Barcelona Bulletin (second edition)

              SECOND EDITION.
BARCELONA BULLETIN
15th. MAY, 1937.
"NEWS FROM SPAIN"
Showing that the Anarchists are not to blame.
The Capitalist Press has reported the events in Barcelona of May 3rd, 1937. under the false captions "Anarchist Uprising," "Anarchist Seizure Telephone Building," etc. Langdon Davies blamed the P.O.U.M. and declared that it worked through its controlled organisations, "Friends of Durruti," and the Libertania Youth. The New Leader denies this by saying that these organisations are Anarchistic, thereby implying that the Anarchists are to blame. But this is cowardly. The Anarchists are not to blame, and the P.O.U.M. fought by the side of the Anarchists. The New Leader for May 14 has no report through. But we present our readers with the reports received direct from Barcelona from our comrades Jane H. Patrick, and Ethel MacDonald.
Here is the true story of May 3, 1937, in Barcelona, and the murderous Communist Party counter-revolutionary conspiracy against the Anarchists :—
From JANE H. PATRICK.
Barcelona, 5th May, 1937. 
You will have heard by this time that there is trouble in Barcelona. The trouble broke out on Monday afternoon, the 3rd, at about three o'clock in the afternoon, the quietest time of the day here, as the shops are all closed, and every one is either at home or eating in a restaurant, or drinking his afternoon coffee, the Civil Guards seized the telephone building by force. As the move was quite unexpected, they succeeded in disarming the militiamen in charge there, and so gaining control.
We knew about it on Monday afternoon, but although there was a feeling of electricity in the air, and some fighting on the Plaza Cataluna, nothing further happened during the afternoon. At night time, when we went to return home, there were patrols out everywhere. At one corner we would meet the civil guards, and the next the C.N.T. guards. All men were stopped and searched for arms. We were stopped because we had a man with us, but they made no attempt to search us at all, not even the police.
We were told to go by the back way when we left the Casa, although we were warned about going out at all, as there was fighting on the Plaza Cataluna. In going through the back way, we had to pass through a square where the Generalitat Buildings are all around. There were some men in front of us, and they were arrested and rushed into the building. We were not close enough to see all that took place, and although we would have liked to get closer, we were prevented by the guards. When we got out of the Square, and were almost emerging on the Ramblas, we were stopped again, but this time it was by several of out own people (C.N.T.-F.A.I.) and we knew some of them.
Charlie Doran was with us, and since his hotel is at the foot of the Ramblas, we walked down with him, as we thought that he was safer that way. The Spanish people do not interfere with women, and they would not suspect or molest a man so readily in the company of women, as if he were alone. When we got back to our hotel, we found that it was locked up. I suppose that was to prevent trouble inside, or rather to save the building from being rushed inside. We had to bet a C.N.T. guard to help us get in.
All during the night there was firing in the street, and we had a good view from the hotel windows. they did not want us to leave the hotel in the morning, but we did not intend to remain there when we did not know what was going on, so we left and made our way to the Casa. We could not take the usual way, as there was firing from both ends of the street. In fact, they were firing both up and down all the streets of the Ramblas, so that we had to make a detour. As we drew near the Casa C.N.T., we had to wait for a pause in the firing to get across, and into the building.
As the day wore on, the firing became terrific : the police were firing from their building further up the street, and from nearby homes, and the C.N.T. were replying from the Casa, from the balconies and from the roof. The C.N.T. have plenty of guns, and machine guns and bombs; and the other side seem to have the same. The noise is terrible. Already there have been many killed and wounded.
There have been deliberate shootings-up on the part of the civil guard of members of the C.N.T. A motor left here yesterday afternoon, and it was stopped just up the road, and the occupants forced to alight. They were shot deliberately in cold blood. Some say that the callous, cowardly shooting was done by the U.G.T. I am not sure of that. But if the culprits were not members of the U.G.T., they belonged to the civil guard (police). They also shot up two motors full of C.N.T. people and refused to let the ambulance attend to them. At least, that is what we have been told here. You know how unsafe it is to accept every story at a time of any great excitement. But it is safe to realise that the Communist Party is a menace to the workers in their struggle. It is a party upholding reaction and desiring, loving and seeking power and place, which means also pelf.
Since about eight o'clock on Monday evening, there has been no traffic at all. The whole town is quiet, as it is not safe to be on the streets. Many people who ventured out have been killed accidentally. But in the morning the women go out to try to get food, and some of the shops open up in answer to a knock. From the window, we can see an odd person passing, holding up a white flag, and an occasional braver, or, perhaps, one would say, more foolhardy one, walking along coolly. These persons are not fired on by either side.
We had to sleep here last night, as there were no lights in the town whatever, and we would not be allowed out. We did not go anyhow, as we would have been prevented returning likely had we gone; and here, we are in the middle of it.
The firing never ceases for longer than two or three minutes at a time. Yesterday, it was almost funny at one period. The radio announcer had been sending messages all day in Spanish, and during a pause some one must have put on a record. The noise of the firing was terrible but between the few minutes' pauses there came the strains of some one singing, with an American twang : " E-ni, me-ni, man-i, moo." It seemed rather incongruous.
There has been a proposal from the Generalitat to form a new Government, and ensure a stopping of hostilities. But the C.N.T. want the police (civil guard) disbanded, and brought under the control of the syndicates in future. There is a settlement coming, I think. They intend to make a compromise. There is a conference at the Generalitat, and everything is being blamed on the Minister of the Interior and the Chief of Police, both Esquerra, but Communist Party supporters