The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1896-06-06
DEATH AT A BANQUET.
Thousand Persons Killed at the
Moscow FeteS.
Crush of Peasants to get at Tables Causes
an Awful Panic.

London, June 1.-The pUmp and pag-
entry of the coronation festivities a
Moscow have been followed by a harvest
Of death
Early Saturday morning, while thou
sands were assembled on the plain of
khodiinskojc to partakc Of free din
ncr, the crush of the people resulted in
terrible panic. and last night the
morgues. hospitals and churches i'll the
old Muscoyite capital were filled with
dead and dying.
Latest reports from the scene Of the
awful calamity give the number of the
killed as l13s. At least ten times that
number We're wounded more or less Sc
vcrciy, and the deaths yet to result can
not be estimated.
In anticipation of the grand holiday
and popular banquet on the Hodynsky
plain, tens of thousands of people began
trooping toward the Petroveky palace,
in front of which the plain is situated.
during the earliest hours this morning.
In fact 50 much interest WAS taken in
the open air banquet that thousands
reached the ground last evening and
campcd there or IN the immediate vicini-
" during the night in order TO make sure
OF obtaining good positions today. The
majority of these people came on foot
but some came in the oldest kind of We
EiclrS, country carts and turuputS of the
Travelled on horseback. On the Hobby
sky or khodijnskojc plain Gt is written
both Ways long lines of rough tables,
thanked by rOughcr benches, had been
erected.
Long Rows of Tables.
In the distance those lines Of tables
looked like immoyahlC regiments of sol
dl"rS on the trenches of some extensive
series of fOrtiticationS 1t was at first
II 4 .It.,
but in view of the immense crowds as
SCmhled in and about this city for the
coronation f"tcs extra tables and benches
were hastily erected and every effort
was made t. provide seating room and
hearty meal Tor all who came Twice
that number was DESTROYS of taking part
in the feast. but the authorities decided
that there must be limit To the number
to be entertained and 50 the figure was
fixed at 100000. TO feed this multitude
an army of cooks and walters WAS gath
cred together, the army hakchoUSeS were
taxed To their utmost capacity and 800
GOO mugs, each hearing PORTRAITS of the
Gar and 'Zarna, were ordered and
manufactured for presentation to the
people taking part in the great banquet.
Thousands of cattle, traiulUads of pro-
visions and ShiplondS Of LIQUID refresh
mcnts wore sent to tho Hnduy>ky plain
during the week, and thi. morning all
was in readiness for the gigantic meal
I'm anticipation of the assembling OF
an immense crowd and the possibility of
disorder. strong forces of police were
detailed FOR duty OH the plains. which
like the HctrOvSky palace il fronts is
some three miles outside of this city and
on the road To 81. Petersburg.
In addition several dctachmcnts of in
tantry and cavalry were stationed in the
vicinity in order to support the police.
should snch a step be necessary.
Make a Rush for the Tables
by dawn today the mass of peasants
about the tables was really enormous
and they were all desperately hungry.
some of them having tasted by choice or
necessity for nearly twcnty-four hours.
The police did everything to keep back
the crowd. but suddenly the masses
controlled by some incxplicable 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 and crushing the life out of Il great
number of people.
The oldest. weak naturally. suffered
the most. and one poor woman who gave
birth to a child during the cXcitew At
was tramplcd to death Tho fate Of Ne
infant is not definitely known. hut it is
believed to have shared the fate of its
mothcr. The exact number Of people
Killed Is also not uScCrtainCd this dis
patch j. sent, for the police and military
eventually succeeded in restoring order
cartcd away the dead and injured and
preparations were made 10 proceed with
the banquet as if nothing unusual had
happened.
IE" Gar and CEaTina. when informed
of the disaster. were much distressed
and sent additional physicians to the
scene to care for the injured and issued
instructions that q full report of the