The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-05-16
oRpERs no sHooT
Issued in the Case of An Looters at
st. Pierre.

Fort de France. May 16-In the heart
of St. Pierre it is impossible to describe
the ruins or picture the horrors of the
streets, with their hundreds of burned
skeletons at every step The scenes are
the same everywhere The same aSheS
are everywhere, heap upon heap, and over
all lies the gray dust Appalling silence
prevails, the silence of the dead, broken
only by the menaclng roar OF the vol
A British officer named Du Barry, at
tached to the st. Lucia government was
arrested here today. accused with steal
ing golden altar vessels from one OF the
churches He left later for st, Lucia on
the Cincinnati It is probable that many
more arrests will be made The troops are
under orders to shoot every person found
Forty three men and sixteen women
found loOtng We're brought down TO-DAY
from St. Pierre They were Immediately
surrounded by a bowling mob They were
all put in chains. Knowing that there
are few troops to guard the ruins, the ma
tives are stealing everything on which
they can lay their hands
Looters from the island of Dominica
managed to steal large quantity OF
coin from the houses in st. Pierre. They
We're fully equipped for safe-breaking-
BODIES OF PRENTIS FAMILY
The American consulate has been en-
tered and the bodies Of the Prentis fam
lily discovered, along with the documents
belonging TO the consulate
The Ketch Scott today rescued three
men who had been in an open boat since
Thursday Their sufferings had driven
In the hospital here there are 2e5 men.
of their experiences. Ten of the sufferers
more can not live None of them. living
or dead, can be recognized except by their
clothes, which, in most cases, remain in
pe'-ee' G 55ssYSiIS FOR BREAD.
Men and women till the streets here cry
ing. for bread None seem to realize the
awfulness of the calamity which has
overtaken the island.
Hundreds are, fleeing from Fort de
France in small boats and it is feared
that many of them viii be lost.
The United States cruiser Cincinnati at
tempted to land a body of marines but
the French authorities refused permits
The looting of houses and stores and
the rObbing of the dead by ghouls con-
tinues and the small body of French
troops is unable to cope with the ma
On the beach the French troops are on
guard dong their pest which IS not much
TO prevent lootlng- ne city presents the
aspect of a great charnel house. Thirty
thousand bodies are. fostering and rotting
where they fell The houses, as rule,
remain intact, ana many bodies have
been found sitting in chairs. one wo-
mans BODY was found lying in bed In
another house was discovered the corpse
of a man sitting at q table with a tea
/ cup in its skeleton hand
RUINS ARE STILL BURNING.
Many parts of the city are still burn
/ ing For miles upon miles in northern
Martinique there is not a single vestige
! of vegetation left. Piles of bodies mark
| out the street corners. where the unfortu-
]
another, and in the terrible darkness fell,
never to rise again
Several churches and many public build
] ings are still standing, but covered with
the terrible gray wall of death. The bay
is full of dead bodies, and the sharks are
enjoying a surfeit at their ease.
The waters of -.io Blanche which for
merly was a pleasant mountain stream.
are turned into torrent of molten lava
4 which has overlooked the streets. For
| five miles up and down the coast the
I land is covered with this terrible gray
| substance The people are starving and
terrible despair reigns. Aid may come too
late for some of these unfortunates
SIGNAL FIRES LIGHTED
In the northern end of the island above
| St. Pierre. in the districts of Macouba and
/ BaSse Pointe, cut off by the lava stream
are 1900 people. These unfortunates have
| not been heard from; but all last night
( they We're making huge signal fires call
/ ing attention to their distress. These were
! the lights seen at st. Lucia, which were
| thought to be another outbreak of Mont
/ Peiee.
The sea bottom close to the island has
undergone serious changes Where form
erly forty fathOms We're found seven faith
oms is the sounding.
Some Of the Oldest families in St Pierre
| have been entirely wiped out Many of the
! island had their residence in the lost city
| F'ive-eighths OF the white population In
I the city were descendants of the refugees
| who fled from France during the revo-
I luton The names of these refugees are
/ familiar in French history-Berry, Persin
| Groote, and many others.
DEATH OF SCIENTISTS.
a