Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-06-06
RUSSIA'S ANSWER
To An Inquiry Regarding Re-
cent Jewish Outrages
Is Avery Ingenious Evasion Of Placing
the Responsibility.
And Throws Back SIur on Negro
Lynchins in America.

New York, June 5.-The Christian
Herald in response to a cable sent to
the Car asking for an official report of
the occurrences at Kishineff has re-
ceived reply from the director of the
Russian police department. The reply
follows:
est Petersburg, June 4.
''The Christian Herald, New York:
"Russia's agricultural and laboring
population is i'll at ease, living the COM
mon life with Jewish Inhabitants of
widely developed commercial instincts,
hence there is constant antagonism,
the material differences in racial and
religious character coming to the verge
of frenzy at the least possible occasion.
1.-The strained relations existing be-
tween the Russians and Jews of Bes-
sarabia were made worse by the fact of
finding in an outlying village muir
dered Christian boy. The murder was
attributed by the population to the
Jewish ritual habits. Official denials of
the ritual murder were not given credit
by the peasants who attributed other
murders of Christians in the towns of
Kieff and Kischneff likewise to the
Jews.
"On Easter day, in the market place
of Kischineff, the workers while holi-
day making, saw the Jewish proprietor
of a carousing machine strike Chris
tian woman, who fell to the ground,
letting go her infant baby. This Incl
dent was the immediate cause of an
outburst. The workers began breaking
windows and pulling down Jewish
-, ncf
who always leave much to be desired in
provincial towns, failed to make effica-
cious Intervention and many thousands
OF the mass of onlOOkers and holiday
makers, approving the riot and hinder
ing the policemen's actions.
After demonstrators came plumber
ers, the outbreak lasting from in the
afternoon to 10 in the evening and leav-
ing nine Jewish bodies on the place.
Night brought the disturbances to an
end.
What goes far to prove the mo-
mentous character of the outbreak in
letting loose the popular passions with
the strength of natural forces, is that
on Monday morning the Jews, wishing
to intimidate and inflict punishment on
the Christian workers, began assemb-
ling on the market place in groups,
armed with sticks and other weapons.
The Jews, being the more numerous,
had the best of it in the first two ell
counters and a Christian was seen to
fall. receiving a bullet wound. This
called forth the popular passion in all
its abject force and abominatiOn, the
Russian peasants when driven to
frenzy and excited by race and re-
ligiou3 hatred and under the influence
of alcohol, being worse than the Ameri-
cans who lynch negroes.
unfortunately, the governor of Bes-
Sarahia 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 cam take towns by
assault, but cannot carry out police du-
ties without special Instructions
I'm the end, the town having been
divided into districts, with a special
military command in each, the disturb
ances, ceased, Monday evening. BY
this time the minister of the interior
had ordered by wire the proclama ton
of a martial law and Can unprecedent-
ed facD had sent the director of the
police department to investigate as to
the responsibilities of the local officials
In consequence the governor. the chief
of police and some other officials were
dismissed outright; many hundreds of
rioters are III prison and hard work in
the Siberian mines awaits them. The
minister of the interior has issued a
circular to governors all over Russia,
authorizing them to make Immediate
use of firearms in cases of anti-Jcwish
disturbances
The Russian government is the first
to diSapprOve of such hOrrid acts of
violence. but it cannot, in compliance
with the requests of a radical and revo-
lutionary press. give the Jews new
rights of citizenship, as this would be
sure to drive the Russian population to
new eXcesses against the Jews who are
hated by the peasants with such eX-
traordinary force.
(SigneD "LOPOUKHINE,
Director of Police Department"