New-York tribune., 1902-04-14
A CONDITION, NOT A THEORY.
BLOODSHED IN BRUSSELS.
POLICE FIRED RIFLES LOADED WITH
BALL CARTRIDGES.
SEVERAL RIOTERS KILLED AND THE HOS
PITALS FILLED WITH WOUNDED-SAT-
URDAY NIGHTS RIOTS.

Brussels. April 13.-The bloody repression Of
the disorders of Yesterday evening has created
a painful impression among all classes here. al
though it is appreciated that the majority OF
the victims of the encounters do not belong to
the better class of worknen. Yesterday Tor
the first time the police really fired their rlres
loaded with ball cartridges. Previous to yes
terday they had used their swords and their re-
volvers and the latter usually were loaded with
blank cartridges Saturdays rioters were COM
posed of the dregs of the population, with a
sprinkling OF what is called the Young Socialist
Guard who are mere boys, with little regard for
the orders of NJ Van der Velde. member Of
the Chamber of Deputies and the leader of the
Socialist movement in Belgium. and the Socialist
committee
1t must be explained that the Maison du
Peuple is situated on the upper slope of hill,
that the Central Boulevard and most of the
business portion OF the city lies at the foot or
this hill while the royal palace. the Law courts.
the Chamber Of Deputies and the Ministries
stand upon the ridge Of the hill The quarter
around the Maison du Peuple is the worst IN
the whole city. It is g. perfect rookery or 10"
class dwellings intersected by steep and narrow
streets and malodorous alleys. In the vicinity
of the Maison there few small squares. IN
which the rioters gathered yesterday evening
until they were dispersed and the squares oc
cupied by detachments of the Civic Guard The
mob was mainly composed of the rough popula-
ton of the quarter who jeered and revilec the
police when they were forced along the streets
by the cordons of officers
The serious troubles began when number
of roughs from a safe distance fired reviewers
in the direction Of the cordons. The gendarmes
then charged with drawn swords. After hrinS
at rhe crowd with revolvers loaded with blank
-,-tfb hail ff
missiles. such as stones. bottles and heavy iron
rivets This happened in several streets 1t was
worse in the Rue Haute. where the occupants Of
the houses rained missiles upon the heads of
tbe pandarmes An officer OF the gendarmes
then shouted to the crowd to disperse No notice
was taken of this order. Then, for the hrst
time in many years the gendarmes hred thelF
Mauser carbnes loaded with what are callei
strike cartridges. which contain ball' peL s d
minor charge of powder. The sendarnes hrel
only one voiley, but, when the mob scattered
seyera! bodies We're lying on the ground Two
of the wounded were mortally hurt, ana dltS
while beng conveyed to the hospital over
twenty narrow streets and blind alleys lead
into the Rue Haute, and when the l gendafIlleS f.
charged after the mob other rioters issued from
these alleys and fired revovers at the nacks
of the policemen, until the latter We're opHseu
to leave three Of their number at the mouth
op aacb alley they passed. These guards stood
with their rifles pointing down the alleys reaoy
to shoot. Other gendarmes, VINO were stallohsd ne,
every few PAGES, covered the Wihuo"a III e''@
Rue Haute with their rifles.
1t is Impossible to ascertain the exact num-
ber of the victims in yesterdays rioting. Many
who were slightly injured had their WOUNDS
dressed in pharmacies or went home Ihe dl-
rector of the Hospital Of ST. Pierre, however,
said this afternoon that three rioters had dieo
in the hospital and that another one there was
believed to be mortally injured. Thirty others
who are badly hurt were received at the nos
pital last night. Among the injured are many
imprudent spectators of the rioting who were
caught between two fires, as the gendarmes IRE
quently combined their movements ana charged
the nlobs front and rear at the same time. a
doctor who was returning home after haVlrS
visited patient, caught between two bod
les of charging gendarnes and had his nose
cut of with a sword A woman was also among
the. injured One Of the men killed was the as
sistYnt secretary of the Socialist Jewellers
Union. Only or two policemen were hurt
The threatening aspect of mob near the
Naison du Peuple al II O'Clock tonight caused
the police and gendarnes to charge 1t, with the
result that five of the demonstrators were
wounded One Of the injured men Will die. He
received a bayonet thrust in the back sixteen
arrests We're made during the course of the
evening.