Cubans Use Guns In Faction Fights

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29317, 23 September 1960, Page 15

Cubans Use Guns In Faction Fights

(Rec. 10 pan.) NEW YORK, September 22. Six persons lay in hospital today With gunshot and stab wounds received in brawls between friends and foes of the Cuban leader, Dr. Fidel Castro.

Tension surrounding the bearded revolutionary erupted in a battle of pistols and bottles Inside a Latin-American cafe. A nine-year-old girl was shot in the back and underwent surgery later in hospital Her condition was reported as fair.

A Cuban was shot in the shoulder. Hospital officials said his condition was satisfactory. In another development last night, huge crowds thronged Dr. Castro’s hotel in Harlem, the negro quarter of New York. A woman was injured in the crush and police arrested two men. Earlier, six Castro supporters attacked four anti-Castro Cuban demonstrators, including a woman, on a New York street. The four anti-Castro demonstrators were taken to hospital with gunshot and stab wounds.

Police said that one of the Castro supporters, who had a hook for a hand, attacked the woman and caused severe wounds. Two men were shot and one clubbed on the head.

The shooting last night developed in a dash between antiCastro and pro-Castro factions in the El Prado Cafe, near Madison Square Garden. Insults led to someone throwing beer bottles. Then shots were fired, one of them wounding toe girl In a separate development later in the evening, a crowd of thousands, with many waving Cuban flags, massed around Dr. Castro’s hotel New York police headquarters said the crowd in the general area numbered as many as 10,000 at one point and described it as comprised of “proCastro sympathisers.”

The most serious incident occurred shortly before midnight when toe crowd had dwindled to about 1000. A group of 50 demonstrators touched off a nearpanic among toe spectators when they rushed in a body towards Dr. Castro's hotel A woman walking her dog was knocked down and trampled, but suffered no apparent serious injury. Two men were arrested. Police reinforcements were called in as four or five mounted patrolmen contained the demonstrators.

Several negro demonstrators shouted slogans in support of Dr. Castro and Mr Patrice Lumumba of the Congo. A spokesman for the Hotel Theresa said the room rent of Dr. Castro and his party had been taken care of for today. The spokesman for Mr Love B. Woods, operator of the 11-storey hotel in the heart of Manhattan’s negro section, did not elaborate. Earlier he said Dr. Castro’s group had fallen behind in their rent for the night’s lodging, but that no immediate action was planned by the management The sum involved was about 850 dollars.