The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1920-01-14

lird reading in the Reichstag.
" Would Control Production.
The Communists and Indepen-
dent Socialists demand more rad
lcal laws giving the workers great
power in the management of the
factories and industries - giving
them, in fact, control OF produc-
ton.
An enormous throng jamned
the front Of the Reichstag build
ing, gradually pressing the Gordon
of green-uniformed safety police,
armed with rifles and hand gren-
AIDES, further back toward one of
the entrances.
According to the description fur
nished me by an eyewitness. several
men in the foremost line suddenly
seized the rifles OF two or three mill
tary policemen. the crowd behind i'm
medistely made a dash for the en-
trance. and at that moment the ma
! chine guns opened a terrible fusilsde.
j happened to be between the Brand
enburger gate and the Reichstag. ap-
preaching the latter building.
l walked, or rather shufned for
ward. in the midst OF a crowd Of
thousands. AS the bullets whisGsd
about our heads. digging vicious
holes in the walls Of buildings and
1 splintering the stone. columns OF the
famous Brsndenburg gate. terrified
shouts rose from the throng and an
indescribable psaic broke loose.
was caught il the panicky turn
about Of the great throns. rushing
I for the Brandenburg gate. for shelter
in Inter den Linden.
Choke Gnte In Flight.
Men. women and children piled up
on top OF one another in the narrow
passage Of the famous gate. Draw
ing back in the press Of the terror
stricken mob saw men lying on the
| ground. Whether they were hit by
bullets or trampIed down I could not
determine
The rattle OF the machine r,,ns
kept up numerically. As IL driven
by furies, the foremost portion Of
the mob pressed through the r.te.
A considerable number Of persons.
including several women on the point
Of fsinting. rushed into the AoIon
Hotel for cover.
Promptly the fashionable boSteIrv
was locked and barred by five mill
tary policemen with cooked rifles.
However. there was no violence .t
the hotel-only a bunch OF psniclv
radicals seeking cover. -
At o'clock this afternoon the no
tel was still locked: no one was
allowed to go in or out. Firing Is
still being heard in nearby streets
as this dispatch is filed.
Mob Grows Ugly.
The opening OF the machine gun
| fusilade entirely changed the atti-
tUde Of the mob. Extremely rood
nstured up to that time, Il now grew
ugly. :
From 4 window of the Adlon
saw a German officer being draRged
out Of a cab, robbed and fearfully
beaten. A moment later a rather
well-dressed man aroused the sire Of
the crowd and was cruelty cut up-
Up 10 5 O'Clock the member Of
the national assembly. as well as
considerable corps OF Newspaper
men, were still unable to leav thu
4 Reichstag Building y
As the clHtter of the machine guns
opened the assemblage was thrown
into great excitement But all those
within the big ReichstsK building
were virtually prisoners, as was
everybody in the Adlon.
Shortly after o'clock auiet was
restored: but the crowds are stin in
an ugly mood against the govern
ment Noske, by his action this aft
, ernoon. showed he accepted the chal-
lenge OF the radicals for a test Of
strength -
Recalls Last Years Riots.
This Japuary week ives an event.
full one a year ago. and the radicals
have been threatening TO "ceIebrateT
the anniversary by usurping the
reins OF government A year ago
next Thursday Leibkneeht and Rosa
ilIuxemburg were killed. and the
Spartacists have made plans for n
monster memorial" u is more than
likely, however. that todAy's expert
ence with Noske considerably damp
tened their celebrating srdob The
Minister OF Defense late this after-
noon expressed cUnfidnce that he has
the situation well in hand. The 90
lliticai Developments that may erles
from today's battle cannot be fore
casted at this time.
, Unofncially the number of deed is
given as twenty.
~