Waterbury Democrat., 1902-04-14
BELCIUM'S TROUBLES.
Particulars of the Bic Af
 fair Tn Brussels.
RIOTERS SHOT Doo5sTgy EY GEyDaRl-----,ss
oEIy One yolley Fired at the Riot CTS. hut Several Fatalities Are Reported and Many Tn EIosisi-
 tIfs Dangerousla- Wounded.

Y W
 CTS. hut Several Fa.aIit;es Are
 Reported and Many Tn uospi-
 tals Danserousl. Wounded.
 BRUSSELS, April Hiking Leopold has returned to Brussels from Ostend. His trip was uneyentful Brussels is quiet early this morning. The civic guard was dismissed and the members went to their homes at 1.15 o'clock.
 The condition of Queen Marie Henri cite is reported to be very serious. She is suffering from heart disease, which is entering upon the dropsical stage. Three doctors have been summoned to Spa, in the province of Liege, to hold a consultation.
 The threatening aspect of mob near the Maison du Pecple at II o'clock last night caused the police and gendarmes to charge it, with the result that five of the demonstrators were wounded. One of the injured men will die. He received 9 bayonet thrust in the back. Sixteen arrests were made during the course of the evening"
 This big casualty list for compara- lively insignificant encounter is taken as evidence that the gendarmes, who inflicted the injuries, are disposed to handle the groups without mercy.
 The buig gomaster adopted most wig orous measures during the evening The whole civic guard was mobilized, and the squares and streets in the vii cinity Of the Maison du Peuple were occupied by 2,500 of the Corps Elite 1arIxy a1a ,nr1t as result of the repression of Satur- day evening, and there were only few trining demonstrations. These were immediately suppressed by charges of the gendarmes. None of the latter was injured.
 Late in the evening a group of rioters insulted and jeered cordon of the civic guard in the Rue Rollebeek, whereupon body of gendarmes was sent out and caught the disturbers in the rear and badly mauled them.
 The bloody encounter of Saturday evening has created painful impress sion among all classes here, although it is appreciated that the majority of the victims of the encounters do not belong to the better class of workmen. This was the first time the police had fired their rifles loaded with ball car tridges. Previously they had used their swords and their revolvers, and the latter usually were loaded with blank cartridges.
 The mob was mainly composed of the rough population of the quarter, who jeered and reyiled the police when they were forced along the streets by the cordons of officers. The serious trou- bles began when number of roughs from a safe distance fired revolvers in the direction of the cordons. The gen. darmes then charged with drawn swords. After firing at the crowd with revolvers loaded with blank cartridges they were greeted with hail of mis- siles, such as stones, bottles and heavy iron riyets. This happened in several streets. It was worse in the Rue Haute, where the occupants of the houses rained missiles upon the heads of the gendarmes. An officer of the gendarmes then shouted to the crowd to disperse. No notice was taken of this order. Then, for the first time ill many years, the gendarmes fired their s'AnLoCl SOl bAAACS loa0CI WILL " udL dIC called strike cartridges, which contain ball, but q minor charge of powder.
 The gendarmes fired only one volley, but when the mob scattered several bodies were lying on the ground. Two of the wounded were mortally hurt and died while being conveyed to the hospital.
 It is impossible to ascertain the exact number of the victims in the rioting. Many who were slightly injured had their wounds dressed in pharmacies or went home. The director of the Hos pital of St. Pierre, however, reports that three rioters have since died in the hospital and that another one there was believed to be mortally wounded. Thirty others who were badly hurt were received at the hospital Among the injured are many imprudent spec tators of the rioting who were caught between two fires.
 A general strike has been proclaimed, and on Wednesday a crisis will be reached by the opening in the chamber of deputies of the discussion of the question of the revision of the consti- tution, on which the Belgian people are now divided.