Rlot in a Church.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 36, 11 August 1894, Page 4

Rlot in a Church.

FOUR PERSONS SHOT. THE PRIEST HURLED TO THE FLOOR. A telegram from Freeland, Pennsylvania, to a New York paper gives the following account of a riot in a church in that town on May 27 :— The trouble over which the congregation of St. Casimir's Polish Catholic Church has heen divided for a year or more culminated to-day in a bloody | riot in which tour men were shot, two . of whom will die, and several others ] •were seriously injured. The names of the victims as tar as known aye : Joseph Dutch, shot in the hip; James Gallagher, Chief of Police, cut on the head ; Jones a policeman, nose broken with a stone ; Thomas Punday, skull crushed ; Victor Tipnoky, shot through the head ; James Travin»ky, shot in the right leg ; Peter Yesmoski, shot in the ibdomen. POLES GUARD THE DOORS. The congregation is made up of Poles and Lithuanians. The Poles are opposed to the pastor, Father Maezotas, and determined to prevent hira from preaching to-day. Rumours that they intended to interfere with th« servicesbecame current, and Chief of Police, Gallagher, was notified. The Chief was approached by Poles, who assured him tbat their would be no disturbance. The Chief was asked to protect Father Maszotas, and an officer was sent to escort him trom the parochial residence to the church. When tne officer arrived there he saw at once there was reason for alarm and sent word to headquarter*. Poles ■who had arrived early on the scene had already taken possession of the edifice and broken open the doors. Guards were stationed both front and rear. Father Maszotas left his house at the accustomed hour under police protection. As he mounted the steps leading to the sacristy he was confronted by six Poles, who rudely pushed him to the ground and declined to permit him to enter. KNOCKED DOWN THE PRIEST. The priest then decided to get in through the front door and proceeded in that direction. He had not reached the platform when he was again knocked to the ground and a volley of missiles was hurled in his direction, A large stone struck Officer Jones square in the face, smashing his nose and blinding him for the moment. Chief Gallager rnshed to his assistance, but as he did so he was felled by a blow from a club, splitting his head open. Burgess McLaughlin then escorted the priest back to his house. Seeing that the force of officers was inadequate to control the mob, he began drafting the citizens to act as deputies. The friends of the priest began arriving in large numbers. The crowd of Poles stood hack with an ominous silence and ready for the signal. The eruption which was gradually approaching: suddenly burst forth, and the few of Beers were carried along with the surging mass. To protect themselves the officers were at length obliged to fire. The first shot was fired skyward and intended to simply terrorise the mob, but unfortunately the bullet as it sped upward hit Victor Tipnoky, who was standing on platform, and as he fell forward n howl a rage went up from the mob. TIRING KEPT UP HALF AN HOUR. The Poles were heavily armed and for half an hour the firing-* was kept np incessantly. The noise of the firearms and shouts of frenzied men. together with screams of terrorised women, created a pandearonium. During all the excitement, and when the firing was at its height. Father Maszotas stoouon the balcony of his home calm and collected. Apparently be he was the only man in the assemblage who retained his self-control, and to this fact alone the small iatallist is due. His followers when the outbreak occurred crowded about him and stood ready to defend him with their live*. To all he counselled peace, and by his great influence these men were prevented from re turning the volley of shot and missiles which was directed at them. When the firing ceased and order was restored the scene resembled a battlefield. Wounded men lay here and there, while the place was thickly strewn with the stones and clubs which had been used as weapons. All those who were able tn, fled to escape arrest, and many of those who could not were carried away by their friends before the officers recovered from their demoralised condition.