Thursday June 10

Morning.
CIO officials, Newton officials and City officials called to Lansing for a 1:30 p.m. meeting with the Governor.

Non-strikers send an angry letter to John L. Lewis, CIO chieftain: saying that a "vote was taken and only 20 wanted to strike out of 1,300 workers…you don't believe in the right to work…only if you give them permission…want to set up a dictatorship in America."

114 Special Officers come to City Hall. Ordered "to make no move that would cause trouble." Leaders were from the Monroe National Guard. Given night sticks and arm bands. 86 more Special Officers sworn in, all held at City Hall. American Legion members sworn in so they can take over normal police duties so the police can go on strike duty.

Leondes McDonald, CIO organizer in Monroe, comes out of the Post Office, is surrounded by a mob, beaten and forced to run southward out of Monroe. Fellow CIO members find him and take him to a hospital in Toledo. CIO says police were there and did nothing. City says they were not present due to traffic congestion caused by the mob.

Noon
More Special Officers sworn in, given riot sticks.
CIO leader in Detroit states that several hundred CIO members will go to Monroe to help the strikers. CIO pickets begin to turn back vehicles at the picket line again.

1:30 p.m.
Special Officers given sandwich lunch at the City Hall.

2:00 p.m.
Non-striking Newton workers begin to assemble in cars and drive to the Winchester Street bridge. There, they attempt to park in an orderly manner, but there are just too many spectators. Cars park all the way to Second street. (The Bridge has since been torn down). 6 City Policemen try to remove spectators from the Detroit Ave. and Elm Ave. area.

Reports of several hundred CIO men reroute out of Detroit because of the McDonald beating. Andrew Rabcek, of the CIO pickets, calls Governor Murphy in Lansing about the McDonald beating and asks him to "do something."

3:00 p.m.
Someone from the picket line throws a club and strikes a Detroit News photographer in the back of his head causing a scalp wound. This was the first reported incident, an isolated event. It is possible that the attacker wanted to get media attention.

A Meeting in Lansing, Michigan at the capitol: City officials tell the Governor that they want to take back the public road that the CIO seized two weeks ago.

3:30 p.m.
An oil stove explodes in an apartment next to the county jail which causes a commotion downtown. Mayor Knaggs calls from Lansing, "The governor won't do a thing, so proceed with the march."

3:45 p.m.
Photo taken of Special Officers on City Hall steps.

4:00 p.m.
Special Police, on foot, arrive at Elm and Dixie Highway. Chief Fisher then drives to the picket line and asks for a representative. Benny Scarsella responds…"there will be bloodshed…why don't you arrest those who beat up McDonald?...we don't care for our lives…our leader, [Rabcek] is talking with the Governor."

4:10 p.m.
March begins. 4 units of 40 to 50 men marching 4 abreast down Elm Avenue. Spectators are everywhere. 200 yards from the picket line at Elm and Detroit Ave they stop and convert to 8 abreast with the tear gas persons moved to the front. Special Police are armed with night police clubs and bats.

During negotiations the Governor telegraphs Andy Rabcek
asking Andrew Rabcek to call him. The march is stopped.
Rabcek tells the Monroe Evening News that Governor Murphy has talked to the Governor of Ohio. He also says that if they want to avoid violence, Governor Murphy must talk to Fisher.

Strikers pile up rocks behind a rope and overturned benches.
Newton cars with 3-4 workers in each car are behind the Special Police.

2 airplanes are flying overhead and drop once in a while to get closer shots. Many camera crews and reporters are now in Monroe.

4:25 p.m.
Mayor Knaggs calls from Lansing and tells march to begin again. Information to proceed takes awhile to get to the front.

4:30 p.m.
Evening News calls the Governor, told that "He is on the phone," and could "not be disturbed."

4:40 p.m.
March has not restarted. Chief Fisher decides to restart negotiations. At some point, Chief Fisher goes to the picket line and chooses Mayberry of Toledo to negotiate with.

5:00 p.m.
First arrest is made: A Special Officer is found to be intoxicated. Chief Fisher and Mayberry, in a house on Elm Avenue, are talking on the phone for 15 minutes with the Governor. The Governor orders the road to be open. Mayberry, driven with Fisher to the picket line, talks to the pickets.

Special Police show fatigue and some squat or sit in place.
Pickets tell Mayberry 'No!' to the governor's order. Mayberry
returns to Fisher's car and demands the arrest of Whitney Ewing for beating up McDonald. Fisher tells Mayberry he has to go downtown and get a warrant signed. "We will then arrest him tomorrow."

Mayberry then says," We want all the Legionnaires out of Monroe, for we are not safe with them. Fisher responds, you are safe with them here, now obey what you agreed to with the Governor. I'll give you two minutes to open the road." Mayberry returns to the picket line, then back to Fisher and asks to talk to SWOC leaders, Tom Girdler of Republic and the Governor of Ohio. Chief Fisher has had enough and refuses. Mayberry said he did his best and Fisher tells him if they open the road, no Special Police would be used, if not they will.

5:54 p.m.
Mayberry goes back to the line.

5:55 p.m.
Two tear gas canisters fly in the air and explode behind the picket line. Pickets yell, "You started it, now look out!" and start to move forward. Police back up and the crowd follows due to the gas. Pickets stop. Lincoln Elementary School Principal, Rapson tells Mayberry that the gas bombs came from the CIO cars. Mayberry tries to calm the pickets, but they tell him to get out of Michigan. Mayberry leaves. Two picket women then shout at the police calling them cowards and that they have rights as human beings.

6:00 p.m.
Tear gas flies from the Special Police. Bricks fly from the pickets. Everybody realizes that a lot a gas is coming from West Elm Avenue from behind the picket line. Nearly 100 men from the Newton Company Police were hiding around the curve on West Elm and were advancing. Outflanked, the pickets head for Detroit Ave.

The gas canisters follow so the pickets also move to the field where the original Battle of the River Raisin was fought. (But unknown to them at the time.)

Most of the pickets move down Detroit Ave for there they had their flanking plan in wait. Bricks fly from their reserve position toward the police, who respond with more tear gas. The pickets flee.

6:02 p.m.
With the pickets gone from the intersection,and southern Detroit Ave. Newton workers drive through the debris and go to the plant. Special Police and spectators now attack the pickets with a vengeance. Many were chased down and beaten. Others did their best to hide. All were eventually found and removed from the immediate area. Homes in the Harborview subdivision on Detroit Ave. were safe, while homes on Elm Avenue were not.

The mob entered those at will. The Special Police, which contained a lot of non-striking Newton workers began to take revenge in earnest.

6:20 p.m.
These non-striking workers set the CIO camp was on fire, overturned 5 CIO cars, smashed some vehicles and pushed 8 of their cars into the river. The CIO sound truck on Detroit Avenue was destroyed. One picket was chased by 50 men along Elm Avenue and given protection by a policeman. Mayberry, at the outbreak was put into a police car for his protection and then spent the night in the jail for additional protection. Sloan was given protection after being threatened by a group to be thrown into the river.

Regular police were busy with breaking up these attacks. 15 long distance telephone operators were now working to handle the 1,001 outgoing calls. As was the telegraph operators. 100 telephone calls flood the police department. A large crowd has gathered here to listen to the police radio.

With the Newton workers in the plant, souvenir hunters cover the area. The CIO US flag was taken down by a Special Officer as a souvenir. All spent tear gas canisters were picked up as well as every hunters' old shotgun shells lying around in the marsh, by souvenir hunters. The park benches supplied by the Newton Steel Co for the use of the strikers, who then used them for a barricade all disappeared as well. Spectators stay until Midnight.

The worst of the wounded are taken to the hospital.
8 require overnight stay. The most severe injury was to a National Guardsman spectator who was hit in the head; a slight skull fracture. One independent Newton Steel worker was hit by a club. A woman picket was hit in the shoulder with a flying gas canister.

2 pickets were admitted with cuts, one picket for gas, one Special Police for gas and one spectator for gas. 5 men and 2 pickets were arrested for throwing bricks: 3 were later released. With the immediate area cleared, calm returns.

7:00 p.m.
Mayor knags arrives at City Hall from Lansing where he stays all night.

Later that evening:
A semi trailer is parked across the Mason Run bridge on Detroit Avenue by police to stop traffic on Detroit Avenue. MacDonald is rumored to have died in the hospital. Legionnaires placed on guard duty at the CIO hall after rumors of a mob raid. 2nd floor, 16 West Front. Newton's Special Police refuse to allow the cars to be removed from the river fearing it will block the road. Mayor Knaggs asks for police help from Jackson, Adrian and Ann Arbor since Monroe's police have been on duty for 36 hours.

11:00 p.m.
Police told of UAW cars heading for Monroe from Pontiac. A Manufacturers Association of Pontiac member makes the call.

11:40 p.m.
Mayor Knaggs tries to call the Governor. He was unsuccessful in reaching him.