Evening star., 1932-07-28


veterans back and engaged in hand-to-
hand fighting.
The growing riot took a freakish
turn, however, when the perspiring
police chief climbed knoll and shout
ed to the mob: Come on boys, let's
declare an armistice for lunch"
He was greeted with cheers and the
crowd broke up.
After the fighting had subsidized
Comdr w. w. Waters blamed the riot
ing on the radical group led by John
Pace.
The angry mob continued milling
around the marked-of area about the
building from which the Texas unit
had been evicted and wherever Comdr
Waters appeared three or four hun
dred of his more loyal followers trailed
behind.
A solid mass of about 1000 veterans.
composed mostly of those who came
over from Anacostia, was formed on
Missouri avenue in company formation
to act II any trouble occurred. They
did not enter the fray, however. About
an hour after the riot two veterans got
into private alteration, and one of
them welding a knife broke the blade
of into another. The injured man was
IdkeIl W EIuGIBcIlCy t1OSpltd1
Supported by the opinion from the
Attorney General, the police and
Treasury officials descended on the
group at Third street and Pennsyl-
vania avenue at 10 o'clock and evicted
100 of the veterans.
The occupants OF the building had
withstood eviction for 10 days while
the question. OF authority to put them
out has been discussed by Government
and District officials.
A veteran, Ralph McCabe. from
Cleveland, resisted and was arrested.
Another veteran was seized after
struggle.
The eviction, carefully worked out by
Treasury men with the aid of Police
Chief Pelham D GlasSford, was more
or less of a good-natured affair, with
raillery going on between the six Treas
ury men and their IL police bodyguards,
Gen. Glassford and Bonus March
Comdr Walter w. Waters, all of whom
witnessed the evacuation.
The streets around the building,
which is in the middle of the 800 block
Of Pennsylvania avenue, swarmed with
thousands of spectators and about 800
of the bonus marchers who are occupy
ing billets in other portions of the block.
Although warned to get out at 10
o'clock, the men had decided at
meeting previously they would not
move and announced the police, or
whoever was going to evict them, could
come and get them"
The 100 men comprising the Texas
delegation, which has been occupying
the three-hoor. partly demolished build
ing, gathered in the building and waited
to be carried out. Meanwhile, about
100 police had been brought to the
scene by Gen. GlaSsford. a rope was
stretched around the building, all spec
tat0rS and bonus marCherS cleared away
and the men were ordered out, They
refused to come, so a squad of six
Treasury agents, each agent with
guard Of two policemen, accompanied by
Assistant District Attorney John Fihelly
and Gen. GlasSford, entered the build
ing.
One Of the Treasury men announced
that he had come to take charge Of the
building and turn 1t over to Rhine g.
Co., which has the contract to raze it.
About dozen men on the ground floor
we're led out peaceably, one by one, by
Treasury agents, flanked by their police
guards.
The third man to go out was Jerry
Wilfred. commander of the 9Th Regi-
ment, Bonus Army, in charge of the
entire Pennsylvania avenue camp. He
went along peaceably amid the cheers
Of the 1,500 watching veterans, and took
a seat on a rock pile nearby to watch
the eviction go on Among those on
the ground floor was the only woman in
the building, Mrs. Mary Brown of Los
Ana, Calf, who went smilingly out on
the arm of Treasury agent.
"a
agents went to the second floor. where
they encountered their first opposition.
A colored veteran, who refused to give
his name, was lying on the floor and
refused to get up when Treasury man
took him by the arm. Two agents
started to drag him out. ard he re-
sisted. Fihelly Immediately ordered the
mans arrest, and, fighting wildly with
three policemen. he was carried down a
long flight of stairs and out to a waiting
patrol wagon.
In the excitement Francis Hoffman
a photographer for the WASHINGTON
Times. suffered heat stroke, and was
rushed of to Emergency Hospital.
Find Basket Of Bricks.
AS they arrived on the second land
ing OF the partly demolished building
police removed from the foot of one
Of the twoscore beds in the place a
large basketful Of bricKbats. covered
over with paper.
And so. for more than an hour one
by one the veterans were led out by
Treasury officials. some carrying boxes.
others pals, others nondescript bundles
OF personal belongings. all greeted with
cheers from the watching Veterans
The opinion of Attorney General
Mitchell, rendered TO the Treasury De-
partment, approves in effect the posi-
ton taken by Assistant CORPORATION
Counsel Vernon West concerning the
rights Of the Government. Under the
law according to this Interpretation,
the owner OF either Federal or pri-
vate property has right TO repossess
such property and persons who fail 10
evacuate 1t are placed In the position
Of treSpasser.
Refusal on the part Of such trespass-
ers to move on official and formal de-
mand TO move constitutes a criminal
offense, it was explained, and the tres
passer in such a position is subject to
arrest. There was no question that the
police have a right to 60 on Federal
property and assist Federal officers to
enforce the law, 1t was said.
Assistant Secretary of the Treas
ury Ferry K. Heath said that the action
taken this morning by his Federal rep
resentatives in cooperation with the
police was based upon the legal inter-
probation approved by the Department
Of Justice.
Waters Pleads for Evacuation.
The eviction today was preceded by a
spirited meeting, held in an improyised