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ANTI-GERMAN RAIDS.

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ANTI-GERMAN RAIDS. SHOPS WRECKED AND MANY PEOPLE INJURED. Anti-German riots in Green-street, Heath, on Saturday night, terminated in acenes which are without parallel in the history of the town. The two shops which were completely wrecked and looted were occupied by Ger- man jewellers, Richard Kal ten bach, who was recently released from a concentra- tion camp on account of his health, and the widow of Edwin Kaltenbach. The tense feeling engendered by the sinking of the Lusitania, and the evidence of growing resentment against the open- ing of these shops gave cause for anxiety and warning. The first incident occurred at 8.30 on Saturday night, when a woman assumed a threatening attitude outside Richard Kaltenbacli's shop. Her torrent of abuse soon drew a large crowd, and al- though persuaded by the police to desist she was encouraged by the shouting of the crowd, and would not leave until the shutters had been put up. A crowd then gathered outside the shop occupied by Mrs. Kaltenbach, about 20 yards away. At the request of a police officer, Mrs. Kaltenbach had the shop closed. W hilst an assistant was putting up the shutters the crowd alternately cheered and jeered, and also sang snatches of patriotic songs. Just as the last shutter was being put up someone in the crowd shouted, "Down j with the Germans," and a rush was made for the shutter. It was seized and pulled away, but the police, after a scuffle, re- Covered it, and it was placed in position. Some thousands of people, men. women and children had by this time gathered in Green-street, and it seemed as if the incident had ended. Unfortunately it had only begun. Thresits to tear down the shutters were shouted from among the crowd, but the police guarded the pave- ment well. Then someone threw an orange at the window above the shop. The crash was heralded with cheers. Immediately followed a hurricane of oranges and stores at the windows, and <1 the glass was smashed to atoms. At this stage an officer khaki mounted a box, and appealed to the crowd. They listened, but rejected his advice. As soon as he descended, a number of men scuffled with the police in an at- tempt to tear down the shutters. It was an ugly scene. The police were overpowered, and one of the shutters was wrested away and deliber- ately pushed through a plate. glass window. The crash was drowned by the, cheers of the mob. llats and stones were thrown into the air. The police, however, temporarily re- covered their position, and resisted attacks upon the window. They were, assisted ,by a number of soldiers, who endeavoured to appeal to the crowd. It was in vain, for another desperate raid was made on the shop, Three more shutters were torn down, and the windows smashed to pieces. Looting followed, and in the scuffle which resulted, wiitelio. clocks, rings and other jewellery were taken from the win- dow. So hostile was the crowd that Supt. Ben Evans, of the County Constabulary, was asked to send for reinforcements, and very soon a contingent of policemen ar- rived from Skewen and Britonferry. The temper of the. crowd lwtine worse, and the police were given the order to charge. With batons drawn they drove back the crowd. A number of men and women were seriously injured in the charge. Two men and a woman and a boy were con- veyed to the. Market place bleeding pro- fusely from scalp wounds. Others were led or carried away from the danger zone. Infuriated beyond description the crowd rushed back, but. the police, who were by now strongly reinforced, held them in tem- porary check. Attention was then turned to the shop of Richard Kaltenbach, and the police were soon overpowered. In the melee which ensued a couple of men wrenched the shutters away with a a iron bar and smashed in the window, but further damage was prevented by a second baton c harge. In the stampede a'woman, with a baby in her arms, was knocked down and trampled upon. It was a veritable street battle, and a number of civilians who could not escape were badly knocked about. The nrst policeman injured was P.C. Young, of Britonferry. who was slashed with a stick across the left eye, inflicting a terrible gash, which bled pro- fusely. With his head swathed in ban- dages, he was led through the crowd under police protection, anud the jeers of the people. In. the third baton charge the police succeeded in clearing the street, keeping one section in check at the Square end and the other at the Queen-street end. Heedless of the danger, the Mayor of Neath (Councillor Matthew Arnold), to- gether with other members of the Watch Committee, held a sh< rt consultation. It was an anxious moment for the Mayor, but he coolly faced the furious crowd, and appealed to them to act like true citizens. He advised them to go to their hom, and warned them of their peril if there were further hostile demonstra- ti-ons or riotous behaviour. There was a slight lull in the storm then, but on the arrival, just alter mid- night, of a contingent of police officers from Port Ta1-1YJ and Aberavon, there were further disturbances. Armed with lticks and stones and bottles, a large crowd of women and men made a violent rush on the police, breaking through the. lines at the Square end. A demand was made to rash the lower shop, and the, police drew their batons and frustrated the Objective. Then followed a regular bom- bardment of bricks, bottles, and other, mtsiles, and the plate glass windows of other shops adjoining suffered. There were several accidents, the urostj serious that of P.S. Quarterly, of Neath Abbey, who received a violent blow on the chest from a brick. He had to be conveyed home in a taxi. The fight contintif-d fiercely until one o'clock, when the police made a firm and successful baton charge, sweeping back the crowd and pursuing them in their flight. I The attack was not resinned, and half an hour later the streets were pra< tically clear of the rioters. The wrecked shops were barricaded, and just before the dawn Mrs. Kaltenbach and her assistant, named Berkle, left the .premises, the former seeking the shelter of Father Blackborough at his residence in London-road. Early on Sunday morning Green-street presented a sorry spectacle. The road was strewn with broken bottles, brickt-, TM a frim reminder of a terrible night. Much damage had been done to the s hops. The plate glass window was smashed at the Maypole Dairy Company's bran-h shop, and the large plate glass windows of Mr. Thomas Hunkin, butcher, and Mr. Isaacs, chemist, were also broken. No arrests were made in connection with the riots, but there is reason to believe that the unfortunate affair will have a sequel in the courts. The damage is ex- tensive, amounting to hundreds of pounds The number of cases needing sur- geons' attention as a result of the riots is said to he iq, which number includes three men and two boys. Six police officers were more or less seriously injured. P.S. Quarterly was on Sunday reported to be in a critical condi- tion. P.C. Young, Britonferry, received a uasty gash below the leff eye. P.S. Harris, Port Talbot, and P.C. Lisk, Meiin- crythan, received injuries to the face. P.C. Wiitkin Jones, Neath Borough, was wounded on the head and face, and Special Copstablo Sam Da vies, the old Neath fo." bailer, receive.! a cal"und. Anuvtm the injured also ib a Mte.^ Jones, of Peoydr?. whoee condition thi? I I morning was said to be somewhat I critical. I SWANSEA. About 8.25 p.m. on Monday a, large ctowd gathered outside 178, High-street, occu- pied by F. Ullo, confectioner, who is of Italian origin, evidently for the purpose of damaging his shop. The police were smartly on the scene. There was much shouting, and from the churchyard on the opposite side of the road someone threw a stone, which cracked a pane of the window. There wa-s no further damage, and by 11.40 the crowd had dis- persed. The hairdressing saloon of Mr. Paul Schenker. a naturalised German, in Lower Goat-street, had meanwhile been visited. It was about 9.30 p.in. that a con- siderable crowd congregated here. evidently with the objee1: of doing damage to the premises. Police, both uniformed and in mufti, were soon here too, and the sole damage was to the front window, broken by a stone thrown by somebody in the back of the crowd. Eventually the crowd was got out of the street, both ends of which the police carefully, but tact- fully, guarded. People gathered near the houses of others of German extraction without caus- ing the slightest trouble, except at 5S, Dyfatty-street. where Augustus Kuller resides. The crowd here was mainly of women and children, and several stones were thrown, breaking three panes of glass in th" front room. T te police gave atten- tion to this matter also, and the people gradually dispersed, the street being clear at 11.45 p.m. I ABERAVON. I L he fever of resentment against German residents in this country culminated in an ugly and threateng demonstration in Aberavon on Monday night. Following on the Neath outbreak, there were per- sistent rumours that certain jewellers' premisoo in Aberavon would receive similar treatment on Monday night. The chief objective was the old- Mtabhshed jewellerjs shop of Mr. George Koos, in High-street, Abnavon. the main thoroughfare in the town. Early in the evening children, evidently inspired by a foreboding of mischief, assembled round the shop, and later on crowds com- menced to congregate in the vicinity. In the earlier stages of the demonstra- tion the local police were in attendance under the control of Inspector W. E. Rees, Sergeants John Hale, Harries. Me Gorven, A. Bryce, Evans, and Swaffield, and for some time they succeeded in keeping the crowd in check. As the mob became more threatening twenty extra police from the district were marched into the street in relays. Their arrival was opportune a, just as the first squad arrived, a brick was hurled at the shutters of the shop. smashing in one of the panels. The man was instantly ar- rested. Two others who did similar acts were found with their pockets full of stones, and were promptly taken into custody. During this time things looked more threatening, but the police, by gentle force and persuasion, cleared the street. the Aberavon motor fire engine and bri- gade, under Captain Anderson, was held in readiness to disperse the crowd with its powerful hose. Mr. George Koos, the objective of the demonstration, has been in business in Aberavon for 33 years. His father was a naturalised Britisher, and his mother a Welsh lady. He was born at Merthyr. Mrs. Koos was, fortunately, away from home on a visit to her brother at Chelten- ham. Her brother is Major W. F. Bell, the well-known rifle shot and chairman of the committee of the Glamorganshire Rifle Associatioh, captain of the Welsh Twenty, and a regular competitor at Bisley, Welsh National Meeting, and Glamorgan Meeting. At the Sandfields, Aberavon, where an alleged German rents a shop, there was I also a demonstration. Hundreds of women and children assembled outside the pre- mises creating a disturbance. Fortu- nately, however, there was nothing more than this verbal demonstration." Police Court Proceedings. Charges arising out of Monday's riot- ing at Aberavon were heard at a special court on Tuesday, before the Mayor, Mr. W. J. Williams (chairman), and Mr. Chas. Jones. Three men, in connection with a dis- turbance outside the premises of a jeweller, Mr. George Koos, were indicted with unlawfully assembling and inciting to commit a riot. The men were William Rees, labourer, Wern-street; William Thomas, labourer, Cwmavon-road, and Henry Whitehead, labourer, Velindre, all of Aberavon. Superintendent Ben Evans explained the charge-, against the prisoners. He said he proposed only to offer sufficient evidence to justify a remand. He was sorry that these men had taken up such an attitude. Feeling seemed to have been aroused against a jeweller named Koos. He was British, and born in Mertbyr. He could assure them that the Chief Constable would not allow any man or woman who was a German to remain in the county, but proper steps would be taken to remove them. P.S. Swaffield said that in consequence of a rumour that an attack was to be made on Mr. Koos' shop he was posted on duty at the spot at 7.45 p.m. A crowd of about 3,000 people assembled, composed largely of women and children. He saw defendant Thomas inciting the crowd, and shouting Down with the Ger- DlaDB 1" He had great difficulty in mov- ing defendant on. He also saw defendant Whitehead moving amongst the crowd shouting "Down with the Germans 1" • Defendant Rees was also among the crowd. and had to be shifted from outside the shop several times. Ait ten o'clock, a I stone was thrown, smashing a panel in the shop window. Several of the crowd! pointed to Thomas as the man who had thrown the stone. Later, witness saw Whitehead deliberately throw a stone at the shop. He found a stone (produced) in White- head's pocket. Shortly after, in the com- pany of Sergeant Hale, he saw Rees come out from the crowd and throw a stone which hit the shop. He ran away, and witness ran after him and took him into custody. Rees became very violent and kicked out. and was only locked up with assistance. Stones (produced) were found in Rees's possession. Defendant Rees: It is a deliberate lie. Sergeant Evans, Cwmavon, paid he arrested Evans after seeing him throw the stone. The stone produced was found in Thomas's pocket. Superintendent B. Evans: On that evi- dence I ask for a remand for a week; we are hoping to have more in by that time. Prisoners were remanded in custody till next Wednesday.

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