The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-06-06
Director Of Police Writes Long
Letter to Christian Herald
JEWS PARTLY TO BLAME.
Assembled In Public Place Armed
With Sticks and other Weapons
and Got the Best of First At
tack-Massaere Followed.

New York, June 5.-The Christian Her.
aid, in response to cable dis tch sent
to the czar asking for official report of
the occurrences at Kishineff has received
a reply from the director of the Russian
police department. The reply follows:
st Petersburg. June 4.
The Christian Herald, New York:
"Russias agricultural and laboring pop
ulation is i'll at ease, living the common
life with Jewish inhabitants of widely de-
veloped commercial instinct; hence, there
is constant antagonism, the material diff
ference in racial and religious character
coming to the verge of frenzy at the least
occasion.
THE strained relations existing between
the Russians and the Jews of Bessaraba-
ria were made worse by the finding in an
outlying village of a murdered Christian
boy. His murder was attributed by the
Official denials of the ritual murder were
not given credit by the peasants, who at
tributed other murders of Christians in
the towns of Kieff and Kishineff, III ewise
to the Jews.
Jew Struck Woman.
ION Easter day In the market place of
Kishineff the workers, while holiday
making, saw the Jewish proprietor OF
carousing machine strike Christian
woman who fell to the ground, letting go
her infant baby. This incident was the
immediate cause of an outburst The
workers began to break windows and pull
down Jewish stores as a sign of protest
The police who always leave much to be
desired in provincial towns, failed to
make efficacious Intervention, many
thousands of the mass of on-lookers and
holiday makers approving the riot and
hindering the policemen.
After the demonstration, came puln-
derers, the outbreak lasting from o'clock
in the afternoon until 10 ocloc In the
evening and leaving Jewish bodies on
the place. Night brought the disturbance
to an end.
What goes far to prove the moment
Gus character OF the outbreak in letting
loose the populations passions with the
strength of natural forces is that on Mon
day morning the Jews, wishing to intim-
idate and intiict punishment on the Christ
ian workers, began assembling on the
market place in groups, armed with
sticks and other weapons. The Jews,
of 1t in the first encounter, and a Christ
ian was seen to fall with a bullet wound.
This called forth the popular passion In
all Its object form and abomnation, the
Russian peasants when driven to frenzy
and excited by race and religious hatred,
and under the influence of alcohol. being
worse than the Americans who lynched
negroes.
Governor Did Not Appear.
Unfortunately the governor of Bessa-
rabaria did not make his appearance In
person on Easter Sunday, and on Monday
he gave over the command to military
men, which he had no right to do as he,
in consequence, laid the police aside, and,
on the other hand, left the military forces
without actual guidance. Troops can
take towns by assault but cannot carry
out police duties without special instruc-
tions.
I'm the end, the town having been di-
vided into districts with special mill
tary command In each, the disturbances
ceased on Monday evening. By this time
the minister of the interior had ordered
by wire the proclamation of martial law,
an Unprecedented act, and sent the direc-
tor of the police department to investi-
gate as TO responsibilities of the local
officers and other duties. In consequence
the governor, the chief of police and
other officers were dismissed. Many hun
dreds of rioters were placed in prison
and hard work in the Siberian mines was
awarded to them. The minister of the In
terror had issued a circular to governors
all over Russia authorizing them to make
immediate use of firearms in cases Of
anti-Jewish disturbances. The Russian
government is the first to disapprove of
such horrible acts Of violence, but 1t cam
radical and revolutionary press. give the
Jews rights of citizenship, as this would
be sure to drive the Russian population
to new excesses against the Jews, VINO
are hated by peasants with such extraor-
binary force.
(Signed) wv. w. LEOPOUKHINE,
Director of Police Department"