"Angry Greeks Attack Fellow Countrymen" article - Chicago Daily Tribune, April 10, 1901

Published in Chicago Daily Tribune, April 10, 1901

ANGRY GREEKS ATTACK

FELLOW COUNTRYMEN.

-----

Police Rescue Four from Crowd at 247

West Polk Street and Lock Them Up,

Charged with False Pretenses.

The police last night rescued four Greeks from an angry crowd of their fellow-countrymen who were threatening them with violence.  The disturbance arose at 247 West Polk street, where the crowd was besieging John Theodore, and James Patadopoulos and Theodoris Malearas.

Riot calls were sent in to the Maxwell and Desplaines Street Stations.  Two patrol wagons full of policemen were soon on the scene and they succeeded in controlling the people.

The Greeks say that the four men gave it out they were representatives of the Union Pacific railway company and offered to pay $1.75 a day for laborers in the West.  The Greeks then paid $10 each for the railroad fare, $3,000 in all, they say, and were demanding the money back.

The four men were locked up in the Maxwell Street Police Station charged with obtaining money under false pretenses.  Lieutenant Ambrose, who assisted in arresting the men, said:  "If the police had not arrived when they did the Patadopoulos and Malearas would certainly have been killed by the angry crowd."