The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-01-03
FOUGHT IN A CHURCH.
Cossaeks Killed Catholics There and
Drove Others Into a River.
WOMEN STRIPPED AND FLOGGED
IN PUBLIC SQUARE,

ties-All Told Nearly One Hundred, II
Is Reported, We're Killed and Many
We're Manned for Lifs-An Outrage in
Russia Which German Newspapers
Have Exposed Despite Official Denials.
Berlin, january 2.-In November last
the Vossische zeitung Of this city pub
lished story from Kovno Russia, stat
ing that the imperial authorities, mem
ers of the Greek ch ursh, had ordered the
Catholic church at Krosche closctd.
With the purpose, it was said, of pre-
venting the order frpm being carried
out, large numberof Catholics took
possession of the church and held it day
and night. The governor sent troop OF
Cossacks1 to dislodge the defenders of the
church and desperate conflict resulted.
Twenty Catholics are said to have been
killed and a hundred wounded. Others.
it was stated, were pursued by the
Cossacks, who drove them into the river
where they were drowned Russian
papers came out with the official version
of the affair. They said the Gear ordered
the church closed SO that an agricultural
college might be built on the site. They
asserted that inthe encounter between the
military and the police on one side and
the Catholics on the othsr, four police
men were slightly wounded but they
branded the story of the massacre of the
Catholics as a pure invention. The
Cologne Gazette few days ago, claimed
to know that the story Of the massacre
was true.
Today the Volks Zeitung publishes
mail advices from KroscAe bearing out,
in every particular, the first story Of the
killing of the Catholics. It adds that
the Cossacks displayed the greatest
barbarity and took fiendish delight in
killing defenseless women and children.
1t is said that some Of the younger
women were subjected TO the vilest in
dignities by the3 Cossacks. After the
capture of the church by the soldiers,
the building was desecrased in every con-
ceivable way. The authorities ordered
all the prisoners fogged and the order
was carried out in the market place, the
women as well as the men, being
stripped until practically naked and,
surrounded by heartless Cossacks and
orthodox Russians, whipped with knouts.
The number of persons killed is not
definitely stated, but the report places
dred, with very large number SO
severely injured that they have since
died of their injuries ct will be manned
for life. The story has excited wide
spread Indignation andl persons CONVEX
SAINT with the nature of the Cossacks
place no faith in the official denial of
their actions on this occasion.
Tried to Poison the czar.
London. January "A dispatch from
Vienna to a news agency in this city says
that Cracow, Poland, newspapers con-
tain accounts OF "a recent abortive at
tempt to poison the Czari According to
these reports. on the 124th anniversary of
the founding of the imperial order of St.
George, grand dinner was given to all
those who had BEEN awarded the decora-
tion. The Gear, as She head of the order,
was present and partook of the banquet.
The first course was but half consumed
and the Czar ordered that what was left
be sent to the Nicholas orphan asylum,
where the children also ate of the food.
Later in the evening the Gear, the guests
at the banquet and the orphans were all
taken sick, and an investigation revealed
that the fish had been poisoned. The
sickness in the orphan asylum was
officially attributed to cholera.