Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1892-07-29
HORRIBLE SCENES In RUSSIA.
Cholera Patients Buried
Alive.
Rioting in the Stricken Dis
tricts.
Many Doctors Killed.

Private adviccs lust received from the
city Of Astrakhan, Russia, tell the story OF a
popular outbreak that scarcely finds a
parallel In modern history since the plague
riots OF the middle hges.
The detailed account while it pictures the
ignorance, the superstitiOus ballucinations
and the murderOus violence OF the mob in
the most lurid colors, represents the out
break as having been precipitatcd In the first
instance by the discovery that the sanitary
authorities, in their overZeal TO stamp out
the dread disease, had been putting cholera
patients into their collins alive.
The latest visitation OF the disease, due
to temporary relaxation Of sanitary vigil
lance at the Caspian ports began toward
the latter part of June and cholera was
raging in the city for about week before
the official announcement Of its presence
was made on the lst OF July The normal
population OF Astrakhau at the present
time. is about 5000 persons, made
up Of Russians, Armenisus, Tartars
and Persians, the Russians domtnat-
ing.
As soon as the presence of the disease had
been definitely asCcrtained, the authorities
took prompt measures TO prevent its spread.
One of the first Of these was the quarautin-
ing Of all vessels coming from the Caspian
ports, and this measure has been carried
out so vigorously that at the time Of writing
July ~ some TOOO persons were detained
in the roadstcad, where, owing to lack Of
provisions, they were for many days re-
Stricted to a diet Of half pound OF bread
q day. Quarantines were also established
for the Nolga steamers with the result Of
practically cutting OF Astrakhan from the
rest Of the world. The city itself was di-
vidcd for sanitary purposes into ~ dis
tricts, and n new hospital, furnishing ac-
cOmmodntion for 800 patients, was opened.
At the time the sanitary regulations were
issued, cholera patients were being conveyed
TO the hospitals at the rate Of about 10 day.
1t was ordained, among other things, that
corp>cs should be wrapped In sheets covered
with quicklimc, put quickly into cothns,
nailed up and then, without religious ccrc-
mOny Of any kind. conveyed directly 10 q
special cholera cemetery In the steppe, and
there inferred.
The tirst signs OF popular discoutent mani
tested themselves after The issue OF the sani-
tary regulations. The Russian peasants,
artisans and common people generally.
being of the orthodox Greek faith, strongly
resent the idea Of interring dead people with
out preliminary religious ceremony, since
they regard such negect not only
as unnecessary but as slight
upon the dead, and as imperiling their in
terests In the world to come. Another
source of discomfort was the widespread be-
lief among the population that the cholera
was being manufactured by the doctors,
many declaring that Andlichanka Uhc Eng
lish woman" metniug Eugland) had sent
5000 90 roublcs to bribe the physicians.
Soon after the cholera broke out the
drivers OF teams who used to convey corp cs
TO the cemetery began to talk about noises
which they had heard in the collins and II
was soon rumored about the town that tLe
doctors were burying people alive. The cI-
element eliminated on July 3. II was Sun
day, and special morning prayers against
cholera had been offered up in the cathedral
At about II o.c OK in the day
some officers OF the sanitary corps were en-
gagged, Ia the poorer part of The city, remov-
Ing some OF the women who had been al
tackled with cholera. The men had am.
bularce wagons with them, and the removal
were effected by means OF long poles each
armed at the end with a hook. As the
women had to be lifted into the wagons
by their clothing, some OF them gOt
frightened and clamOrcd so loudly that
crowd of people came to their assist
ance. The sanitary officials, together with
the few police accompanying them, were
severely beaten by the populacc. In its rage
the mob threw one of the ambulance wagons
into the adjacent canal, and having made
a bonfire of the other, deliberately killed
All hScioNd pm NlNIaH " Nv Hah NilSu w wv
his duty.
Meanwhile, n similar scene was being
enHc cd In Selenia. the commercial quarter
Of the city, where the crowd not only NAL
treated the police. but mistsking passerOy
for doctor beat him to death.
At 8 o'clock In the afternoon mob Of
from 10000 to $1,000 people proceeded to the
cholera hospital in the Yangurchen district
and there began to break the windows with
HAVING aa,tprp,l thnu
severely beat the doctors whom they found
inside. The mob XII led several feldshers be-
fore they left the building, and, mistaking
FeldsheT POpoif for doctor, threw him
alive on a bonfire, where he was quickly
burned to a cinder. During the attack on
the hospital the governor Of the province Of
Astrakhan, who has his official residence In
the city Of Astrakhan, came upon the scene
accompanied by the local authorities and a
body OF Cossacks, but the military were as
powerless to check the riot as were the ap.
peals for order made by the governor him.
self. The people were wild with rage, and
did Just AZ they liked
From the ruined hospital the rioters pro-
oeeded to the cholera cemetery, and there
began to draw collins from the earth and
open them. Here a discovery was made
which, whatever explanation of 1t be forth
coming, Is alleged to be altogether beyond
question, since 1t was observed by hundreds
OF eye-witnesses, many OF whom had no part
In the proceedings of the rioters, but were
present simply as spectators.
OF the large number OF coftins examined
four were found to contain bodies not yet
dead-cholera patients, In fact, who in the
haste Of the moment had been prematurely
buried. The people, Mortified at the dis
oovery, first set to work to resuscitate the
pst tudo corpses, and having done this by TAX
ing the lime from their mouths and feeding
them with milk and stmutantj,
conducted them to their homes.
One of the buried men was
a Tartar, who. though not OF the orthodox
Greek faith, devoutly made the sign OF the
cross as soon MS he was rescued, declaring
that the doctors would never catch him
again. The mob left the cholera cemetery
with its wild rage against doctors and sani-
tnry measures increased tenfold. For several
hours 1t surged through the streets,
beating or killing every one who could be
suspected OF belonging to the hated profes-
sion. When the enraged people reached a
hospital they would enter It and carry all
the patients out into the steppc for safety :"
then, returning to the buildings, they would
contscate all the disinfecting material that
could be found and scatter It to the four
winds; all the lime preparations
were in this way distributed over the
steppe. In one part of the CITY the mob
fired and burned to the ground the enormous
brick building which the authorities had
converted into hospital at the same time
breaking up the ambulance wagons aud
making bonfires OF the debris.
The police who tried to dissuade the riot.
ers were received with voeys of stones and
dirt or beaten with clubs. The rioting was
witnessed by the governor and the Cossacks.
but nothing was done at this stage of the
proceedings to suppress the mob
How utterly the rioters had their own way
is shown by the fact that, while the brick
hospital was burning, fire engine company,
which had driven up TO put out the flames
were prevented from using their hose, and
had 70 stand idly by and watch the building
burn TO the ground.