The New York herald., 1921-07-26
TICKET MAN HELD UP
while EBBETS FIELD
MOB RIOTS IN DARK
All Lights Go Out and
10000 Denied Admittance
Start Fights.
HUNDREDS ARE HURT
Police Reserves Rushed to
Scene and Firemen
Await Call.
BANDITS GET 81, 900 LOOT
Rob Ticket Office During Ex-
citement and While Herman
Was Defeating Lynch.
BANDITS GET $1,000 LOOT

was DClCdtIuS Iy uCus
Five big arc lights which swung
above the entrances to Eboets Field
In Brooklyn. together with every elec-
trio light within radius of two blocks
in every direction from the enclosure,
went out last night at $3.50 o'clock.
plunging into pitch darkness more
than 10000 persons who had been try
ing to gain admission to the field, where
Pete Herman defeated Joe Lynch for
the bantamweight championship of
the world. The crowd already push
Ing and milling uneasily about the
entrances. rapidly growing furious be-
cause the attendants had refused to
admit even those who held tickets.
stood for moment in almost utter
silence dazed by the sudden cessation
Of the brilliant glare of the lights.
Then fright and panic took the
place Of dazed astonishment. Fights
began to break out all around the huge
enclosure among the thousands barred
by a thirty foot concrete wall from
seeing what the majority of them ap-
peared to have paid money to see.
The moon had not risen and the arc
lights above the ring and among the
b.eachers inside the field gave no light
to the thousands who had been trying
to get in. but who had been told by
the ticket takers that their seats had
been taken and that there was no
more room inside. II was pitch dark
outside the enclosure, and as bright
as day inside.
Ticket ONCE Robbed.
| At all Of the entrances the crowds, the
vast majority Of them composed Of men,
began to surge this way and that AT
first some Of II was in spirit OF fun. but
the fun was soon abandoned and the
pushing and pulling and the frightened
milling was In earnest. The police have
not learned what caused the lights to 60
out so suddenly and so nearly at the
same time In such a large district, but
they believe that the wires were inter-
fered with by bandits who robbed one
of the ticket sellers OF between $500 and
$1,000. There were three men In the
gang and they pushed their way through
the crowd to ticket window 13 Just after
the lights had gone out One of them
broke the glass and pointed a revolver
at the ticket seller. while his companions
pushed their hands through the grating
and gabbed all the money within reach.
Then they made their escape in the
darkness through the crowd, and the
detectives have not been able to find any
trace of them.
The crowd was In an angry mood even
before the lights went out. Ebbets
Field holds some $4,000 persons. and the
place had been more than filled before .
o'clock. The crowds which had waited
until just before the time for the bout
between Herman and Lynch began {, ar
rive at the five entrances about fif.ecn
minutes after 2. In spite of the fact
that tickets were presented which had
cost SIS, s11 and 81 in the ringside and
box sections. the uniformed attendants
at the gate refused to permit any ono to
enter the park. Two or three men be-
came so angry that they struck at the
attendants, and two or three such fights
| had begun when Il was noticed that the
big arc lights we're blinking and wink
ing.
All Lights Go ont.
These lights furnished almost all of
/ the light outside OF the big concrete wall
that surrounds the field. although a
| little was furnished by the lights in the
houses and the stores and cafes along
the streets near the park. But these
! Hal 80 fn~ L.
every direction from the park Sud
denly the lights in block north of the
park went out. leaving blackness In Its
place, and then in another block and
then another. until In few minutes
there was no light excepting for the big
arc lights that swung lazily above the
entrances where thousands of angry
men argued with the ticket takers.
Then those lights were extinguished. ap-
parently swallowed by black monster
that swooped suddenly down upon them.
The darkness was intense. and for a
minute there was silence so that the
roars Of the crowds inside the arena
could be plainly heard. whereas before
IL had been a confused murmur that
\ bar rose above the shoutings and
clnmorings OF the disappointed thou
sands outside the gates. Then man on
the outskirts OF the crowd that grouped
about the north gate began 10 swear, and
at last there was the thud OF q fist as
some one struck him.
That seemed to be the first fight. The
man was with friends and they came
to his rescue. Other men in other parts
OF the crowd. dazed and frightened by
the psychology OF the thing and the
darkness and the fear that something
was happening. began TO shout and curse
| and firhts started In all directions
The pushing throngs met and shivered
as II they had been struck by n storm.
and then oil at once there was shout
ing and cursing all about the outside OF
the big field.
Men were knocked down and
trampled they crawied from the out
skirts OF the crowd and ran down the
road toward the lights that still giowed
distantiy several blocks from the arena
with their coats and hats gone, their
shirts torn and their faces and heads
battered and bruised. There Is no way
n -