East London Advertiser
Saturday, 27 April 1889

THE SOCIALIST RIOT IN WHITECHAPEL.

At Clerkenwell Sessions-house, on Thursday, before Sir P. H. Edlin, chairman, Lewis Diemschitz [Louis Diemschutz] and Isaac Kozebrodski surrendered to their bail to answer an indictment charging them with assembling together and making a riot, to the great terror and disturbance of her Majesty's subjects there being, also with assaulting and beating Israel Sunshine, Julius Barnett, Emanuel Snapper, Joseph Frost, and other persons. A man named Samuel Friedman was also included in the indictment, but failed to surrender and his recognisances was entreated. - Mr. Gill and Mr. Partridge prosecuted; and Mr. W. M. Thompson defended. - On March 16 there was a demonstration of Jewish unemployed at the East-end, and a procession was formed up at the International Working Men's Club, in Berners-street, Commercial-road, and marched to the synagogue in Great Duke-street, Aldgate. They were refused admittance by the Chief Rabbi, and then went to a piece of land named Mile-end-waste, where they held a meeting. Inspector Ferrett and nine constables followed the procession. After the meeting was over a crowd gathered round the International Club, and some little disturbance took place in consequence of one of the defendants coming out of the club in his shirt-sleeves and striking a boy. Hooting ensued, and then the two defendants, with Friedman, struck out right and left among the crowd. Frost remonstrated, and then he was kicked and violently assaulted. Friedman caught hold of him, and with the aid of the other defendants dragged him into the passage of the club, where he was again struck over the head with a stick and hit by Kozebrodski two or three times. The defendants were arrested, and at the station charged with riotous conduct. When at the police-station Lewis Lyons went there and preferred a charge against the police, which, however, was dismissed. Application was also made for a summons against Inspector Ferrett for assault, which was not granted. Evidence in support of the charge was given by Inspector Ferrett, Sergeant Wright, Police-constables Frost, Harris, Sherrington, and other constables. - Israel Sunshine, Julius Barnett, Emanuel Snapper, and others, also spoke to being in the crowd, and being assaulted by the defendants without any provocation. - For the defence, Mr. Thompson called a large number of witnesses, most of whom were foreigners, whose evidence had to be interpreted, who said that on March 16th there was a synagogue parade, &c., "procession of the unemployed and sweaters' victims." After it was over there was a great disturbance outside the International Working Men's Club. The people were throwing stones and creating a great disturbance. The door of the club was broken open, and Frost struck Diemschitz, and rushed into the club. The police ran after Diemschitz; and two of the crowd struck him on the back. None of these witnesses saw any blows struck by members of the club, the mob and the police being the aggressors. Mrs. Diemschitz made an attempt to rescue her husband, and did strike the police with a hair broom, but that was the only assault that was committed. On the way to the police-station Diemschitz was kicked and handled by the police. One of the witnesses said he saw the handle of the door tried by some boys, and on Diemschitz and his wife coming to see what was the matter, although Inspector Ferrett was there, Frost kicked Mrs. Diemschitz, and struck her in the chest. - Mr. Thompson, in his address to the jury, contended it was highly improbable that the case as submitted by the prosecution was correct, as a great deal of what occurred was in a dark passage, where it was highly probable that the police had made a mistake. He thought very little reliance could be placed on the evidence of those persons in the crowd who declared they had been assaulted, for they were in such a state of excitement that they hardly knew what did take place. - Mr. Gill briefly replied, remarking the charge was one of assault only, and that undue importance had been attached to it by the course taken by the learned counsel for the defence. - His lordship, having summed up, the jury, after a brief deliberation in the box, found both the prisoners guilty of assaults on the police only. - Kozebrodski, who was recommended to mercy, was ordered to pay a fine of £4, or in default one month's imprisonment, the money to be paid on May 6th. Diemschitz was sentenced to three months' imprisonment with hard labour, and at the expiration of that time ordered to enter into his own recognisances in the sum of £40, and to find two sureties in the sum of £20 each to be of good behaviour for 12 months.