Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1905-01-27
Workmen, Led by Priest, Prepare to
Fight for Constitutional
Government.
First Move in Instruction Is
Met with Bullets Of
Oppressors.
Not Since Massacre of ST. Bar
thOlOmeW Has World Seen
Like Slaughter.

N~N,SO~>~
/ 80 O'Clock Sunday, when Emperor
Nicholas loyal troops began firing on
an unarmed host of common people
that sought to march into the square
of the winter palace in st. Petersburg,
and present to him a petition for con-
stitutional government
Not since the massacre of st. Bar
tholomew's day has q civilized com
munity witnessed such a slaughter as
stains the latest page OF Russian his
tory. Its victims cannot yet be num-
bered The official estimate puts the
numbered dead at 1000 and the
wounded at 5000.
The crisis which the Emperor faces
is no longer strike movement. 1t is
no longer a movement by petition. 1t
is a movement of armed common peo-
pie, with here and there a dislOyal reg
iment, against the government of the
autocracy.
Infantry Refuses to Fire.
That fact was demonstrated when q
crowd of Father Gopon's followers at
tempted to cross the Nicholas bridge
on the way to the palace square. This
crowd was met on the bridge by solid
lines of soldiers.
"Disperse! Dispenser shouted the
commander Of the troops. The crowd
refused to halt.
'Firer' commanded the military
leader, addressing his soldiers.
The infantrymen under him imme-
diately laid down their rifles and re-
fused to shoot the people. The Uhlans
and Cossack regiments of cavalry,
however, obeyed orders, fired on the
crowd and then charged it with sa-
bers, inf1icting death and injury.
People Prepare to Fight.
Time and again the soldiers charg-
ed other crowds attempting to gain the
palace square. When night fell the
snow in all the streets leading toward
the proposed rendezvous of the people
was red with blood. MObs were arm
ing in all sections of the outlying part
of the capital. On Nassili, or Basil,
island, the industrial quarter, the
workmen We're erecting barricades and
preparing to resist attacks by troops.
Meantime news of the bloody days
work had spread far beyond st. Pc
tersburgr In Kolpino sixteen miles
from the city, it fired the Russian
workmen as they had never been
aroused before They found Il leader,
formed 10000 to 10000 strong and be.
gan a march to st. Petersburg, 1000
or more of them to death.
News of the uprising in Kolpino was
telegraphed to the government and
when the Holpino host reached the
Moscow gate of st. Petersburg it was
met by a tremendous force of troops.
1t refused to disband and the com
mand was given the soldiers to fire.
At the first vollcy 1000 of the work
men fell dead. Fifteen hundred or
more were wounded by the soldiers
bullets. Then the workers halted and
the. military went into camp on the
scene of its triumph Martial law has
been proclaimed and Prince Vasilchi-
koff is in command.
Bloody Times Are Anticipated.
The bloody days of the Paris com
mune are predicted for st. Petersburg.
Car Nicholas is yet safe. He refrain
ed from visiting the winter palace, re-
naming at Tsarskoe Selo But the
people have lost faith in the Little
Father and it is openly predicted that
his life will be taken that the aI-
tocracy will be oyerhthrown and that
a republic will be set up on the ruins
of the despotism.
Father Gopon, holding aloft a cross
and wearing the full vestnents of the
church, attempted to lead the people
into the palace square. The soldiers
moved down his followers by hun
dreds but it is said they deliberately
turned their rifles away from the
priest. Father Gopon fell. but not
from bullet wound, and was ena-
bled to escape to safety.
Although in the fighting of Sunday
the people suffered heavily. they were
not the only victims. FrenZied at the
sight of comrades falling, women and
men attacked the military with bare
fists. with table knives and sabers
without handles. They killed one gen
eral, stripped dozens of other officers
of their swords and beat them unmer-
oifYIIIv