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Arraign Forty in Anti-nazi Melees

May 13, 1934
See Original Daily Bulletin From This Date
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Forty anti-Nazis were arraigned in Yorkville and West Side courts Friday morning as a result of street melees the previous night.

At Yorkville court Magistrate Samuel M. Katz adjourned the cases of four anti-Nazis, three men and one woman, to May 16. Appearing in court were Andrew Matteaes, 23, 313 West Twenty-ninth street; Jacob Stone, 53, 2954 West Twenty-ninth street, Coney Island; Louis Glickman, 26, 970 Tinton avenue, Bronx, and Helen Feldman, 38, 2800 Bronx Park East. All with the exception of Matteaes were charged with disorderly conduct. Matteaes, accused of pulling. Mounted Patrolman Joseph O’Hare from his horse, was charged with felonious assault.

Magistrate Katz fixed bail at $500 apiece for the trio charged with disorderly conduct while Matteaes drew $1,000 bail. Friday afternoon the four were still in jail.

All four were arrested on Thursday night during the thick of the battle in the Yorkville section. The four were in the crowd of 2,500 anti-Nazis who attempted to parade through Yorkville without a permit.

CHARGE POLICE BRUTALITY

Thirty-six defendants were arraigned before Magistrate George B. DeLuca in West Side Court. They were the ones who demonstrated in front of the courthouse in sympathy with their previously arrested friends, and were charged with parading without a permit, obstructing traffic and using abusive language to the police.

David Schriftman and Louis Fleisher, attorneys of the International Labor Defense, appeared in their behalf.

Sergeants John Schmitt and Walter O’Hare of the West Forty-seventh street Station were called to testify. The both asserted that the defendants had asked to see the judge at the Night Court, and he refused because the courtroom was already crowded. Thereupon, the witnesses declared, about 500 persons paraded outside. The two denied that police used nightsticks, but defense counsel produced photographs from the day’s newspapers, showing police in the act of using clubs. Some of these pictures were accepted as exhibits.

COURT STENOGRAPHER EXHAUSTED

It further developed that the demonstrators sent telegrams to Mayor LaGuardia and Police Commissioner O’Ryan, protesting police strong arm methods and the breaking up of their anti-Nazi assembly.

At one o’clock in the afternoon the court stenographer was so fatigued by the grind of taking down the copious testimony that he declared he could not go on any longer. The magistrate adjourned the court until afternoon.

Counsel for the defense asked that the thirty-six be paroled for the purpose of having lunch. Magistrate DeLuca declined the request, except for the women defendants, who refused to go unless their male companions were likewise permitted to go out to eat. All were taken back to jail, going hungry the rest of the afternoon.

CLEAR COURTROOM

A spirited session in the afternoon eventually brought about the clearing of the courtroom with the aid of an extra detail of six police, following grumbling from the spectators. Even reporters were barred.

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