Evening star., 1938-08-05
KILLING OF STEEL
STRIKERS TOLD
Quiz Hears About Attack
on IS Women Pickets,
Police Using Gas. "A
By JOHN C.. HENRY.

A four-hour battle touched, OF by .
police gas attack on Is woman pick
cts In the killing of two little steel"
strikers on the night Of June 10, 1887,
was described before the Senate Civil
Liberties Committee today.
The incident occurred in Youngs-
town, Ohio. where plants Of Republic
Steel Corp and youngstown Sheet &
Tube Co. were strike bound.
In addition to the two fatalities at
least 20 other persons were wounded
by buckshot or revolver fire and by
the impact Of tear gas shells. In addi-
ton an unestimated number were
treated for gas illness.
Although one OF the strike wit
nesses testified that rocks were being
hurled at police during the melee, no
mention was made Of police casualties.
Wives Tell Of Ousting.
In broken and timid English, two
middle-aged wives Of Little Steel"
strikers told how Youngstown city
police had routed them and about
Is women companions with tear gas
and revolver shots As they picketed
the Republic Steel plant at bus stop
five June 10.
The women were staging q "wom-
ans day" demonstration by picketing
in chairs across q street leading into
the plant at stop fve.
According to Mrs. Stella Kirin,
first witness, Capt. Charles Richmond
and . squad of Youngstown police
appeared about 8 pm. and ordered
the women to disperse.
WE had no chance to move our
chairs away before he told his men
to throw tear gas at us ladies'" Mrs.
Kirin said.
what did you do them"
Il wiped my eyes and went home to
see If my children were there. I
couldn't find them, so I went back
to Stop Five to the cafe"
did you f1nd your children?"
Il found my husband and one
child. They were in the kitchen
why were they In the kitchen?"
1.-THE cafe was full Of gas. Outside
they were still firing"
How long did the gas affect you?"
1.-TWO or three days
Subsequent Battle Told.
After the description Of the opening
gas attack, Robert Burke, youthful
S. w. o. c. organizer, took the stand
to tell Of an estimated 100000 police
and deputies firing toward the crowd
of milling strike sympathizers. aroused
by the earlier police attack on the
woman.
As Mrs. Kirin left the stand, Chair
man La Toilette read an afiidavit from
Arco Bolevich. owner Of the cafe and
witness Of the gas attack.
After telling how the officers opened
fire within few minutes, the Bole-
vich statement continued:
Everyone got panicky and started
running away, but the ofncers kept
shooting gas out Of guns. Every once
in . while q policeman 1ould fire his
revolver
The afidavit continued to tell how
the gas barrage had been directed into
the rear yard Of the cafe. driving the
people inside where many Of them BE-
came Ill. ax{ 80
Mrs. Barbara Krepechak took the
stand next to tell with difficulty how
the police had ordered the women
to move their chairs and keep NOV
ing. AS they delayed briefly in COM
plying, she said, one onicer approached
her.
I'll make you move" she quoted
the oficer Is saying profaneiy i'm
mediately before firing q gas shell at
her feet.
Then I was sick" she concluded.
Forced From Home by Gas.
Joseph Varone, who lived q block
and one half from stop five, said his
home was 80 Allied with the gas that
he and his wife were forced to leave
the house and spend that night else
where.
Mr.. Varone said he heard Capt.
Richmond give the women five min
utes to clear out. While waiting for
them to move, the ofiicer made q call
on a nearby police box, Varone said.
Before testimony on the Stop 5
trouble began. Verne B. Thomas. law
director of the City Of Youngstown.
submitted to the committee mass Of
transcripts and records compiled by
his ONCE in investigating the so-called
riot.
Included was a statement from Dar-
rell w. Penny. picket captain, which
Thomas said contained admission that
the pickets had been instructed to use
violence If necessary to maintain their
lines.
Another statement was that of Roy
w. Smith, which Thomas said cor
roborated charges that the strike was
marked by "communistic" activities Of
S. w. o. c. leaders and contained evil
dence that the s. W. o. c. planned
sabotage in the steel plants.
Asked by La Toilette if he had made
further inquiry into Smiths charges,
Mr.. Thomas said he had discontinued
such inquiry when he had uncovered
certain inaccuracies" and "discrep-
ancies" in the mans statement.
As the committee moved toward the
climax OF the little STEEL strike of
last summer, it was announced that
Tom Girdler, chairman of the Republic
Board Of Directors, would appear next
week as the final witness in the present
phase of the committee hearings.
5. w. o. C. Answer Promised.
"A promise already has been made
by Republic spokesmen that Mr..
Girdler will make answer to charges
OF Philip Murray, chairman of the
Steel Workers Organizing Committee,
that Republic possesses the "fllthiest
cesspool" Of labor relations in the
country.
That the contemplated reopening Of
the steel plants on June II would have !
been accompanied by wholesale blood
shed was shown clearly yesterday when
several witnesses testified that the
back-to-work forces, variously esti-'
mated at 1000 to 10000, were we'll |
equipped with firearms, gas, bombs
and safety helmets. Several confisca-