The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-27

sort of prides purge to the legislative as
sembly of the empire. After the defeat OF
the Austrians a generation ago they invited
the enemy TO invade Bohemia, promising
aid and assistance Ever since then they
have been threatening Austria now with
Russia, now with France. and occasionally
With both During all this time the Ger
mans of Bohemia constituted the only ma
tional Austrian party in the empire: and
to-day the Bohemians haze mans ged 0 gain
the ear of the government anC 10 proceed
to denationaliZe the Germans.
WE'RE PREMEDITATED
The disorders here, in the capital sud-
denly though they broke out. seem to have
been carefully prepared beforehand. AS
Germans and Czechs live in the same
streets and the same houses-the system of
flats prevailing in Prague-an Infatuated
mob could never show the discernment
which was uniformly displayed throughout
the excuses unless an intelligent plan ex-
listed Thus, the houses. occupied by Ger
mans were marked in chalk and attacked
accordingly. Once the mob or rather the
ringleader was in doubt whether one of the
obnoxious houses was No. Is or H. The
former was chosen at hazard, but the door
keeper, a Czech, came out and exclaimed:
What are you going to do here? There are
only Czechs in this house. Whereupon the
politicians went to the next house and
''gutted' it. In another case it was the
question of q ham and a sausage shop
which had belonged to a Czech some time
previously but had been purchased by
Jew a short time before the disorders. The
present owner had invested all his capital-
the savings of many years-in the business,
and even SO had just barely been able to
front Of the doomed house, and first
smashed the windows then broke the doors,
and appropriated or destroyed everything
they found in the shop. Nothing but the
furniture remained, and Just as they were
about to make ducks and brakes of that,
a voice was heard crying out: THE furni-
1t belongs to a Czech And the surging
crowd retired. Suddenly, however, another
voice arose above the din-some say 1t was
that of the late owner-shouting: The fur
nitrle is his, too. Destroy it, boys! He
paid for everything except the table And,
with yells of delight, the populace broke.
except the table. which remained intact.
Numerous families lost their all in this
co CONF iit The he cify-governed by a
Czech Town Council-refuses to pay up, on
the ground that as the police belongs not
to the city but to the state, the latter alone
is responsible And the state declines to
compensate any but foreign subjects. The
consequence is that many German capital
shops from Prague to Vienna, Dresden or
elsewhere. One of the most extraordinary
traits about these street disorders which
lasted for four days. IS the all-absorbing
thirst for ill-gotten gain which mani
tested by all classes OF the Czech popula-
ton. One can well understand that the rlft-
raft of a wealthy city should indulge in
p.undering shops which they had broken
into and Quilted They naturally feel dis
posed to keep such movable property as
falls into their hands rather than consign
it to the flames. that being the alternative;
but that well-to-do citizens should soil their
hands and their good names by taking part
in ransacking and stealing their neighbors'
goods-this is q trait which, happily, is un-
known outside of Bohemia. i have been
assured by various officials and others that
prosperous Czech merchants to whom fifty
or hundred pounds are but as dust in the
hole SNH
plundered property of their German fellow
citizens. and some of them were arrested
goods We're of no more than three or four
pounds value. The manner in which
small part of the lost articles was recovered
and few of the thieves were brought to
light and justice is interesting. Here is an
instance: Two charming children were TAX
ing stroll about the streets a day or two
after order had been restored. One Of them
was about fifteen years old. the other about
ten. The latter was very gay and talkative,
Their Jackets We're especially overdone.
They Were evidently made by a most fash
ionable dressmaker and were of a much
more costly stuff than parents are apt to
give to their children. sympathetic,
elderly gentleman spoke to the children
with fatherly familiarity. which is not
jackets. The elder of the two girls nudged
the younger, and urged her to hold her
tongue. But the childish delight of the lit
tie mite needed an outlet, and she boasted
to the venerable stranger that they had
plenty of other splendid dresses and gorge
Gus finery at home now. The conversation
ran on in this strain until the wide-awake
maiden of fifteen finally succeeded in clos
ing her sisters lips and then the pair babe
goodbye to the inqusitive stranger and
turned down a narrow lane But he arrest
ed them then and there, explained that he
was a detective and took them home In
the house of the parents a considerable
quantity of fine clothing was found, the
presence of which could not be accounted
for. At last it was identified and the fam
lily elders taken into custody. Ill-gotten
goods of this kind are now known in Prague
as the first fruits of the indignat ion policy
of fba