The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1920-01-22
MANY KILLED IN
BERLIN RIOTING
0utburSt in Protest Against
Bill Aiming to Place Workmen'S
Councils on Legal Basis.
MACHINE GUNS SCATTER MOB.
Demonstration Against Exploitation
Law Ordered by Communists.
Workers Parade the Streets
In Protest.

Berlin.-One of those gentle and
harmless" mobs which the defenders Of
Rolshevism say s,ic uld not be met with
armed opposition, but with kindliness
and understanding, was given an OPP
pOrtunity to demonstrate freely before
the reichStag.
Twenty of the mob are dead and
more than 100 wounded.
The occasion of the demonstration
was the second reading in the upper
house Of the act creating factory cOun-
CHS in the reichstag Independent So
ciallsts declare that the act does not
meet the demands Of the workmen, and
Die Freiheit, a radical Socialist organ.
published an appeal IN the name of
fifteen unions, some unions say with
out authority, to all workmen to stop
work at noon and assemble in front of
the relchstag at 3 o'clock.
Inch by inch, radicals I'm the front
ranks forced the police to give more
ground. Then, with only q handful Of
troops opposing them, the radicals tore
away rifles, knocked the soldiers down,
kicked their heads and chests and
threw the helpless over the balustrade
to the concrete pavement eight feet
below.
The soldiers had not attempted to
use their arms, but their comrades,
coming to the rescue, fired shots over
the heads of the mob.
After moments hesitation they,
too, were attacked. The reserves were
ordered out. They fired into the mob
and used machine guns
For three hours straggIy lines of
men, women and children marched
through the streets toward the com
mon center, the reichstag. To all ap-
pearances they were harmless, as the
friends of the Bolsheviki. say, and as
they gradually filled the entire wide
Konigsplatz between the reichstac and
Tiergarten only an occasional fiery ora
tor beneath red flag sustained the
interest. Thousands began drifting
homeward and their places were taken
by others, so, while there were proba-
bly, 100000 participants, there were
only $4,000 at one time before the
reichstag
In conformity with the new policy
which signaliZed the recent repeal of
martial law by Minister Noske, the
reichstag troops were not I'm sight.
only about twenty milltarized police
were strung across the long, wide stems
of the main entrance.
Departures hOmeward increased. and
at o'clock correspondents and photog-
raphers began to leave, thinking the
demonstration was over.
But the radicals remained. Within
the great circles of humanity they were
the inner circle. There were anti-goy-
ernment speeches and the flag waving
increased. The police did not inter
fere They allowed the demonstra-
tions as far as the lower steps and
even on the sloplng roadway leading
to either side of the higher steps TO
the building.
Ihen the vanguard began sqeezing
forward 1t gained the steps this time
Ohce a rush was attempted, but the
police forced 1t back a few stems. then
leveled rifles and the movement ston-
ped. There was n slow pushing again
One end of the police gave wav and
the foremost of the mob reached one
or the three doors. Thousands surged
forward and outflanked the little com
mand OF green uniforms, which was
soon swallowed up by the mob
The crowd milled up and down the
broad steps From its midst shot
was fired, the bullet sending up puf
OF white sandstone from the scuptured
ornaments high overhead. The crowd
thought the firing came from portfolios
and trembled but there were no fur
ther shots. Fighting free, two police.
men staggered away Pieces Of broken
riiieS were hurled at them, knocking
one down. He was thrown to the pave
ment below.