The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-01-24

ST. Petersburg, January 22.(Sundayt
los a. m.-Despite official assurances
at midnight that the situation was we'll
in hand and that ample steps had been
taken to protect the vast Industrial Sec
ton of ST. Petersburg and insure the
safety of the city, the greatest uneasi-
ness for today pervades the entire pop
ulation.
Picket troops are stationed at va
tiOus points in the city and each house
contains a miniature garrison with
gendarmes in the court yards and ma
chine guns ready for the first emer-
gency. The winter palace is strongly
pfcketed with Grand Duke Vladimir IN
command. Final instructions were is
sued tonight.
The plan of the government is to pre-
vent the workmen from coming to the
center of the city today by guarding
gates and bridges. A collision there
fore is believed to be more likely to
occur in the outskirts of st. Petersburg.
Meantime the strikers are carrying
out their original prograrne. The few
mills and factories remaining active
in the city were closed during the day,
one of the last of them being the gov
ernment powder mill. Strike leaders
visited every shop in the city and all
of them, even those of butchers and
bakers and laundries were closed. Traf-
fic-was stopped on the street car lines,
the men having joined the strikers.
Preparations for big demonstration
at the winter palace square at 2 o'clock
today have not been suspended although
the leaders have been warned that il
cannot take place and that the emperor
will not be there. The workmen are
all convinced that his majesty will ap
pear and listen to the grievances set
forth in the petition. The deputation
which on Friday took the invitation to
Emperor Nicholas to attend the meet
ing having failed to gain access to his
majesty, Father Gopon today sent it
by his secretary to Interior Minister
SViatOpolk-M -Mirsky.
During the day Antonius, Metropoli-
tan of SIT. Petersburg, formally excom-
municated Father Gopon On the ground
that he was causing the people to rise
against the Emperor, the head of the
church.
RumoTs that the troops nave plainly
indicated their sympathy with the
strikers and that if it comes to a col
lision they will refuse to fire upon them,
are everywhere rife and the workmen
themselves are thoroughly convinced
that such is the case, but the author
ties maintain that the loyalty of he
troops is beyond question, pointing out
that the only time that Russian regi-
ments showed treachery was in the
Decembrist revolution of 1921 when the
guard regiments participated, but they
say that the troops there were practi-
ca,lly soldiers of fortune returning to
Russia after the Napoleonic wars, I'M
bued with the revolutionary ideas of
France. 1t is fully realized however,
that IL the troops mutiny or ACTUALLY
join the worknen. that the government
viii be faced not with riot, but with
revolution.
Father Gopon, at the request of min
lister Justice IMuravief, went to the min
lister of justice today and had long
interview with NJ. Muarvief at which
the minister tried to dissuade him from
his programme for Sunday. Father
Gopon, however, could not be moved
and at the end of the interview left
saying, I'VE must each do our duty ac-
cording to the lighu given u.s.
The plan of the work1nen is to assem-
BILE at three points, the Putilof and
:, OIhoSoff works and the island CT
Z Vassili Osurov and march to the palace
square. They are fully convinced the
Q Emperor will be there to receive their
petition.
The representatives of the Associat-
ed Press went among many groups o.
the workmen, but found no one who ex-
pressed doubt as to the Emperor meet
ing them, All spoke of him most rever-
entially and they insisted that he Is
keptEn ignorance OF the truth and that