The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-06-02
KILLED BY THOUSANDS
Frightful Panic on the Plain OF
Hodynsky.
REJOICING TURNED INTO SORROW.

Julian Ralph sends a copyrighted Letter
To the New York journal Describing the
Frightfui Scenes Which Attended the
Festivities in Honor of the Coronation
of the Car of Russia-wiid scenes of
Panic and Desperation.
LONDON, June 2-Julian Ralph sends
the following copyrighted letter to the
New York Journal describing the terrible
scene of the disaster on Hodynsky plain
at the feast given by the ear In honor OF
his coronation, at which there was an estl-
mated attendance of 100000 people and
at which there were over 1000 people
killed:
by 6 o'clock Saturday morning an
ugly pressure began to bc made by bod
les OF workmcn coming in from the man
ufactories. The pressure grew worse and
worse aud presently the women COM
menced to utter piercing shrieks and cries
and some fell The ground was irregular
and there were large hollows here ana
| there Hearing the noise in front OF them
the mob behind pushed forward all the
| more eagerly. thinking those in front
were getting all the good things, for by
| this time the people had broken into the
| booths and were looting them.
| "All Mt once there was frantic rush
( and the crowd surged forward like an ir-
resistible, gigantic wave of human beings
| saw man and his wife fall screaming
| together, but almost before they had ut
| tered a sound thirty others were piled
| upon them. while hundreds more were
b ,ing hurled upon these by the mighty
force behind Shrieks, yells and curses
rent the air OH this carly morning, al
ready bathed with bright sunlight.
Higher and higher the struggling mass OF
dead and dying were piled and it seemed
impossible to do anything tn prevent the
tragedy from growing every moment more
terrible and appalling
| Tried to Rescue the People.
"Ihe few Gorodoyoe present did noble
work in trying to rescue the people.
SAW some of them seize sticks from the
hands of the peasants and belabor those
| near at hand TO stop them in their mao
manic. but the crowd had become crazy
and even when individuals escaped they
did so stripped of almost every rag o.
clothing in the struggle One man witt
only n remnant of a shirt left upon hin
was seen scaling the roof of booth, ant
| thus he ioinel others fortunate enough
TO escape beyond place of safety.
"All this was happening ut poin
where the booths formed a corner, ant
into this angle the seething mass was he
ing pushed hopelessly forward. Here
, within a distance of 100 yards, larg
number of unfortunates perishcd lt !
{ believed there were 700 or 800 killed at thi
: point. but they could not be counted. !
:. was a confused mass of struggling hi
manity. convulsive for few moments !
the agonics of death But it was not d
! this spot alone that people were killet
D Everywhere within radius of 800 yard
Q people were falling and being fatal
! crushed.
3 The Crowd Was Panic-Stricken.
z "Many more were livid with fear, nc
/, II few bleeding profuscly, and still MOI
y fighting in wild rage with one anothe
: The vast crowd had become panic-stricl
IS en-. All along the line of the other booth
which extended out southwark for 3,
e wards. victims of the crush were fallin
t. with dcsparing, wailing shreks Whil
A all this was going on those in front, r
G. pardless or ignorant of the dead and a.
d ing. pillaged and robbed, and yet 1t WI
:. not the worst side only of human natu
Is that was brought out. saw one instan'
d of heroism of which q lad, the son of
y. manufactures, was the central figure.
g "He had gone to the field with his
o. theirs men when the panic came and
N would have been killed to certainty, b'
u the mon formed about him and foug
like tigers Some of them lost their live
but the boy was saved. At the cemete
there was sight SO terrible, so heai
=. rending, description of IL in detail must
foregone 1t was long row OF dead, a
palling Sunday, still more awful in the
totality Monday, and the more unbear
AZ BILE for the torrid sunshine tn which tn
~ have been exposed
)n Only "A Part of the Scene.
NJ "Yet this was only part of the d
trcssino scene Away below hundreds
IN mouiiks in their national blouses we
VS. sweltcring under the torrid sun, worki
en- as though for life, and being constant
DC relieved by others, at excavating hu
Se trenches extending nearly the ent
EN- length of the churchyard. During I
ed night hundreds Of dead which lay
around will be packed into these trench
All around on the side hill, covered w
.ts rank grass, were rough coiiins.
49, "They were made of plain thin deal
"0 nut together with so much haste one
III them fell to pieces on slight concussi'
ed Some were made out OF followed
nd trunks of trees. Each coffin had its oc
his rant and they were laid as nearly as po
m. blc in n line. Over each was placed
,ri match of coarse white glazed linen, pie
,st. Of which were being given out with
an. wailine chant which Russian peasa
sing over their dead. The scene was
,th | awful To describe