The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-06-02
A Real Blood Remedy.

tinued all night and today. This morn
ing the forces at work on the plain dis
covered the mouth of a disused well in
the middle Of the field, the plank COW
ering Of which had given away in the
mad rush Of yesterday morning. In
the well there were thirty dead bodies
and wedged in among them and held
down by their weight were found two
men, alive and evidently uninjured
physically. But the terror and the
hideous surroundings Of the night had
proved too great strain on their
minds and they were raving maniacs.
There were many incidents of special
pathos, one being that OF a party OF
fifty-five humble peasants, who had
come together from a single village for
the merry-making at the cars feast.
OF this party fifty-three were killed.
Various versions as to the origin OF
the stampede and crush are current,
but the most credence attached is that
the wagons laden with the 800, 900 SOU
venirs, which were to be distributed
among the people, were proceeding 10
the Khodijnskoji plain, followed by
multitude of eager peasants, when the
attendants. with view TO pleasing the
people, threw a number of the souve-
Mrs among the crowd.
There was a wild scramble towards
the point where they fell and the news
spread like wildfire up and down the
throngs Of expectant peasants that
the distribution had commenced. This
resulted in a head-long, pel nell rush
for the booths where the distribution
of souvenirs was to have been made
later. The arrangements which it was
intended 10 make to keep the crowds
in order during the distribution had
not been completed at that early hour,
and the force on hand was powerfess
to stem the tide of the crush of human
fty. What added greatly to the disas-
ter was the fact these booths were sur
rounded by bitches. The foremost per-
sons in the oncoming crowd fell pros
trate in these bitches and the people
following speedily trampled them to
death. Others stumbled over their
bodies and met the same fate. And so
the horror grew. The pressure was so
great upon the sides of the booths from
the struggles of the mass of mad human
ity that they gave way and hundreds
of people were forced into them through
the broken walls. One mounted gen.
darn near the booths was literally
crushed to death, together with his
rearing ana plunglng horse.
There were no English people, nor
Americans, among the victims. Many OF
those who came for the coronation had
already left the city and. in any event,
tourists attended the fete only in the
afternoon. Very few of the victims be-
long to the well-to-do classes. Nearly
all are Monjiks, or peasants. and a
large proportion of the dead are wo-
men and children. The car and car
ina today, after attending the requiem
mass in the chapel Of the Kremiin, paid
visit to the injured survivors in the
hospitals, passing from cot TO cot and
addressing wards Of sympathy ana
comfort Both - he imperial Pal
were deep'y affected by the scenes OF
suffering they Witnessed.
A judicial inquiry has been opened
into the causes OF people discussing the
disaster, the significant proportions OF
which all have at last come TO realize.
The streets present some saddening
contrasts in the corona ton decorations.
very few Of which have yet been moved
and gaily dressed populace who, having
escaped with their friends. continue
their holiday merriment, while every
few yards men are carrying collins on
their shoulders or across their knees on
droskies.
The police and force OF soldiers with
fixed bayonets have been keeping order
at the cemetery where an unendiag
stream Of people have been passing con-
ttnually. All day there were most az
fecting scenes, rela tives and priests
praying here and there beside the dead
ranged upon the ground, surrounded BY
still larger numbers of the unidentified
dad Most OF thez,e NOR remains -
humanity merely had a sheet for a COW
ering 20 the mutilated and dishgured
bodies Some were IN rough collins
left half open to enable friends 10 iden-
ufy them People came upon the
grounds looking for missing ones, only
20 find other relatives engaged in DIRE ss-
ing the bodies OF the lost, while others
were sitting. Sobbing and apparently
k.ol-,-azz b. 4. e-.-,A ~ IL, H.