The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-05-24

went on toward Washington. Ind, in @ bus.
 T didn't want to get mixed up in what saw was coming" he told sheriff Munie.
 In. the place of their army reg ulations, the veterans today organ ized communicable "workers counciw to assume command. The council, consisting of about 2b men, met to plan for advance. It was this council that ordered the train released and accepted Sheriff Munie's offer of trucks.
 The ticketless excursion of the veterans had been q toy.ride until 1t reached East St Louis Friday. Then began q comic.opera "war" with authorities and railroad police.
 Authorities said that to call out the guardsmen was tnntamount to declaring a state of martial law in this small community dominated by the veterans through sheer force of numbers.
 The veterans met no difficulty in their journey east from Portland, ore, under leadership of w. w. Waters, until they reached St Louis. Railroad men previously had ordered them not to ride on trains, then looked the other way as the former fighting men clamb- cred aboard.
 When the men announced they were going to board Q Baltimore X Ohio freight train and ride to Washington, railroad officials or- dered trainmen to move no freight cars in which the veterans were encamped.
 The railroad said 1t was liable to severe penalties under interstate commerce regulation if 1t per- mitted the men to ride without | tickets. The veterans comman- deered two trains but were repuls-
 ed when the railroad ordered the trains halted until the travellers
 Then by q bit of neat strategy. the veterans captured . train here. They announced they had disband- ed at St Louis and would not at- tempt to go further. The railroad took the announcement at face value and secretly ordered Q train made up here, miles east of East St Louis where the main body of veterans was caDnped. The veter- ans learned of the roads intention and sent scouting force here
 which soaped the rails and pre-. vested the train from leaving until they had boarded it.
 When the road learned the men
 were aboard, 1t refused to move the train and called for the national guard to prevent confiscation Of its property.
 ized when Sheriff Munie said his force was inadequate to handle the situation and that the county had no funds to hire special deputies. Dan Moody, chief of state high
 way police, arrived at 5 .. m. With c group of his men. He had issued orders, he said, for about 20 other state patroimen to gather. "Thc veterans are orderly and | | don't expect any trouble" Moody said. However, consider the site uatlon dangerous and; wanted my men here to prevent trouble, rather than walt to bring them here after trouble has started" The first company of national guardsmen arrived in the Balti- more & Ohio freight yards in East | St Louis shortly after 2 q. m. The guardsmen detrained and awaited five other companies. It was un- derstood they would be held there unless disorders developed. After breakfast and while walt Ing for trucks, the veterans sprawled on the, grass near the B, e O. tracks and joked. Every one approaching the, camp was asked for tobacco. A few men played cards and others wrote let-
 Ths Rev Earl Gould became the self f.appointsd spokesman for the veterans. He walked among them offering encouragement. When Moody asked to see "tbe leader" the Rev Gould replied, "There are more than 500 leaders"
 Gould said the veterans would ko back by truck tc Washington,