Evening star., 1937-07-27
125 HURT AS RIOTS
END AT STEEL MILL
Five.Hour Pitched Battle
at Cleveland Brings Out
400 Police.
y the Associated Press.

dred policemen stood guard today IN
Clevelands steel strike riot area to
bring peace-temporarily at least
after one of the worst nights OF vio-
lence In this city's history.
Republic Steel Corp. WORKERS clashed
with strikers and sympathizers near
Republics Corrigan Mckinney plant,
where one man was killed yesterday
and between 80 and l25 injured.
Clubs, pickaxes, iron pipes and
other weapons came crashing down
upon the heads of workers and pickets
alike.
union headquarters was wrecked.
Glass crashed in dozens of motor
cars
A wave of vandalism, spasmodic for
several weeks. swelled over other sec
tions of the city. Newly-painted
houses, finished without benefit of
union approval, were sprayed with
stain.
Windows were smashed in homes
Of steel workers and operatives of
knit mills where c. l. o. and A. F. l..
unions are engaged in a jurisdictional
hight.
Sporadic fighting between worker
and striker groups through the day,
punctuated by more serious rioting
with the changing of shifts. reached
q climax last night with a fve-hour
pitched battle in the valley fronting
the main entrance of the plant.
Mistake Own Men.
Starting shortly after dark. the
fighting ragged until after am, with
more than so persons injured, 100 or
more automobiles damaged, shots
fired, tear gas bombs thrown and clubs
welded so indiscriminately that often
police said, members of the two groups
were fighting their own men.
Headquarters of the Steel Workers
Organizing Committee near the plant
was wrecked by band of workers A
newspaper reporter who saw the fight
inside the s. W. O. c. building, said
he saw Miss Rosina Artino, 10, who
had been preparing food for pickets
struck on the arm with club and
thrown through window.
Furniture was broken, windows
smashed, and glass and debris were
thrown into the food intended for the
pickets, the reporter said.
Rioting reached its peak about Il
pm. At 1890 strikers began evading
police who had been keeping back
crowds of sympathizers. and made
their way into the valley, where they
could stop cars at will
At IL about 500 workers identifying
themselves with white arm bands
rushed out of the Independence road
gate Of the plant. attacking a group
Of about 100 pickets. witnesses said
Every available policeman was Or
dered to the scene as reports spread
that all the workers in the plant we're
to come out and attack the crowd of
sympathizers.
Nearly 200 workers did start up the
valley toward the spot where police
held back sympathizers, but turned
back.
Hundreds of women, children ano
curiosity seekers were included among
a crowd Of nearly 5000 who watched
the riots from the top Of the valley
where $50 policemen were on duty.
Eventually came the attack on the
s. W. o. c. headquarters, and fighting
became general in the steel plant val
ley
Picket Is Killed.
Nearly 100 pickets who had slipped
through the police lines and ap-
preached the Independence road gate
were dispersed by tear gas bombs
Witnesses we're unable to say who
had thrown the bombs. Shots also
were fired, but police said they had
no reports of any one being wounded
and that in the darkness it was i'm
possible to tell who had fired the
shots.
John Orecny, As, S. W. o. C.
picket and Republic crane operator
for 16 years. was killed yesterday aft
ernoon when he was struck by Car
driven by Republic worker and
which, police said, careened out Of
control when the driver ducked to
avoid barrage of bricks Police gave
the drivers name as William John
son. Police Sergt. Cornelius Sullivan,
In charge Of the area, said no charges
would be filed against Johnson.
Two score persons were reported
injured yesterday afternoon and 20
more yesterday morning in clashes
between workers and pickets at changes
Of shifts
Police said that Immediately after
Orecny was struck the steel mill
valley was cleared of all but hand
ful of pickets and the crowd was
ordered back to the top of the hill.
Six S. w. o. c. members arrested
during last nights rioting, were held
without charge. Seven others ar
rested in earlier fighting faced def
mite charges
Republic Steel Corp. last night is
sued a statement asking for protec-
ton for employees who desire to work,
and placing responsibility for yester-
days disorders on the c. I. O.
Strike leaders last night charged
that in the death Of Orecny, the driver
OF the car deliberately swerved into
Orecny while travelling at SIS miles an
hour. No stones were thrown at the
car. they declared. Civil action will
be brought by the union if the driver
Is cleared by police, they said.
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