Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-12-01
|55iE As Police !.
FlGHT MEXICO MOB
.,d ssormlng Municipal
n aulIdlng Il Met by Fu'''.
Il lads Of Bullets
[san PLAZA IS SHAMELESS

nv Associated Press
,,.,,eo CITY, Dec. 1.-Federal troops
1901 A badly battered mun'c'pai
.,ss,ss today while the city counted
\. - ..:uol,ies Of n pitched battle be-
-. ,hs police and mob which at.
m v..s "a storm the building last
~, y'eI The death list as result Of the
sss.,,. - stood at seventeen early today
p". . .,sbtecn persons are known to
~. - been seriously injured and thirty.
~ ,lIsbtly hurt. It was thought
~. w. . closer check might reveal further
0SSsa'iIe,sit go. it, Of those less seriously In
~ .as % augmented early this morn.
III when n group OF man'rssta' nun sssans tho
ssmptine a demonstration oe!ore o,.,.nt .nt
vssiSence Of Alfonso Romero. p.esiaenH. s.H
NJ CITY Council, clashed with
..,,nted police, who. fired several
.,sds Eight injured persons were
:Sen tNr' into the Romero home Tor treat
ssTrs; ~: city. after a night Of wild ex.
a,ssnent. found It's main plaza betorc
IA municipal building q shamo'es OF
keotsn glass, timbers and stone-evl.
Ss~cs s of the anger Of the mob which
s"sd its way into the building hall
~ hour after the police rifles had taken
VII ~. V trouble, which lasted for more
>Asn six hours, started when a crowd
.schsd TO the City Hall to. protest
ss.inst the Aldermen who are held re.
sconsble for conditions leading to the
yctsr famine. The demonstration was
i"tsnded BY the labor unions that or.
Ssmised Il as a peaceful protest and
ssversi hundred persons paraded the
3evntown streets before proceeding to
~ hall 10 voice their adverse sentt.
nents against the city government.
These protestants were re. ENFORCED a!0n.
ihe route and when the Municipal
6uilding was reached the crowd mum.
6ered more than 1000 persons.
Mob Hurls Stones
Yelling invectives against the Alder.
nen. the mob gave emphasis to its
words by hurling stones and other mis-
siies. When one leader suggested that
tke hall be entered. the demonstrators
mnde q concerted rush forward. The
Solice guards met their advance by
&rine their rifles over the heads Of the
crowd which, however, did not check
ia course, When It became apparent
that the mob would entcr the building
despite the police, the latter aimed
their rifles point blank and fired with
deadly effect.
Staggered by the bullets the demon
Otrators retired. carrying with them
their dead and injured.
But in half an hour they returned
and several Of their number, breaking
windows, entered the hall and began
10 ret fire to its contents. Valuable
documents. some Of which dated back
several centuries, were tossed into the
streets and the city records were given
b the winds. :
BY this time the Federal troops had
elected before the building had been
fired in many places ana the furniture
wrecked. 4 line Of hose. which the
nre department was able TO bring Into
play, despite the water shortage, was
in holding back the crowds
outside.
Gordon Of Soldiers
Several sporadic attempts to. con.
dnue the demonstration were made In
The succeeding hours. but when the
demonstrants returned to the attack
they found n Gordon of several hundred
,oldiers about the building and con.
tented themselves with jeering and
lootins officials in general, including
lome Of the members Of the Federal
Government.
Thus bafilcd in their attempts to re-.
inter the hall several small groups Of
citizens marched through the streets
minor depredations. They
.alled on al the newspaper Offices and
hootet and yelled before the residences
81 the city officials.
The Chamber OF Deputies adjourned
when It received news of the san.
Iuinary encounter in the main plaza
Ind q heavy guard was thrown around
he building. The residences of ali
aldermen were also under the protec.
Ion Of Federal troops throughout the
light.
II was said today that the city cleo.
lon. sched"led for next Sunday, would II
= postponed in view of last nights /
ccurrence, and the suggestion was
'ade IN many quarters that the Fed.
!al Goivernment take over the city
dministration temporarily.