemblies might be
conducted Sin any street, park or 9TH
er portion of the city," However, it
specifically exempted from this provi-
sion churches, theater, motion picture
houses and lecture rooms.
The order set forth that all men in
the uniform of the United States Army
in the city would be brought to mill
tary headquarters Immediately. If in
vestigation developed that a particular
man was "a part Of the armed forces
of the nation" the order added, he
would be placed under the command
of the military authorities in the city
for duty. IT, however, the man was
out of the service, the order stated, he
would be held pending further inves-
tigation." This later provision was
taken to mean that discharged soldiers
wearing their army uniforms in the
city would be held in custody.
The order was made effective imme-
diately. 1t set forth that strict en-
forcement of law would prevail and
called upon all citizens to lend their
assistance to the military authorities.
The functions of the city government,
it added, would be carried on through
the city authorities las much as posi-
ble."
All parades and professions were
prohibited by the order 1t provided
further that no firearms might be car
ried by any one other than the police,
military authorities, troops and men,
bers of the city government
The order will continue to be in eff
feet until further notice"