The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1896-06-04
THE MOSCOW HORROR.
Dead Thought to Number Be-
tween 1000 or 5000.
500, 900 PEASANTS MADE A DASH
For Coronation Souvenirs, q Panic En-
sued and Many Were Crushed to Death
or Injured--were to Have Been Treated
60 Big Feast.

Moscow, June 1.-The disaster on the
Khodijnskoje plain during the fetes at.
tending the ozar's coronation is con.
stantly gaining in proportion as the in.
vestigations by the authorities continue.
These are made under difficulties, as the
recovery of the victims was conducted
by hundreds of volunteers, and many
were carried away before they were
enumerated. Many additional deaths
Of the injured who were carried away
are occurring, which are only added to
the enumeration after some time.
1t is now said that the fatalities will
amount to between 1900 and 1900, but
it is impossible yet to ascertain ac-
curately the extent of the disaster. An
official statement issued placed the
number of dead recovered at 1886, and
the seriously or fatally injured at 1856
But, in contrast with this official state
ment, there are l,2S2 Corpses lying at
the cemetery besides the many dead
and dying that are known to have been
removed from the Inflated field by
friends.
The work Of identification is most
difficult, both on account of the large
number of victims and the trampled,
torn and mutilated condition of many
of the corpses, some of which are
crushed quite beyond the possibility of
recognition and almost beyond SEM
blance to humanity. The majority of
the killed were peasants from outlying
villages, though the clothing of some
indicated that they were persons of
wealth and distinction. The bodies of
number Of women clad in silks and
fine linen were among those found.
Various versions as to the origin Of
the stampede and crush are current, but
the account to which the most credence
is attached is to the effect that the
wagon, laden with the 100000 souven.
irs which were to be distributed among
the people, was proceeding to the
khodijnskoje plain, followed by a null
titude of eager peasants, when the at
tendants, with view TO pleasing the
people, threw a number of the souvenirs
among the crowd. There was wild
scramble toward the point where they
fell, and the news spread like wild fire
up and down the throngs of expectant
peasants that the distribution had COM
menced. This resulted in headlong,
pellmell rush for the booths, where the
distribution of souvenirs was to have
been made later.
What added greatly to the disaster,
was the circumstance that these booths
were surrounded by bitches. The fore.
most persons in the oncoming crowd
fell prostrate 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. There were fully 5OO,-
600 people, mostly peasants, i'll the
crowd from all over the kingdom. Be-
sides the distribution of souvenirs they
were to be served to a great feast free
of charge.
There were no English people, nor
Americans among the victims.
The czar and c2arina attended and
danced at the brilliant ball at the
French embassy, in spite of the disas.
ter. Preparations had been made ON a
most elaborate scale for this ball, and it
is asserted that So 600 was expended on
the supper alone. The czarina was not
informed of the disaster owing to her
delicate condition. While the dance
within the French embassy continued
amid all the accompaniments of luxury
and gaiety, disconsolate friends and
relatives wandered over the desolate
plain among the dead and the suffering
dying, often in vain, for their missing.