The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-12-05
SAVAGE POLICE ATTACK
IN WILMINGTON; MILITIA
BARRICADES CUMBERLAND
Police and Troops Sent Against Marchers, But
Workers by Thousands Greet Them
HOLD RANKS IN
FACE OF TERROR
Gas, Machine Guns and
Avalanche Prepared

CUMBERLAND, Mr., Dec. 4.-Guns
bristled throughout Cumberland, as
hundreds of deputised business men,
armed with revolvers and blackjacks,
Company G. of the National Guard,
and the police forces of all towns
around gathered behind barricades Of
hay along the road, and in the mar
row rocky pass through which the
nlarchers had to come last night.
Deputies were sent up the high rock
walls with levers ~ release tons Of
rock onto the heads of the marchers
below.
Mayor Henderson, who took general
command of the gunner forces, and
in every way treated the march Of
elected representatives of the job
less, wholly unarmed, going to ask
relief for the millions of starving, as
though they were an invading army.
All the talk in business circles and
local papers was of a citizen army"
to protect Cumberland from cap
ture."
:. Militia and State Police
Henderson took advice from Cap
tain Harry Flock of the militia, and
from Captain Edward johnson, who
came to command the 10 state police
also mobilized at Cumberland.
With forces of gunner actually ex-
ceeding in number the 1900 delegates
marching toward the city, with the
town and its approaches turned into
fortress, the leaders of the gunner
rode to the city limits to order the
march away from Cumberland.
Mayor Henderson rode in car
filled with city and military Off
Gals, and behind him came car
load of machine guns, and another
full Of tear gas bombs.
Sam Krieger and other leaders of
the National Hunger Marcn column
came forward and parlied with the
mayor under the guns of his bar
ricaded thugs.
Went Through City
Local jobless and the sympathetic
farmers around the city had ar
ranged for nerby farm to be used
as camping grounds for the march
ers, and had assembled some food.
The mayors threats and demon
stratlon OF force did not terrorize the
marcherS. They demanded food and
lodging, and when refused, demanded
and after some talk finally secured
the right to pass through Cumber-
land and proceed to the camping
grounds, where they ate, slept last
night and proceeded this morning
toward Washington. The police broke
them up into small detachments
during the passage through town.
The delegates at Cumberland Sat-
rday night are from all the states
of the West, Middle West, Northwest
and Southwest, the lake shore region,
and the heavily industrialized West
ern Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio
mine and steel region. They marched
to this point in Column / of the
National Hunger March, starting
from Seattle, three weeks ago; in
Column 2 from San Francisco and
Column from Los Angeles starting
about the same time as Column 1; in
Column 4 from Sioux City, starting
Nov. 81, and Column starting that
day also from Houston, Texas.
Columns2, 8 and 5 had had, the
night before, an argument with the
massed police forces of Parkersburg
and vicinity. Columns / and 4 had
broken down the police opposition in
Uniontown, Pa, Friday night, and
won release Of the truckload of
n1archers arrested there.
The combined Columns 2, 8 and S
actually got to Cumberland during
the night after most of the delegates
OF the other columns had proceeded
TO the farm. They had been some
what delayed by the Parkersburg af-
fair.
Federal Orders
The expense of the military and
deputy mobilization and the cost of
the munitions gathered to bomb and
shoot the hunger marcher was In
great excess of the cost or feeding
them. Cumberland authorities re-
fused to feed and lodge the rnarchers
on the ground that the city had no
money. Federal orders to "discour-
age" the marchers, and supplying Of
army munitions and weapons are
obvious.
AS the columns went through
Cumberland, long lines of gunner
kept the milling crowds of local
workers back from rushing to greet
ms marchers. But the workers
shouted and maNad thai,. rro1on,,,a