Give people guns and the authority to terrify and antagonize the populace, and sure enough, things will turn ugly. In the 1912 account below, the militiamen, called in during a strike, made it a point to make the residents fearful of them.
Soldiers Bully Women at Lawrence
Lawrence, Mass., Feb. 2 — Strike conditions here are unchanged today. There has been no open fighting, but the smoldering anger underneath is growing.
Last night an open clash was narrowly averted.
A woman in delicate health was ordered by a militiaman to “stop standing in the doorway.” The doorway was that of her husbands place of business.
The woman refused to obey. The soldier placed his bayonet against his breast.
“Get inside,” he said, “or I’ll push you in with this.”
The woman still would not move. A man inside the store pulled her in. She fainted.
A number of strikers witnessed the scene. They growled threats at the soldier. They were scattered by other militiamen, who ran up at the double when the crowd began to gather.
Another similar incident occurred shortly afterwards.
A man leaned from a second story window to call to a friend.
“Stick your head back in that window, or I’ll shoot,” ordered a militiaman, leveling his rifle.
The man tore open his coat. “Shoot if you dare,” he cried. Friends of the man pulled him inside.
Ettor and Giovanniti are still in jail. Their attorneys have been promised an immediate hearing on habeas corpus proceedings. The leaders of the strike now are trying to raise more money. They expect to raise $80,000 from the Industrial Workers of the World in the next three weeks.
Source: (1912, February 02). Soldiers Bully Women at Lawrence. The Day Book.
