The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1919-11-13
". w. OUTBREAK
COSTS SIX LIVES
centralia, Wash. Scene Of Blood
SIZED and Violence When
Vicious Attack Made
On American Leg
ion Parade.

Centralld, w dSIl., NOV. L.
Fonr American Legion men ar
dead; three are wounded, on
perhaps fatally; Britt Smith, sec
retary Of the Centralia local O
the i. w. W., is hanging deat
from the bridge over the Chehali,
river and the /. w. w. hall is gut
ted as the result of an !. w w
attack on an armistice day parade
conducted by the American lie
gion in this city today.
Five hours after the volleys
we're fired from the /. w. w
headquarters and adjoining build.
inqs, a mob cut off the lights Of
the city, broke the Jail door.
snatched Smith from the Jail and
rushed him in an automobile thru
mud and water to the bridge,
three-quarters Of a mile from
town.
The Armistice day parade
passed through crowded streets,
led by Captain David Livingston,
who served in France with the
regiment. AS the head Of the
line rounded Tower avenue, they
marked time awaiting the rear Of
the line to catch up. Fully 100
men were in line in platoon for
nation. The last end Of the line
had just turned on Tower avenue
when the desultory fire opened.
The shots seemed to come from
several directions. but the onlook-
ers believed that most of the shots
were fired from I. w. w. head
quarters in the old Roderick hotel
and from the Avalon hotel across
the street.
The crowd was not appalled,
by the shooting, but started inn
mediately for the /. w. W.'s, who
were scattering from the differ
ent exits of the building. Smith
started out of the rear Of the
building working an automatic
which jammed. He started on a
run through a yard with the
crowd following.
Smith was firing all the time,
his gun working perfectly by this
time. He appeared to have plenty
OF ammunition. The fleeting /.
W. W. secretary was followed to
the Skookmlchuck river, where
he leaped down the bank. Seeing
that he could not swim the stream,
Smith turned back and dashed up
the bank. A moment later the !
gunman was overpowered and
was hauled to jail by the pur-
suers.
In the meantime the roundup of
other /. w. w. members had start
ed, led by men in uniform who
mad been in the parade. The I. w.
W. headquarters were fired and.I
before the department arrived the
old structure was badly damaged.
But until great quantities of /.
". W. literature had been dump
ca GO IN the street. The anger of
1ne crowd became greater as the
word spread that four men were
ueao A rope was thrown over a
!eiephone pole in the rear of the
!al. When Smith arrived there
m charge of his captors an at
Tempt was made to string him up.
). At 2:30 a clock the lights of the
cl1y snapped out as though cut
through giant switch. The en-
.ire s city was dark. Even the six
automobiles . around the Jail had
ne M nights. Not match was struck
aaa4. motorlsts approaching from bi-
ors'ing o,'. streets were warned to
~ oe' OF their lights and one pair
de !, lens were kicked in when the
,raa urlver did not obey. No word
tEa Ias spoken when the men entered
u 1ne eJall. Night Patrolman Robert
I;"h IIaJAson Was on duty. They had
Slched a panel from the outside {
LIT ,o1l ana turned the key. The Is
,ell III where Smith covered was un-
ocked. He foresaw the ominous ],
and said nothing. Sill Il
litly I'M the dark at least eight ]
zen ; surrounded him and brought !
I'M IRON the little Jail and into
car The engines were throb- I
inhg and not a moment was lost.
ney speeded away through the /
lud and water Of the country
They rushed to the
,unty bridge over the Chehalis
% DOB ?, Burrows, farmer living
es ear the bridge, was the best wit L
esS ssn5 TO the hanging.
= The man was struggling be- |
,;S zen the men who held him." t
':e aid Burrows. "They worked | !
a.nout ~ word. l saw them stop t
y. ~ lar from the end of the
ge nearest the city and throw Il