Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1921-09-20
Part of the Crowd Dispersed
Early In Night
March
GATHER FOR ACTION
New York Police Use Strong Arm
Methods To Force Jobless To Dis
perse Crowds. Grows to 10000

New York, Sept. 20.-lPolice
reserves from dozen precincts were
hurried to the Public Library at
Forty-second street and Fifth Avenue
last night, to disperse the crowds
attracted by Urbain J Ledoux's ad-
;ertised purpose OF auctioning off
unemployed men from the library
steps at that hour.
Shortly after midnight parts of the
crowd which had earlier been driven
from about the library reassembled
and, marching to Central Park undar
TIC lead of two young men in khaki,
attempted to hold an auction. Police
lnterfered here and the crowd pro-
cceded to Columbus Circle, where
another attempt at an auction W.
made at the base of the Columbus
Monument. This, too, was broken up,
ard the crowd started down Broad
way, eight abreast, ostens:bly for
City Hall.
As they marched they were chant
ing: eve want Ledoux; we want
Jobs.
Previously Ledoux had called Z
auction eff on the ground that to at
tempt to hold it would result in
trouble and probable injury to many
persons. This decision ne reached
after on attempt to hold u meeting
at neon in Bryant Hall, Sixth Ave
nue. rear Forty-second street. had
been blocked by the police, who used
strong arm methods to disperse =
crowd of several thousands who had
gathered.
Following the dispersal of this
crowd all was quiet about the PUBLIC
Library and Bryant Park until well
into the evening, when the park had
begun to fill up and thousands of
curiosity seekers had begun to gath
er about the library. At 1890
Capt. Edward A. Howard, Of the
West Thirtieth Street Station with
aCO men, ordered the park cleared
ard closed.
It was. they admitted, a dangerous
situation that might easily lead to
.serious trouble, though the crowd
was made up mostly of the merely
curious anxious to see the free show
which Ledoux had promised. The
rolice tried to assure these that the
auction had been called off, but they
insisted on waiting around TO see for
themselves.
This good nature began to wear
off after awhile. and pressed BY
those in the rear and therefore out
CT reach of the police clubs, the
crowd several times surged against
the lines holding Forty y-escond street
open in an effort to return to the
park. Several times also the lines
broke, but were qaickly reformed,
with the police using their night
sticks as prods to drive the men back
Meantime, Fifth Avenue above TIE
library had begun to fill up until
the westerly sidewalk, from Fortieth
street to F2rt-second street, was a
sc.id crowd Of humans. The library
steps and grounds were also crowd
ed. This crowd like that in Forty
second street, was good natured un-
til Inspector Boattler, with force
of 40 planclothes men, started TO
clear it out.
Boattler marched his men up the
avenue until opposite the library,
when at the command cleft face. for
ward it wheeled into the crowd and
began shooting it Up and down the
avenue and into the side streets: 1t
took this good-naturedly, at first,
then it began to boo and hiss the po-
ice and call for LedouN as he
crowd in Fortv-second street had
been doing. The police persisted,
hcwerer, and kept the avenue open to
traffic which with the closing or
the theatres, was bginning 10 as
sumo rush hour proportions.
The closing of the theatres also ad-
ded thousands to the crowds, which
BY 1880 numbered not less than
10000, in the opiri:on Of men accus-
toned to estimating public gather
ingS.