FATAL CLASH AT BREST.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14984, 11 August 1919, Page 3

FATAL CLASH AT BREST.

FRENCH AND AMERICANS.

CRITICAL SITUATION.

PARTS, July 3.— The situation at Brest following fighting m the streets between American soldiers and sailors and French marines and civilians ia a j critical and Tegrettable one. With two Frenchmen , dead and seven Americans and eleven Frenchmen m the hospitals seriously injured, a rigid investigation of the trouble is being conducted by the United States .Army and Navy headquarters and the French military and .dvil governments. The strictest secrecy* is being maintained. It is a disagreeable duty to .state L that this latest and most serious clash between French and Americans •it Brest was precipitated by the inexcusable action of an intoxicated American naval officer m tearing up and stamping upon the French flag m a public cafe. HOW THE FIGHT STARTED, Aai officer of the American Navy who had been drinking, engaged m an argument m the Grand Cafe as to the relative' merits of the military and naval forces of the two countries. Three French civilians took him to task, and m the heat of the controversy the 'American snatched a tricolor from the wall, tore it m half and threw it on the floor. He immediately was set upon by tho Frenchmen. American" navy officers unaware why the navy officer was attacked, went to his assistance. Within ten minutes the streets of Brest Were resoiinding to revolver shots. Th-t i shooting beaame general throughout the 'down-town section.

One of the Frenchmen that participated m the argument m the Granr Cafe ran into the street, tore down an American flag, and trampled it. He was beaten to death by the Americans. For two hours the opposing force? battled m the streets, several hundred civilians joining the French marines m atoning the American military police and the sailors.

ORDER RESTORED BY FRENCH

Order was restored only after sever a* companiels: of French infantry took control of the town. A company of. Amer"c{«n marines, with fixed ; bayonets, ordered out to assist the authorities, re -•ently received a peremptory command fco leave the city at once, which they did. "

That was Jast Sunday, the day on which the President departed from here for the United States. Since then American troops have been kept out >f Brest. In view of the fa«t that the I American Expeditionary Force now if leparting homeward through her© and .hat thousands more American troops must pass through Brest, the situation is giving concern to American and French military and naval officials alike. ROUGH ELEMENT BLAMED. The rough element m Brest was attracted, ""here . by the women of the streets, who have flocked to this port m the hope of profiting by the liberal spending of the Americans. It is this element which, twice since I have been here m the last three weeks, has paraded the streets with a red flag, singing the "Internationale!" ; One of their parades was staged when the President's train pulled into Brest. Tt was broken, up by ,a cavalry chavro. For three nights sleep m the Continental Hotel, m the dentre of the town, was Tendered almost impossible by the ■singing and shouting of the throng-, on the streets demanding an early demobilisation of the French marines, protesting against the arrest of the mutineers n the -French Black Sea fleet and calling for the overthrow of the Olenunicean Government. PARIS KEPT IN IGNORANCE. Knowledge of all this has been .kept from Paris by order of Admire' salauai, naval commandant at Brest, i The fact is that every effort is being made to keep from the French press md people the situation at Brest, where ihe undesirable element of the population is inflamed against Americans and s grasping all opportunities to express -hat antagonism. Only the. strictest military discipline of the Americans has prevented, a yeiy serious international :roub,le. ' Military police, backing away, from v mob of several hundred civilians and French marines, who were stoning them, with faces bleeding from wounds, they began firing, into the air. ' Had they turned their guns loose into the m,ok <is it/seemed they were justified; m doing ♦,here would have h^en, ft mighty bad situation. .' FRATERNISING DISCOURAGED. Admiral Salaun blamea the rougji element here for the anti-American feeling m Brest. He expressed the hm.e the trouble would riot be interjpjr^tedt as indicating the general sentiment' in ' Brest as that of Franca, The Admiral has asked General Hetmick, American mili tary commander, ,to issue an order prohibiting fraternising, between American officers and soldiers and th,e. girls, of- the cafes and streets. Ha said the lavishness witj\ tkft Americans spoml money b,a& attracted many women of bad character here. them have come men of the most undesirable repute. It is this, element which is «»usthe, clashes with. the. AmeriV»%-.