The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-04-26
STORIES WIRED FROM RUSSIA
MISREPREsENT FACTS.
AMERICAN CONSUL WRITES
Colonel Holloway Emphatically
Denies Reports Of Recent
Riots at St. Petersburg.

. 1AuldLdpol1o ~
of the Journal is in receipt of a let
ter from Colonel w. B. Holloway.
United States consul general to st.
Petersburg, dated April 9, in which
these statements are made:
81 have just finished reading the
editorial in your issue of March "a,
entitled. Revolutionary Time in Rus
STA. > consider that the American
papers print a greater amount of mis-
information about Russia than all the
other countries of the world put to-
gether. The stories recently tale-
graphed the American press concern
ing the alleged riots in st. Petersburg
are largely fakes, and while they are
published under St. Petersburg date
lines. were not sen by the agent of
the American Associated Press at this
place, but were made up On sensation
al reports that reached Berlin, Vienna,
and London. No intelligent person
here believes shat the students are
largely nihilists.' or in sympathy with
that movement. Like most large bod
les of students all oyer the world, they
think that they have grievances and
they probably have, but they want to
do as sherman did when he marched
OF the state-as he pleased-and espe-
clally on their anniversaries, but the
authorities do not agree with the i.
The statement that the Cossack
cavalry charged on the masses CT men
and women and cut and slashed them
right and left was manufactured out
of whole cloth, nothing like it occurr-
ing. Ny once is Cn the Nevesky,
near the center Of tie largest part
of the crowd, anG | was standing in
the front stairs OF the kasan cathe-
dral when the alleged charge was re-
ported to have occurred. The side
walks on both sides Of the street were,
for squares, crowded with people at
lracted by curiosity II all the Cos
sacks (wno did not even AVE their
swords as they usually do) did was
to keep the people moving to prevent
their blocking the street. | never saw
a better natured crowd. While there
were a number of students moving
about | did not see or hear OF one
creating the slightest disturbance. |
stood on the cathedral steps for a few
moments watching the crowd, when
about 20 Cossacks came trOtting com
pany front down the street some 200
feet distant. toward the central door,
where they halted. | suppose they
were signaled for, but | did not know
why they came until afterWard |
learned that some students went into
the cathedral smoking cigarettes, look
ing for a row, and were ordered to de-
sist, but refused, and in the efforts of
the attendants to eject them n OF
the students threw a, stone at an icon
and broke the glass front, and two or
three chairs were broken, but while
l, with others, stood within three OF
four feet Of where the disturbance oc
Cured, | did not heal of it until late
in the afternoon.
The stories to the effect hat the
emperor's Office and living rooms are
lined with boiler iron and that he is
hourly in fear of assassination are rot
The emperor and empress drive
about as usual, unattended by a sin
gle guard Or fOOtman. as is their hab
it.
"St. Petersburg is as quiet and or
derby a city as ever was Washington
or Philadelphia or Indianapolis. ant
while l have 10 means of KNOWN,
how many nihilists there are in thi
city. I do not believe they are a
numerous as they are in Chicago, an
there is nothing like as much lawless
ro~~ 1or,N ~~ Al~r,~ s. -. AI-A ~. 49,
as many murders as there are in In
dianapolis. The police seem to be ad
vised of disloyal movements and ar
prepared for any emergency that i
likely to occur. No we'll informed pei
son here seems to have the slightes
fear of any serious trouble with eitl
er the students or the nihilists."
AOlISES LNnER