The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-01-03
A CHURCH MASSACRE.
Details Of the Slaughter Of Gath
.olics in Russia.
SEVENTY TO A HUNDRED KILLED.
Cossacks Rode Into the Church on Horse
back. Destroyed Sacred Ornaments and
Knoutsd and spsared the Worshipsrs.

Cosaacks Rode Into the Church on Horse
back. Destroyed Sacred Ornaments and
Knoutsd and spsared the worshipsrs.
Dead Bodies Thrown Into cesspool.
BERLIN, Jan. 8--SevernI reports have
recently been circulated regarding mas
Eacre of Catholics which was said to have
take place at Krosche, Russia, and cos
sack soldiers belonging to the Russian
government are said to have been impli-
Gated In this massacre.
Various versions Of the affair have been
given and each version has been officially
denied by the Russian government. The
Cologne Gazette, on the other hand, some
days ago repudiated these official denials,
and professed to give details Of the cruelty
of the cossacks.
The Volks Zeitiung says that the Cath
olics at Krosche took turns to guard the
church for eight days previous TO the mas
sacre in order to prevent theif Co religion
lists from being surprised by the Russian
cossacks, but In spite Of the precautions
they were surprised at 2 o'clock during
the morning of Nov. 10 by -Prefect King
enberg and forty armed cossaok police
men.
1t is said the prefect, at the head OF this
force of oossacks, entered the church in
which about seventy Catholics were gath
cred. The oossacks, cursing and yelling,
rushed upon the worshipers. knouting
them and striking them with their swords
until the church echoed with the screams
of the wounded.
Some of the Catholics ran TO the belfry,
where they rang the bells In alarm.
Thousands Of people soon gathered around
tho church and the Russian officials were
atf ff,ft ha 1ffilIfua 0aIp ha
feet and his deputy succeeded in resisting
the efforts o. the inhabitants, and these
two men retreated to the organ loft, from
which place they opened fire upon the
people in the church, until the former es-
capped and the latter was overpowered and
eventually confined in a cell situated in a
neighboring convent.
Late the same day detachment of some
300 cossaeks were sent from Kovno to
Krosche. They were armed with rifles,
lances and knouts. Upon arrival at
Krosche the cossacks were divided into
two detachments. One body surrounded
the township on all sides and the other
rode at a gallop towards the church and
dashed, with lances drawn, into the crowd
outside the building, spearing and shoot
ing and lashing with their knouts all who
came within their reach. Many were
killed and wounded.
The cossacks then rode their horses into
the church, and the massacre of people
inside began. They shot and speared right
and left until the floor and walls Of the
church were drenrhed with blood.
The cossacks are said to have acted like
demons, smashing the cruciflxes, CANDLE
sticks and images of saints and then
throwing the pieces into cesspool,
The cossacks then rode over the people
right and left and dragged the corpses by
their feet to the cesspool and threw them
into this horrible hole until 1t was choked
with the bodies OF the dead as well as by
a number OF those who were only wounded.
The people, it appears, fed in all direc-
tions while the massacre was going on and
were pursued and captured or badly
wounded by tho cossacks of the second
detachment, which was detailed to sur
round the town and to prevent the escape
OF any Of the Inhabitants. A number Of
the latter are said to have been so panic
stricken that they committed suicide,
many of them jumping into the swollen
river, were they were drowned.
The rest of the unfortunate Inhabitants
were surrounded by the cossacks, who,
lance In hand, drove them before them to
the market place in front of the town hall.
Here every man, woman and child Of the
town was ordered to be punished by being
fiogged with the knout.
The number of people killed Is not def
nitely stated, but report places the num-
ber at all the way from seventy to hun
dred, with a very large number SO severely
injured that they have since died Of their
injuries or have been ma lined for life.