|
A wholesale meat dealer named George Davis was assaulted
and injured and two policemen were quite seriously hurt.
The policemen were endeavoring to escort Davis to a
synagogue which he wished to attend when Davis was
surrounded by the mob. It was not until the
reserves arrived that the man was rescued and the crowd
dispersed.
The riot broke out about 10 o'clock this morning. It was
the result of a meeting held at Metropolitan Saenger
Hall in Pitkin avenue, where Davis was accused of
refusing to close his shop and of selling meat to
Italians. The police were also denounced for their
interference in the disturbance of last Monday. Davis
lives at 10 Belmont avenue, and when he started out from
his home the rioters were soon on his trick and in a
short time the crowd swelled to thousands.
The synagogue was only a short distance but when
policeman Block came , the crowd was already roughly
handling Mr. Davis. There was a tussle with the
ringleaders, in which the policeman took part. Policeman
Adams soon joined Block, but the two officers could not
disperse the crowd, which became angrier every minute.
It was not until the reserves arrived on the scene that
anything could be done toward driving away the
assailants of Mr. Davis. The reserves used their clubs
right and left and the blows which the nearest of the
rioters received had the effect of opening a passageway.
Davis was taken home and then it was discovered that
Policeman Block had come out of the scrimmage very much
to the bad. He had been hit on the head with a brick.
His shield was torn off and his uniform was practically
in tatters. Two prisoners were taken. They are Max
Horowitz, 25 years old of 79 Osborn street and Samuel
Shapiro of 207 Osborn street.
As soon as the prisoners had been locked up in the
station house the crowd again assembled. The mob
surrounding the place was larger even than that which
threatened Mr. Davis. It was some time before the police
could again disperse it. Shapiro seemed to have been the
leader of this second revolt and he was locked up for
that reason.
It was a cart belonging to Davis which was seized in the
first riot. At that time the mob destroyed the meat by
pouring kerosene oil over it. Davis is the only dealer
known to be selling meat in that section of the city. He
has not attempted to sell to his Hebrew brethren, but
has confined his sales to the Italians, who seem not to
have the same prejudice against the meat trust.
Policeman Block was blamed for the summary action taken
on the occasion of the first disturbance, and it is
probably due to that fact that he received the brunt of
the attack.
The rescue of Davis and Policemen Adams and Block was
made by the reserves under the command of Sergeant
Dulfer. Further riots are feared this evening or Monday.
A meeting has been called at the same hall for Monday
night. It is possible that the police will attempt to
prevent another assemblage there.
Manhattan Italians in Riot 1902
Exciting Scene in Tombs Police Court When Ziropoli, the
Alleged Murderer, Was Arraigned.
The Tombs police court in Manhattan was filled to
overflowing this morning with excited Italians,
relatives, friends and partisans of Antonio Ziropoli,
the alleged murderer, and Pietro Guardino of 397 Hudson
avenue, Brooklyn, the man who was murdered in a fracas
in Elizabeth Street,
Manhattan yesterday.
Every seat was early occupied, the aisles were choked
with people and the rear of the court room contained as
many as it could possibly accommodate. Women
predominated, swarthy complexioned Italian women, with
flashing eyes, disheveled hair and muttering lips. Many
of them gesticulated violently from time to time, making
threatening motions toward the dock where Ziropli was
being arraigned before Magistrate Hogan.
So threatening was the attitude of the crowd that the
detectives in charge of the prisoners were afraid to
take them through the court room, as is usual, to the
coroners' office, after the magistrate had directed the
officers to arraign them before the coroner. Instead,
they were taken down stairs through the court prison,
out into the street, then through a side door into the
coroners' office.
In arraigning their prisoners the detectives told
Magistrate Hogan they had the alleged murderer, Ziropoli,
and some other prisoners they wished to have held. What
these other prisoners were was not put before the court.
On account of the threatening attitude of the assembled
Italians, and
the fear that a riot might be precipitated, the
magistrate told the detectives to take their prisoners
to the coroners' office at once.
There the two factions were separated, those of the
Ziropoli party being taken to Coroner Brown's room,
before whom the arraignment was made, and the Guardino
party to Coroner Goldenkranz's room.
[1]
[2]
|
