The Washington times., 1919-05-04
ByJEAN KNOTT


the street. - In organized warfare
you generally have the satisfaction
Of knowing the direction OF the
enemy's. hre, but in the PerliA. street
fighting. you had no idea from which
direction rifle. or machine gun. FIRE
might come next
| think the sailors played a grim
jest when. late in the afternoon. they
declared themselves officially neutral.
Thousands OF citizens hocked Ia
the government headquarters 10 take
out permits to carry firearms These
were readily granted and many en-
listed in the volunteer forces. The
best OF Berlin was ready to fight to
the death against Bolshevism which
seemed synonymous with anarchy
Berlin became the maddest, widest
city that the Imagination can picture.
Theaters we're open. the street clean.
ers went peacefully about their busi-
ness, but, all the time. there was the
cracking OF rife hre and the rat-tat-
tat-tat of machine guns. You were
safe n a street onS-,miDa(e. and the
next II was the scene Of bloody
strife. There were Wonderful oppor-
tunities for a man with a rifle who
saw a creditor across the street.
Fight with Hand Grenades.
Reports persisted that the govern
ment had 10000 troops in the suburbs,
but they never appeared. Many OF
those who were in the city began to
fight on their. own account. because
for some inexplicable reason they get
no jordsrs from 'the' Government. =
On several occasions there were
fierce hand grenade attacks by the
Spartacans in an attempt to seize the
Reichstag, but these were aRTepul-
sed. The number OF volunteers who
came to Berlin on the side -ef the gov
ernment increased continually, but,
unfortunately. no regular troops put
in an appearance to assist them. In
the afternoon. Die Republic publish
ed a proclamation signed by nine
Soviets. who represented about 700.
900 sailors. demanding the resignation
OF Ebert, Scheidemann. and NOske.
and to have put in their places two
Independent Sosialists and one Com
munist Ia new name by which the
Spartacans called themselves).
An American correspondent. who
had been in Russia during the period
OF the revolution there, informed me
that the fighting was much more
severe in Berlin than in Petrograd.
There was not the slightest doubt
about that, as the killed and wounded
already numbered over 1000. The fol-
lowers Of Liebknecht began to look
gaunt and tired out by their contin-
uous day and night fighting for the
last 12O hours. There was not much
chance OF renewed fighting, unless
4 hn tho nfFnnEiVP
the Spartacans apparently were re-
organizing their" now demOraliZed
forces. : -
On Saturday. January II. events be-
gan 10 move much more rapidly.
oyer $50 Q6A mon. .commissi oped 'o4-
icers entered. the capital on this date,
and regardless Of a heavy dO~nppur
of rain, the guStilal warfare contin-
ued. without showing any signs OF
a ba tement -" -
- - Tank Batters Doors. :
The iohief conflict ragged around tho
bniIdipg. The spartacans
were b6rrfcaded behind rolls of paper
Yith which they had also re-epforced
the doors Of the buildings ~hnGe
tank rolled down"tbe street. pushed
aside the ;, pa PEE -, 3aTridsdess and
Amkshed,'Jn. the main entrahcf OF the
Building >"..-~.' -. r
Accompanying the tank were ar.
mored cars which fired INCREASINGLY
with one-pound shells at the Spar
tacans fortified behind large rolls OF
paper used for printing The daily edl-
ton OF the Vorwaerts.
Artillery was brought UP and i'm
mediately afterward there were
brown into the building no less than
fifty rounds OF IT'S and five rounds OF
1905. BY this time. the SpartacRns
were ready 10 surrender and accord
Ingly were waving the white haG
from one OF the windows. Apparent
~ this sign OF truce meant nothing
10 tho government troops who pro-
,eeded to drop two large 'fla ammen-
werferS" through the roof OF the
building with the result that il was
nearly split in two. The government
roops then entered the building and
a aptured $50 SpartRcans, including
ma affy-w omen Fhey- were all taken TO
he Moabit prison. lined up against
he wall and shot.
After this battle, talked TO kutt-
Ter. the sub-editor OF NorwaertS. He
seemed to besT a charmed life. He
vas in the building when the Spar