The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-26
Break the Police Lines.

Break the Police Lines.
At first the catapultic arms of the
/ Irish Republicans showered the Union
1 Cub from behind the police lines. Then,
as the pres ure became greater and the
crowd In front of the Cathedral had
( swollen until It numbered 5000 persons.
| the majority Of whom, though onlookers,
adding 70 the troubles OF the police by
| try ng TO jam ahead to a better obser-
walton post. the police lines gave way.
In a few seconds the worst of the
bombardment had sent big and little
: ocks and bricks through the clubs win
dows One man even got so mad he
/ bur &c a bright red apple against the
wall of the cl1b house-hurled it 50 hard
! that the apple was red ced to a mash
fit only for the cider press.
On the Fifth avenue side of the club
1 there are only three of those BIZ FIRST
/ floor windows. All were broken. The
' oles in them varying from throe feet
/ across to pu ctu es not m CHI ar er han
4 bullet would make. The litter pure
/ lures. and he popping Of breakin'- la 8.
! gave rise to a report in the club that
! severa shots had been fired and bulle
| had core through thu WINDOWS. The
police and the com nittee members OF
] he club who met tire newspare mHn cay
1 his Is not true. The oh eff ~ horitv for
! he shooting sto'y was not at the cl
/ at the Time OF tie. ttac'y.
! On the Fifty-frst street side two OF
4 the big windows were sirn''ar'y wrac'red
/ 0lso several smaller basement windows
! N the midst of broken stone and br' cks
! and dented derb'es on the sidewalk orat-
ing of Fifth avenue. just below the shat
tered windows, was to be seen later an
4 IRON bolt about five inches long. which
| apparently had been poorly aimed and
/ had hit only the stone facade The
\ clubs spokesmen said that none or their
members was hurt in the bombardment.
\ There were sixty or seventy men i'm The
place. exchanging holiday greet ngs, but
I when the stones began falling into the
main reading and lounge room they scat
tered.
Seeing his lines collapsing Lieut.. Nc
! Carthy OF the East Fifty-first street sta
ton, who was i'm charge Of fifty patrol
men, raced around to the rectory T.
Madison avenue ana told Msr. 1avelle o.
the situation. The rector had jrst come
from the Cathedral, where he had de-
| iivered the sermon during the mass.
| LavfIIe Appeals to Mob.
/ 'Monsigror." said Mccarthy, won't
| ! on kindly come and talk to the crowd.
/ | believe II might do more good than
anything we can do TOR the time being.
Just as he was, in his casSock and
biretta, Mgr. Layelle hurried through
the Cathedral from the rear and soon
appeared on the top stcp outside the
huge front door He looked down on
several thousand persons, many of whom
! wore buttons bearing the picture OF Ter
ence MacSwiney. and waved the flag Of
the Irish Republic" green as the ear
! lest grass OF spring. Shouting was
| soing on all around. Mgr Lavelle re-
moved his cap, and stretching his right
hand toward heaven. asked for silence.
In few seconds the mob was as quiet
as it had been during the mass.
Mgr. Lavelle asked the people to so to
4 their homes. He said that otherwise the
police reserves were likely to come In
| force, that the Fire Department would
/ be summoned, I'm which case water would
be turned on the ciowd. No one could
be certain that Shots would not be fired,
! he sad.
II urge YOU" was his last apreal. ito
go to your homes for the honor of the
I home, for the credit OF the Church and
] as n token OF your loyalty to the Ameri-
! can flag"
! AS he finished the crowd applauded
and many ran up the stone steps to
/ shake his hand. But, hanging motion
less IN its old rostion. was the Union
/ Clubs British flag. and across Fifth
/ avenue from tne cAtnedral green irish
! flag almost as large was being moved UP
and down by it's bearers hands Take
! down that flag" Haul in that Eng
4 lish rag" were commands shouted in
the direction OF the club
The stoning was resumed at closer
range. Mgr. Lavelle crossed over to the
| Union Club and asked Mr.. Weeks and
/ some OF the others to take in the British
| flag. saying that they would have moth
/ ing to lose by doins. so and the crowd
would lose its fury. The reply was that
( the flag was lawfully and proTerly dis
played. that the club could not be In
/ Inundated by mob. and that. great as
| was it's respect for MGR. Lavelle. II felt
bound TO refuse his request.
After some parley Mgr. Lavelle re-
| turned to the recto~y About this time
the riot stopped anyway. Inc. easing the
reserves 10 800 patroirnen and ten men
on hors back did the business Foot by
| foot. then a yard at n time. while cubs
rose and fell and whac',ed many n rood
Irish shin, the mob fell b. OK and was
herded down the avenue and tn ouch the
streets until the WI ole space was clear
and no one could get within a block of
the Union Club.