Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-29
REIGN OF TERROR AT ODESSA.
Strikers Acting With Russian Mutt.
neers Awed Troops.

AcSiS &AWCu AIOVPos
A cablegram from Odessa to a London
news agency. dated Wednesday night. says:
The whole of the quays and buildings.
around the harbor. as we'll much ship
ping. are in flames, mobs OF incendiaries
preventing the FIRE brigade working. Troops
are kept at bay and are afraid to approach
within reach OF the Kniaz Potekine's guns.
which threaten disastrous bombardment.
The city IS appaliingly illuminated by burn
ing buildings. and terror prevails every
where. Sleep Is impossible and everybody y
Is watching and waiting. The whole gar
rtson has been requisitioned for patrol duty.
IL Is Thought that II may become necessary
to summon foreign warships for the pro-
lection OF the foreign colonies. Tuesday
nights collisions between the mobs and
the police and military resulted in the loss
of seventeen lives, including three police
men"
A cablegram from Odessa last night con-
tains further particulars OF the mutiuy on
the Russian ship. report of which was
printed in The Star yesterday. 1t says that
the red flag of revolution is hoisted at the
masthead OF the Kniaz Potemkine. Rus
sia's most powerful battle ship In the
Black sea. which now hes In the harbor In
the hands of mutineers.
The ship is completely In the possession
OF the crew and few officers who have
thrown in their lot with the mutineers.
The guns OF the Kniaz Potemkine COM
mands the city. and in the streets masses
OF striking workmen who yesterday fed be-
fore the volleys OF tire troops are now in
famed by the spectacle of open revolt on
board an imperial warsslip, and are making
a bold frort against the military.
All day ionfg firing has been heard In
many quarters OF the city. number OF
barbados have been erected and tumuit
and disorder reign.
The main squadrcl: of the Black sea fleet
consisting of the battle ships Georgei Pobie-
donosetz George the Fictorious). Tri Svia-
dtelia. Rostislav and Ekaterina IL. with
two cruisers, are expected to arrive here
tonight and a regular naval battle Is in
prospect.
The rioters are, in a most defiant mood.
and are not inclined to surrender without
fighting.
Reports OF the mutiny which occurred
while the battle ship was at sea- are niff-
cult to obtain, as the mutineers refuse to
allow communication with the shore: but
1t Is ascertained that 1t arose from the
shooting of sailor who was presenting on
behalf of the crew a complaint against bad
food According to one version. this sailor.
whose name was Omiltchuk. objected to
the quality of the ''borchtch," or soup. and
was Immediately shot down by a mess Off
GER The crew then rose aud seized the
ship and the officers, eight of whom were
spared on condition that they would join
the mutineers. The Others were killed and
their bodies thrown overheard.
After a period of vacillation the Kniaz
Potemkine headed for Odessa and arrived
thtIt wednesday, UlSHl, accompanied ny
two torpedo boats. Early today the body
of Omiltchuk was brought ashore In one or
the battle ships boats and was landed on
the new mole. where 1t has been exposed In
semi-state all day. 1t W S visited by thou
sands of persons. many of whom placed
coins in a basket at the head of the body
toward a fund to defray the cost of the
funeral, which the sailors propose to hold
tmorrow and which the strikers wiM make
the occasion of great demonstration.
An inscription on the breast of the dead
sailor states on behalf of the crew that
Omiltchuk died for the truth because he
presented just complaint of the crew.
The strike Is now general in the city and
the rioters are growing in numbers and
holiness. There were exchanges of shots
all day, but the number of victims cannot
be stated This evening a bomb was
thrown in Cathedral Palace, killing its
thrower and a policeman.
A telegram from the mayor of Odessa,
who is at Moscow. imploring the citizens to
restore order. has been posted throughout
the city.
During the day one OF the torpedo boats
which accompanied the kniaz Potemkine
came into the harbor and seized the Rus
laden with 2.0GO tons of coal, which the bat
tie ship Is taking on board.
The governor has telegraphed for a squad
ron to be sent from Sabastopol.
A cabegram from ST. Petersburg last
night says: More serious In it's possible eff
fects than all the defeats in Manchuria or
the destruction OF RoJeStvenSky s fleet was
the news which reached ST. Petersburg last
evening that the standard OF open rebellion
was floating board one of the emperor's
battle ships in the harbors of Odessa. and
that with shotted guns the mutinous crew
headed by eight officers was holding the
ship against all corners.
The authorities are almost in a state OF
panic and at the admiralty CONSERVATION
reigns.
The Kniaz Potemklne is a more powerful
ship than any in Kruger's squadron. and
the gravity of the situation is increased by
the fact that the city is practically in pos
session of the strikers, who. according to
the dispatches, had already been encour-
aged to open resistance by the mutiny CT
the sailors. and were erecting barricades
and fighting the police and the troops in
the streets.
Should sailors of Kruger's ships join the
mutineers, the government would have to
face open revolution, which would spread
like wildhre to other towns in the Black sea
littoral The workmen of all these towns,
from which sailors largely recruited,
are imbued with the socialistic and revolu-
tionary propaganda. At Sebastopol less
than a month ago disorders Were sup
pressed with difficulty.