(Łódź, May 29, from our correspondent)—Yesterday there occurred an event that one might think was a dream if all of us were not still under the powerful impression of this living reality.
On Friday, [May 26,] a strike broke out at the large Grohmann plant (more than 2,000 workers). The strike was carried out with model discipline. At the same time on Friday many agitators gave speeches at the plant in both Polish and German. At noon on the same day, several workers were peacefully walking past the plant when a patrol standing nearby for no apparent reason opened fire and one of the workers, Georg Grabežyński, fell dead right then and there while two others were seriously wounded.
This assassination aroused tremendous indignation among the workers. The body of the murdered comrade was immediately carried into the factory building, and the comrades watched over it day and night despite very heavy pressure from the police—and it was kept there until the time for the burial. Social Democracy immediately called for two mass gatherings at the building of the Grohmann plant for the next day—Saturday—one being held early in the morning and the other in the afternoon. At both gatherings, speeches were given by our comrades in both Polish and German about the political meaning of the incident. At the same time, feverish agitation was carried on throughout the city with the demand: All of proletarian Łódź, turn out for the funeral of our murdered comrade! On the same day, a proclamation to this same effect was produced and circulated by Social Democracy, and many gatherings were held in different parts of the city with between 2,000 and 3,000 taking part at each.
The burial was to take place on Sunday, that is, yesterday, at three o’clock in the afternoon. Earlier on Sunday, we held a large gathering outside of the city where political speeches were given. And the proletariat responded to our call!
By 3 p.m. a crowd of about 40,000 workers had gathered in and around the Grohmann plant. Not a single policeman and no military personnel were to be seen. The funeral ceremony was opened with the singing of “The Red Banner.”
A speaker for Social Democracy rose to the previously prepared rostrum and in the midst of breathless silence gave a long talk about the present revolution in the tsarist empire, the common interests of the proletariat in Poland and Russia, and the aims of Social Democracy. Stormy applause and cheers greeted the ending of the speech. The enthusiasm was so great that the speaker was carried high in the air on the hands of the crowd and endlessly repeated cheers went up for him. Then a woman comrade from the Social Democratic Party spoke in German, and the German workers responded to her speech with the greatest enthusiasm. Later, there were also speeches by representatives of the PPS and the Jewish Bund and then again by Social Democratic speakers. The mood that prevailed among this enormous mass of people, the feeling of joy at being able to hold this monster gathering completely undisturbed, the total absence of the police and military, who had simply disappeared, all this together is really beyond description. It was something never seen before in Łódź and probably in the entire tsarist empire!
And now we lined up in rows and the entire gigantic march, with the hearse in the middle, began to move out. At the front marched the standard-bearer of the Social Democratic Party of Poland and Lithuania with a large black banner and white lettering. “Honor to the Victims of Tsarist Despotism!” and “Long Live Social Democracy!” Behind the banner came Social Democratic women with a large wreath and red ribbons, “To the Victims of Thuggery from the Comrades of Social Democracy.” After the wreath, the party banner of the PPS with the wording, “Long Live Freedom! Long Live the PPS!” Farther on the standard-bearers of the Jewish Bund were marching. Then there came a band and after that the hearse drawn by four horses. After the hearse, again there were standard-bearers of Social Democracy with red banners and the wording, “Away with the War! Down with Absolutism!” After that came the countless numbers of the crowd, who soon added up to at least 50,000 workers. The funeral march crossed the following streets—Pusta, Piotrkowska, Czerwona, Wólczańska and finally came to Eckenstrasse*—and we then went on out into the fields. At every street crossing new large groups of workers had joined us. Along the way there was continuous singing of “The Red Banner” with all the different stanzas alternating with the band playing the funeral march.
From Piotrkowska Street on, the coffin was taken out of the hearse and carried on the shoulders of the workers. And the whole way there was not a policeman or a soldier to be seen!
Suddenly shots were heard. There was a moment of panic. But it turned out that some workers from the PPS, according to their custom, were firing revolvers, shooting in the air. In response to the universal wish of those present this was soon stopped, and the demonstration continued undisturbed to the end. At the cemetery, all told, about 80,000 people gathered, which means nearly all of proletarian Łódź. Then the crowd turned around and slowly made its way back to the city.
On May 30, a telegram will be sent to the bourgeois newspapers that a high-ranking police officer will be shot. The strike movement is growing.