The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-06-16
DAvlTT'S STORY OF
NSHINEFF MASSACRE
Inside Facts About the Anti
Sefhite Outrage In Russia.
FEARFUL ATROCITIES COMMITTED

W
FEARFUL ATROCITIES COMMITTED
Young Girl Torn In Two by Mol
.davian Fiends Who Fought For
Her Body-The Writer says Pro-
gramme Of Outrage Was Carefully
Laid BY A~nti-semfte Leaders and
Editor Kroush wan-Davitt's Solu-
tlon Of Jewish Problem.
Michael Davitt, who was sent to Rus
STA to ascertain the facts about the
massacre Of the Jews in kishinef, has
t~raversed almost the whole territory
within the Jewish pale of settlement
from Odessa to Warsaw. The following
extracts from his account Of the afro
cities are taken from the New York
American:
found that the origin Of the riots
at Kishineff was not as was reported
by the Russian accounts, which alleg-
ed that a Christian woman was struck
by the Jew proprietor Of a merry-go-
round, which provoked the crowds
OF peasants to the ensuing riots. There
is no truth in this story. l found the
owner Of the merry-go-round. He is
a German named Reinhold Mergert
and is a Christian. He assured me
that no woman was insulted or hurt
on that occasion. The real cause Of
the disturbance Is this:
The only daily paper in Kishinef is
the Bessarabyetz. 1t is violently anti
Semitic. and the chief editor, Krousll-
van by name. Is OF Moldavian origin.
and he has Systematically inflamed the
popular feeling against the Jews. as
the foes Of Russia. as the propagan-
dists Of socialism and as the enemies
OF the Christian religion. Kroushvan's
attacks have, been continuous for the
last six years Merchants and en-
ployers giving work to Jews were held
up to public odium. and the expulsion
or determination Of the race was open
" urged.
Two events occurring shortly before
Easter were seized upon by Kroush-
van to incite the mob to murderous
violence. One was the murder Of a boy
by his relatives for gain. The other
was the suicide Of Il girl at the Jewish
hospital Of Kishineff. The Bessara-
'byetz declared them to be both ritual
murders by the Jews and summoned
the Russian Christians to punish the
authors of the alleged crimes.
The chief rabbi of Kishineff. fearing
the results of these appeals. FASTENED
to the Greek bishop and implored him
to calm the popular mind by giving al
episcopal assurance that nc such ritua.
was practiced. The bishops reply was
that he feared there vas some Semitic
sect which really did indulge in the
use of Christian blood in the Pascha
ceremonies. and he refused to inter
vene About the same time a body OF
representative Jews visited the gov,
~ernor and warned him that Kroush'
vans incitations would lead to murder
unless restrained. General Won Raaber
assured the d%eputation that precau
lions would be taken, but no attempt
was made to. stop the appeals of the
B~essalabyetz to the popular anti-Se
mitic hatred.
Chief of Police lchanzko was also re
-quested to act in the interest of peace
and curb the diatribes Of the Bessara
byetz. He replied that it would 'servt
the Jews right if they were driver
from the city for encouraging the
epropaganda'of socialism" :
The superstitious populace, seein:
the Jewish warnings unheeded. plan
ned an attack for the Easter holidays
Kishineff Jews declare that Edito
Kroushvan received a message from
st. Petersburg on the v Of the out
break to plan the riots. A meetin;
was held and a plan of attack decided
ON. A. few days previously Il band 0
strangers arrived at Kishineff. com
sprising thirty Albanians and SOM
Ma%cedonians. They are believed to b.
'brigands brought especially for an at
tack OF the Jews.
The chief i%nstigators of the riot
were Kroushvan and his deputy editor
Thee Scherbani; DIR. ,Sinadino. who /
of Greek origin; DIR. Gozylo. the Mo
davian Engineer Balinski. who is sec
rotary of the sanitary bureau; Notion
Pisarzevsky. Adam Boinsky, two son
of a prominent merchant named Sve
row. two students. Malae and Oubrar
.ovitz; two Odessa students name
Kroupansky and Captains Neclevit
and Birman. The actual leaders of til
riots were students and seminarist
from the Royal school and the city re
-ligious colleges.
All the statements made to me agre
that the seminarists directed the move
ments Of the mob on both days, dis
,guised as laborers and strangers. TIL
rioters comprised thirty bands. aver
aging fifty each. with a seminarist on
Alz..1. 5S.on&s-~ tho attach Same n