The Washington times., 1937-04-15
WORST BATTLE
OF DETR0IT'S
DISORDERS
Scores Hurt As Police
Dust Workers With
Clubs, Tear Gas
Continued from Page y

officials would meet the union de
mands as far as possible.
Union officials indicated, now
ever. that their relations with
Packard have been friendly, and
some sources indicated an agree
ment such as the one which ended
the costly Chrysler strike may be
satisfaction to the union.
Packard is one of the last OF the
major producers to come unqer
the CT. o. drive to unionize the
auto industry.
The union already holds agree
mentS with General Motors. Chrys'
Ter, REQ, Hudson, Studebaker,
Nash and WHY'S.
Packard produces about $500
cars a week, and employees from
$4,000 to $4,000 men.
Scores Are Hurt
The most serious violence since
the wave of sit-down strikes hit
Detroit left scores injured or
suffering from the effects Of tear
gas today after police forcibly
elected Shutdown strikers from the
Yale and Towne Locke plant here
and broke up mob gathering W
"recapture" the factory.
Seventy-nine women and Al men
strikers arrested after desperate.
4O-minute battle with 400 police
were released on bonds totaling
$8.050. pending their appearance
in court today on contempt OF
court charges growing out OF their
refusal to obey a court order to
evacuate.
Is UnioniStS Seized
Fifteen unioniSts, including
crack organizers for the United
Automobile Works Union, were
still held. They were arrested
when police charged a mob OF
several hundred which, police
claimed, was gathering to retake
the plant. A union sound truck
also was seized.
The strikers were members OF
che U. A. W., and the police at
tack on them marked the first
time Detroit authorities hao
moved in such a fashion against
a C. I. o. union here. The U. A
W., after furnishing the $S,05C
bonds for release of the arrested
strikers, was expected to appeal
to the National Labor Relations
Board under the Wagner Act to
day.
Tear Gas Used
There were two separate clashes
between police and unionists and
their sympathizers. The first
came when more than 400 police
and deputy sheriffs gathered to
serve an eviction order issued by
Circuit Judge Arthur webster. The
arrested sit-downers were to be ar
raigned before the judge today.
Chief Deputy Sheriff Bernard
McGrath, waving a legal paper,
stood in the street before the two,
story lock plant and shouted to
the strikers who had held the
plant for 81 days:
"COme out like ladies and gem
tIemen. We don't want any
trouble"
Deputies charge that strikers on
the roof of the factory then began
pelting officers with scraps Of
metal. Police then began firing
tear gas shells into the plant
More than 200 tear gas shells were
discharged.
Police charged that unidentified
strikers began firing at them with
a gun from inside the factory
They pointed to four small rounc
holes in a window Of the plant
today as proof the strikers hac
been armed with at least one gun
4O-Minute Battle
The fighting between the sit
downerS and police lasted for q
full 40-minuteS. During it, one
squad Of police scaled the walls
with ladder and drove strikers
from the roof into the building
Other squads of officers mean
while were attacking the plant
from two sides. Finally, a man
reported to have been a union
organizer waved white flag from
a factory window and police
ceased firing tear gas.
According to witnesses, police
used their nightSticks freely If
subduing the men strikers but die
not swing their maces on thu
women. The U. A. w. charged
the nightStickS were used toC
freely.
Two strikers had to be treateC
at receiving hospital for lacera
tons from police clubs and tea,
gas bombs. Patrolman Michae
Mackay also was treated. Othe
strikers were treated at the count!
Jail by doctors.