Police Arrest Weathermen In Three Cambridge Raids

Police arrested 23 members of the Weatnermen last night in three separate raids on houses in Cambridge.

The 23-14 men and 9 women-were taken to the Cambridge Third District police station and booked on a number of charges, including attempted murder and conspiracy to attempt murder.

The charges stem from a November 8 shooting incident in which two bullets were fired through the windows of the Cambridge police station. Police say they have an informant who was an eyewitness to the pianning and execution of the incident.

Three men-Eric Mann, James Reeves, and James Kilpatrick-were charged with attempted murder and conspiracy to attempt murder.

The rest of the 23 are being held on the conspiracy charge.

Mann was not arrested, although his house was one of the three that police raided. A police spokesman said an arrest warrant for Mann will be issued today.

Police will go to Third District Court today to file "anarchy" charges against the group. The charges cover "plotting the breakdown of normal peace, order, and tranquility; and plotting the violent overthrow of the government."

If the group is tried on the charges, it will be the first time the "anarchy" law has been used against radicals.

Two of the women arrested-Jill Wattenberg and Susan Hagedorn-were also charged for alleged participation in the Center for International Affairs disruption on September 25.

They will face assault-and-battery and other charges in Third District Court on November 26, along with Mann and others arrested for the CFIA disruption.

Police also charged four members of the group-Reeves, Miss Wattenberg, William Geogran, and Vicky Gabriner-with "receiving stolen goods." The "stolen goods" was a rifle taken in Washington and found in one of the houses.

Reeves and Kilpatrick were held on $10,000 bail, and the rest on $1000 each.

The maximum sentence for attempted murder is 20 years in prison. Under a recent change in Massachusetts law, the conspiracy charge carries the same sentence.

The arrests came in a series of raids shortly after 9 p. m. last night. Police first entered a house at 509 Franklin St. and arrested nearly 20 people there.

About five minutes later, they entered houses at 12 Prince St.-where Mann was supposed to have been staying-and 344 Putnam Ave.

Twenty-five officers-some carrying unloaded shotguns-surrounded each of the houses before the raids. There was no scuffling at the arests, which took about 20 minutes.

Police had search warrants for all the raids. Sergeant James Roscoe said the police spent the day getting warrants and arranging the raids.

Police found a variety of weapons-including one loaded shotgun, one loaded rifle with a bayonet, two other rifles, pipes, sticks, window weights and 800 rounds of ammunition-in a closet at the Franklin St. house. Police said one of the rifles was stolen.

Roscoe said that the police informant had been an eyewitness to both the shooting incident and the alleged conspiracy. Police refuse to identify him, but say he is a juvenile.

The informant "was frightened by the thirst for blood, the talk of 'pigs' and overthrowing the government," Roscoe said.

The group reportedly includes almost all the Weathermen in the Boston area.

Those arrested were: Alan P. Wilson. 19; Mark S. Gedal. 19; Lyndin David Smith, 22; Gregg R. Wolfong. 25; Gary B. Kazin, 18; Arthur 1. Handler, 20; William L. Geogran, 22; James K. Kilpatrick, 22; James H. Reeves, 21; Henry Olson, 28; Thomas B. Cook, 23; Neil Birnbaum, 24; Marshall B. Berzon, 18; and Phillip C. Nies, 20.

Also Juanito Duffy, 19; Marion Fienberg, 21; Meg Raymond, 22; Janet Press, 18; Nancy Gretsky, 22; Enid Sippen, 21; Jill Wattenberg, 20; Vicky Gahiner, 27; and Susan Hagedorn, 24.

All listed their addresses as one of the three raided houses.