Gloucester County Democrat., 1901-04-25
EXAGGERATED REPORTS
Of Condition Existing in the Cap
ital of Russia.
OUR CONSUL GENERALS STORY

He Declares That st. Petersburg Ia
Quite as Orderly as Either Indian-
apolis or Washington, and Has
Fewer NihiIists Than Has Chicago.
Indianapolis, April 25.-The editor OF
The Journal is in receipt Of letter
from Col. w. r. Holloway, United
States consul general at st. Petersburg,
dated April 8, in which these state
ments are made:
Il have just finished reading the edi-
torial in your issue of March "a, en-
titled Revolutionary Signs in Russia.
I am convinced that the American pa
pers print greater amount Of nlisin-
formation about Russia than all the
other countries of the world put to-
ed the American papers concerning the
alleged riots in St. Petersburg are
largely fakes, and while they are pub
lished under st. Petersburg date lines,
were not sent by the press agent at
this place, but were made up of Sensa-
tional reports that reached Berlin, vi
emma and London. No intelligent per-
son here believes that the students are
largely nihilists' or in sympathy with
that movement. Like most large bodies
of students all over the world, they
think that they have grievances, and
they probably have, but they want to
do as Sherman did when he marched
to the sea, especially on their ami
versaries, but the authorities do not
agree with them.
fThe statement that the CosSack
cavalry charged on the masses of men
and women and cut and slashed them
right and left was manufactured out
of the whole CLOTH Nothing like it
occurred. My Office is on the Nevsky
near the center of the largest part OF
the crowd, and / was standing on the
front steps of the Kasan cathedral
when the alleged charge was reported
to have occurred. The sidewalks on
both sides of the street were, for four
squares, crowded with people attracted
by curiosity, and all the Cossacks, who
did not even have their swords, as
they usually do, did was to keep the
people moving to prevent their block
ing the same. I never saw better
natured crowd, and while there were d
number of students moving about
did not see or hear of one creating the
slightest disturbance.
"I stood on the cathedral steps for a
few moments watching the crowd,
when about 20 Cossacks came trottins
from the street, some 200 feet distant
toward the central door, where they
halted l suppose they were signaled
for, but did not know why they came,
until afterward l learned that some
students went into the cathedral smok-
ing cigarettes, looking for row, and
were ordered to desist, but refused,
and in the efforts of the attendants to
eject them one of the students threw a
stone at an icon and broke the glass
front, and two or three chairs were
broken. While /, with others, stood
within 80 or 40 feet of where the dis
turbance occurred, / did not hear of it
until late in the afternoon
"The stories to the effect that the
emperors 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 single guard
or footman, as is their habit
"St. Petersburg is as quiet and or
derly city as either Washington or
Indianapolis, and while I have no
means of knowing how many nihilists
there are in this city / do not believe
they are as numerous as they are in
Chicago. There is nothing like as
much lawlessness here as there is in
that city, nor as many murders as
there are in Indianapolis.