The Oskaloosa herald., 1905-01-26
Soldiers Charge Upon and Fire
Volleys Into the Mob with
Terrible Results.
The Slaughter Is Appalling---Esti.
mates of Dead Range from
500 to 5000.
Populace Frenzied with Indignation
and Threats of Awful Ven
geance Made.

st. Petersburg. Jan. 23.-Sunday W;
a day of unspeakable horror in S
Petersburg. The strikers of Saturda
goaded to desperation by a day Of vi,
lence, fury and bloodshed, are in
state of open Instruction against tt
government. "A condition almost boz
dertng on civil war exists in the tel
ror-stricken Russian capital. The cit
is under martial law, with Prince Va!
ilchikof as commander OF over 5000
OF the emperor's crack guards. Troop
are ~bivouacking in the streets and a
various places on the Nevsky Prospect
the main th~oroughfare Of the city. o.
the island of Vassilin Ostroy and in tn,
industrial sections infuriated men hav,
thrown up barricades, which they ar,
holding. The empress dowager ha!
hastily sought safety at Tsarskoe Selo
where Emperor Nicholas II. is living.
4 Men Met with Troops.
Minister Of the Interior Sviatopolk-
Mirsky presented to his majesty Sat
uTday night the Invitation OF the work
men to appear at the winter palace
Sunday afternoon and receive their Pc
tition; but the emperor's advisors al
ready had taken a decision to show a
firm and resolute front, and the en-
peror's answer to 100000 workmen try
ing to make their way to the palace
square on Sunday was a solid array OF
troops, who met them with rifle, bayo-
net and saber.
Hundreds Killed.
The priest Gopon, the leader and idol
OF the men, in his golden vestments,
holdiBT aloft the cross and marching
oaESnnt the poi cass,saRds WfTkTRsn
through the Narva gate, mfaculously
escaped a yolley which laid low half
a hundred persons. The figures of the
total number killed or wounded here,
at the Moscow gate, at various bridges
and islands and at the winter palace
vary. The best estimate is 500, al
though there are exaggerated figures
placing the number as high as 5000.
Many men were accompanied by their
wives and children and in the confu-
sion which left no time for discrimina-
ton, the latter shared the fate OF the
men The troops, with the exception
OF a single regiment, which is reported
to have thrown down it's arms, re-
NAMED loyal and obeyed orders.
Populace Infatuated.
The blood which crimsoned the snow
has fired the brains and passions of the
strikers and turned women as well as
men into VIVID beasts and the cry of
the Infatuated populace is for ven
geance. The sympathy of the middle
classes is with the workmen. II
Father Gopon, the master mind of the
movement, aimed at open revolution,
he managed the affair like a genius to
break the faith of the people in "the
little father" who they were convinced
and whom Father Gopon had taught
them to believe would right their
wrongs and redress their grievances.
Gorky, the Russian novelist, expresses
the opinion that Sundays work will
break this faith of the people In the
emperor.
The military authorities had a firm
grip on every artery in the city. At
daybreak guards, regiments, cavalry
and infantry, held every bridge across
the frozen Neva. the network of canals.
which interlaces the city, and the gates
leading from the industrial section.
while In the palace square, at the
storm center, were massed Dragon
regiments, infantry and Cossacks of
the guards. Barred from the bridges
and gates, men, women and children
crossed the frozen river and canals ON
the ice by twos and threes, hurrying
TO the palace square, where they were
sure the emperor would be present to
hear them.
Streets Cleared by volleys.
But the street approaches to the
square were cleared by yoileys and
Cossack charges. Men and women. in
furiated to frenzy by the loss of loved
ones, cursed the soldiers while they re-
treated. Men harangued the crowds,
telling them that the emperor had
foiled them and that the time had come
to act. Men began to build barbados
in the Nevsky Prospect and at other
points, using any material that came
to hand, and wen ~chopping down tele-
graph poles.
City in State Of Panic.
Fighting meantime continued at vari-
GUS places. soldiers yolIeying and charg-
ing the mob. The whole city was in a
state OF panic. Women were running
through the streets seeking lost mem
beers OF their families. Several barrI-
cades we're carried by the troops. To-
wards eight O'Clock in the evening tho