Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-01-24
sfRlkERs MAY BURN CITY.
CONTINUED from page ~

pom led it, accompanied by q volunteer
guarG of 500 men. About 10000 strik-
ers fHllowed. Many of Father Gopon's
guar had revolvers.
I'm general crowd carried ice picks
and kther rude weapons, but the ma
]orltE was unarmed.
Tfys march began quietly, the first
BOO Ihen keeping in military formation,
the masses following without an at.
tempt at order.
Trpops were drawn VI to receive
therr In plain sight as they moved
slowly forward over the intervening
mile. AS the head of the procession
approached they faced a thousand lev
eled rifles, sergeants standing at inter.
vals along the broad line directing the
aim of the soldiers.
Gopon Is Undismayed.
When within easy speaking distance
Father Gopon stopped the procession
by order of the colonel. Holding in
one hand an icon and in theo other the
petition the priest said in a loud
voice:
I'VE are going to present a petition
TIC the emperor"
The colonel replied:
Inc road is barred.
march On" Says Brave Priest.
U%nheeding the almost certain death
in the leveled rifles before him the
brave priest gave the orders to march
on.
Instantly there was an order to fire.
but it was a blank volley and the
whole column pressed on as though
there was no obstacle in their path.
Quickly came the second order to
fire, and this time a hail of lead
poured into the peoples ranks. In
that instant they changed from petit
TONERS to insurrectionists.
With a shout Of rage they rushed
forward to almost certain death. They
tried to use their feeble weapons.
Many revolver shots fell among the
troops. The reply came in a volley
which swept downs majority OF Father
Gopon's guard. Even then the crowd
would not abandon their hopeless at
tack.
Dead Lie In Heaps.
More volleys We. arcilessly
poured into them and the road became
q shambles. The dead lay in heaps.
The ranks following the crowd began
to break, but many women from the
rear rushed forward with heartbreak.
ing cries, seeking their own among
the dead.
The fighting here came to IN end,
and a few minutes later the regiment
which did the execution was with.
drawn and another was substituted.
The police collected the dead, and
the wounded were taken to an i'm.
provised hospital at the Putiloff iron
works. This was soon surrounded by
men and women, who acted like chill.
dren in the misery. They were for
| hidden to make inquiries concerning
the victims.
Only to Ask the Gar.
The people stood in crowds wiring
ing their hands and crying:
I'VE were only going to the car
with Father Gopon to ask for happi-
ness. Why will the government not
let us? They shoot and kill US for
nothing"
Where a Thousand Died.
Another massacre under similar cir.
cumstances, with a still greater list
of victims, took place a little later at
the Moscovski level crossing, n
the road from Kolpinow leads to st.
Petersburg.
Here there was a sort of pitched bat
! tie between the vast crowd and the
troops. The desperate ~revolters, even
with their rude weapons, succeeded IN
coming to close quarters and inflicted
some damage upon the troops. 1t was
at a terrible cost, however, for no less
than a thousand Were killed and l,6OO
wounded.
There were serious conflicts at three
or four more points before 2 O'CLOCK
In one case only. SO far as known, did
the hopes of the revolutionists that the
troops would refuse to fire upon them
prove we'll founded. This was when
a crowd of many thousands advanced
to the Nicholas bridge they were stop
ped by two regiments of cavalry and
infantry.
200 Soldiers Throw Down Guns.
Don't fire; don't, fire on working
men. Throw down your arms" cried
the crowd. About 200 of the soldiers
threw their guns to the ground. Theil
officers beat the m%utineers unmerci
fully. with the result that the regi
ment made a bayonet charge, killing
, and %wounding many.
cossacks Stay Without Mercy.
Wherever the Cossacks were en-
gagged the work was of the bloodiesi
description. They fired a volley into
the general crowd at the Admiralty
park, 300 yards from the Winter pal
nee, killing many. Twenty-six chill
dren were among the dead at this
point.
Growing Horror Comes At Last.
So the work of terror went on unit
4 O'Clock. when came the browning hor
ror. All attempts to resist or defy thu
;, authorities had failed. st. Petersburg
was counting it's dead and summing III
>. the events of the bloodiest day in it
:. history. The streets in the center o
the town were filled with ordinary cit
liens, women and children, draw
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