The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-05-30
PANIC IN MOSCOW
A Crowd Of Nearly Half a Mil
lion People
Assemble to Partake Of a Mon
ster Banquet.
PREPARED FOR 100000.
Hundreds Trampled In a Rush
on the Tables.
One Woman Gives Birth to a
Child
In the Excitement and Bot IA
Are Crushed to Death.
PREPARED FOR 100000
ne Woman Gives Birth TO a
Child

(COpyrigh 1896, by the New Il OAA
Associated Press-)
Moscow. May 3O.-A terrible panic re-
sulting from the great crush of people
at the popular feast here today IN
honor of the coronation Of the czar'
caused the trampling to death of many
people. including a woman who was
delivered of a child during the excite
ment
In anticipation Of the grand holiday
and popular banquet on the HOdynskt
plain. tens of thousands of people be-
gan trooping toward the Petrovsky pal
ace in front of which the plain is sit
uated during the earliest hours of the
morning.
In fact, so much interest was taken
in the open air banquet that thousands
reached the grounds last evening and
camped there. or in the immediate VI
cinity, during the night IN order tc
make sure of obtaining good positions
today
The majority of these people came on
foot. but some came in the oldest
kind of vehicles country cars and turn
outs of the most primitive description,
and others Travelled on horseback on
the Hodynslzi plain long lines of rough
tables, hanked by rOugher benches had
been. erected
In the distance these lines of tables
looked like immovable regiments Of
soldiers ON the trenches OF some eN-
tensive series of fOrtificatOns- 1T was
arranged to accommodate 40O, 600 people
and tables and benches were erected
and every effort was made to provide
seating room and a hearty meal fof
400 600 people.
Twice that number was desirOus of
taking part in the feast but the author
tiles decided that there must be limit
to the number
TO feed this multitude an army of
cooks and walters was gathered to-
gether. The army bake houses were
taxed to their utmost capacity and
10000 mugs, each bearing portraits OF
the Gar and Czarina. We're ordered for
presentation for the people taking part
in the great banquet Thousands of
cattle train loads of provisions and
ship loads of liquid refreshments We're
sent to the Hodynszy plains during
the week and this morning all was in
readiness for the gigantic meal In an
ticipation Of the assembling of an inn
mense crowd and the possibility Of dis
order. strong forces of police were de-
tailed for duty on the plain which, like
the Petrovsky palace. it fronts is some
three miles outside Of this city and on
the road to St. Petersburg. I'm addition
several detachments of infantry and
cavalry We're stationed in the vicinity
in order to support the police, should
such a step be necessary
BY dawn today the mass of peasants
and they were all desperately hungry,
some of them having tasted by choice,
or necessity for nearly tWenty-fOur
hours. The police did everything pos
sible to keep back the crowds, but sud-
denly the masses controlled by some In
explcable impulse, or impatient to get
at the food pressed forward, swept
everything before them and overturned
tables and benches as if made of grass,
trampling hundreds under foot ana
crushing the life out of a great number
of people.
The oldest, weak, naturally suffered
the most and one poor woman, who
gave birth to q child during the eX-
element, was trampled to death. The
fate of the infant is not definitely
known. but it is believed to have
shared the fate of its mother The
exact number of people killed is also
not ascertained as this dispatch is,
sent, for the police and military event
ualIy succeeded ia restoring order, took
away the dead and injured, and prep
arations were made to proceed with the
banquet as if nothing had happened
The czar and czarina when informed
of the disaster, We're much distressed,
sent additional physicians to the scene
to care for the injured and issued in
structions that a full report of the
tragedy is to be made in order that
the distressed families may be relieved
AS this is the first serious accident
reDorted since the festivities COM
menced it has attracted much atten-
ton and has cast quite gloom over
the city.
The French ambassador. COmte de
Monticello. is scheduled to give a ball
at the French embassy this evening,
but it is reported that this feature of
the celebrations may be abandoned, all
though a very large sum Of money has
been spent upon the preparations.
France being greatly desirOus of testi-
flying to her friendship for Russia by
making a display upon this occasion
which would pass into history
The decorations for the embassy and
ball room have cost a fortune. miles of
most valuable carpets have been laid.
fruits. flowers, fishes and birds from
all lands have been imported for the
supper and nothing has been spared
TO make the French embassy ball one
of the most striking features of the
coronation fetes. There is a change
in the programme The foreign en-
voys viii be entertained at dinner at
The ErernIin nalace f0rnorroM