New-York tribune., 1919-12-24
Children Turn
tete Int0RiOtin
Rush for Gifts
Police Reserves and Soldiers
Needed to Restrain l 4, 900
Youngsters Who Struggle
for Presents at Armorv

Fourteen thousand children, all trying
TO grab Christmas presents at once
turned the largest Yuletide festival
ever held in this city into riot last
night at the list Regiment Armory.
Pollces reserves from six precincts
were unable to stem the rush, in which
little girls were knocked down and
emerged from the melee terrified and
crying and with their clothing torn. Not
more than so per cent of the children
were able to get the presents to which
they were entitled. At o'clock thew
went home, tear-stained and totallv
minus Christmas joy.
While the rumpus was at it's height
Deputy Police Commissioner Wallis
mounted table and blew fiercelv on
his whistle for fifteen minutes, but few
OF his men struggling with the excited
children could even hear him, much
less bring about the order he de-
manded. Two companies Of soldiers
from the list Regiment finally were or
dered out, and they formed an aisle
through which the children were sent
out OF the building.
lhe main cause of the trouble was
the presence of about seven thousand
uhlhVlted children, who had been al
lo"eo to enter the building out of
misguided kindness on the part of the
police early in the afternoon. The chill
dren came from school straight to the
armory, and the police allowed all
early comers to enter, regardless of
tickets. Hundreds of children had
counterfeit tickets, which had been is
sued by some unauthorized persons.
All these children joined in the rush
TOR the presents.
Commissioner Wallis said after the
excitement had subsidized that all chill
dren who had retained their tickets
would receive presents at the police
stations to-day.
hundreds of Tickets Lost
Hundreds of CHILDREN, however, had
lost their tickets in the scutfle. Others
had been given their presents after
their own particular patrolman had
himself plunged into the fracas and
seized an armful of boxes, but the lack
Of system resulted in little girls get
ting boxes meant for boys, and in bows
stealing away the boxes given to girls,
only to throw them away when they
found unwanted dolls inside
Most of the police were doing the
best they could, but few lost their
temper in the rush and were seen
striking and pushing the children
down the stone steps on Thirty fourth
Street.
Get out Of here, you" cried big
six footer, as he grazed his heel across
the back of a red-capped youth he was
accusing of being a repeater. When
, -t,-nt t,I !,
piled, hotly:
"I've got eight kids of my own at
home, and any one who spares the rod
spoils the child. Pm here to see that
none of these kids here tonight are
spoiled"
Plans for Americanization
auspices of the Peoples Liberty Chorus
and the Police Department, and was
planned as a beautiful festival of
music and dancing, as we'll as gift-giv-
ing, which would fill the children's
minds with gratitude to the city au-
thorities and SO plant seed of Ameri-
canizaton.
Major Helen Bastedo. of the women's
motor corps, who was conveying Grip
pied children to their homes, in buses,
said: "When children have been from
U CloCh ultll y "ltHOut supper, ana
are frightened and torn, and haven't
any Christmas present, they're in no
mood for Americanization."
Thirty clowns from the Hippodrome
tried to stem the rush for presents at
its beginning, but in vain. The presents
were piled up against the walls of the
armory and the children just helped
themselves at first, for the force of
policemen at the time was unable to
handle them. When it was seen that
order could not be restored, Commits
sioner Wallis ordered the program to
be discontinued and began sending the
children home The secretary to Borough
President Riegelmann of Brooklyn,
Frank Fogarty, who WAS to have been
Santa Claus, was not allowed to make
his appearance, and the FORTY foot
Christmas tree reared its gaunt
branches unlighted in the midst of the