Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930, 1905-09-14
KILL AND EURN AT BAKU.
Rioters in Caucasia Beyond Control of
Troops.

Anarchy reigns without Il rival in
the Caucasus. The troops are power
less to protect the people, who in Il
mad panic have been fleeing from
Baku. Martial law has been proclaim
ed III outlying towns, but it has 10
effect in curbing the rioters in their
mad lust for blood Fire and massa-
ere have nullified every semblance of
law.
The principal fighting is not in Baku
itself, but at Balakhan, where hun
dreds have been shot by the infantry
and artillery and where 1000 were
killed or wounded during desperate
attack on the military camp and pro-
vision depot The troops sustained few
casualties.
y large number of wOrkmen BARR
cdded themselves in the Balakhan hos
pital. The soldiers began the attack
with rife fire and then stOrmed the
hospital and completed their work with
the bayOnet The entire oil and com
merciai quarters of Balakhan, Sabunto
and NOmani have been wiped out by
fire and the inhabitants remaining be-
hind were massacred and thrown on to
the flames.
The consuates, banks and admins
tratiOn buildings in Baku are guarded
by troops. All of the English residents
and almost all other inhabitants OF the
better class have boarded ships and
gone to sea to escape from danger. All
available steamers have been employ
ed for this purpose. Nobody IS allow
ed on the streets of Baku after
o'clock at night and inhabitants of
houses are held strictly responsible
for shots fired from them. Artillery
was employed against one house from
which shots We're fired. The walls
were preached. the house was StOrmeu
and the people inside were killed.
Following is a brief review, in Sc
quence, of the events of the last few
days as witnessed at Baku:
On the afternoon OF Saturday reports
began running from mouth to mouth
that the Tartars and Armenians We're
massacring each other. Immediately
there was great alarm and a panic pre-
vailed. Stores were closed and windows
and doors were barrcaded. Twenty min
utes later sounds of rifle firing were
heard from the various quarters of the
city and everybody wished to flee. but
no one could tell whether safety lay
within or without the city.
Two hours later patrols of Cossacks
and other soldiers armed with rifles be-
gan to arrive from the barracks and
! these troops Immediately engaged the
! rioters The firing between the warning
! factions continued all of Saturday night.
Sunday the situation showed no improve
ment and firing was in progress all dur
ing the day. the streets being deserted
except for the combatants.
At 5 o'clock Sunday evening the first
reflection on the sky of fire in the back
{ town" quarter was noticed. and 1t was
; learned that the Nobel oil reservoirs
| were burning.
Sunday night was more fearful than
the preceding ones Fires broke out i'll
several quarters and the firing of the
| troops was uninterrupted.
Fires also were started in the suburbs
II
communication between Baku and these
points was destroyed and it was impOssi-
bic to ascertain what was burning Mon
| day morning.
Many of the inhabitants decided to
| brave the dangers in an effort to leave
| the city. They went in cabs surrounded
| by Cossacks to the railroad station, and
| the flight from the city soon became gen
| eral.
Monday night the burning. shooting,
killing and pillaging continued, and a
| refinery which was in flames beyond
| Bibiebat lit up the sky in that direc-
| ton. A big woodward in Baku also
| caught fire and strong wind famed
| the flames. which soon spread TO Nlkltln
| circus and adjacent houses.
The fire continued all of Tuesday.
breaking out in several new places, en-
| hracing the railroad station and Il NUM-
| her of Armenian houses in different quar-
| tiers of the city.
During Wednesday, fugitives from
! Balakhan began to arrive here and told
! of the indescrihable horrors they had
| Witnessed All the oil works there, they
| said. were in the hands of TartarS, who
were pllagng the houses of Russian and
| Armenian workmen, carrying away cv-
! erything Of value and then burning the
| buildings. Ten thousand workmen. they
! said. would be left in poverty.
| At ) o'clock Wednesday afternoon the
| situation was somewhat quieter. Tar
tars and Armenians sere running
through the streets crying "Peace. and
q little later procession made up of
! both races. with clergymen at its head.
went through the town. But these eft
forts toward a cessation of the fighting
were not effective. for the firing went
on all Wednesday night. The soldiers,
| however. continued their efforts to re-
press the disorders.