Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1905-01-25


to try to gain their demands by other
means.
Father Gopon in the Lead.
The procession was formed at 10 o'clock
in the morning. Father Gopon led it, ac-
companied by volunteer guard Of 500
men. About 10000 strikers followed.
Many Of Father Gopon's guard had re-
volvers.
The general crowd carried ice picks
and other rude weapons, but the ma
jority was unarmed.
The march began quietly, the first 500
men keeping in military formation. the
masses following without an attempt at
order.
Troops were drawn up to receive them
in plain sight as they moved slowly for
ward over the intervening mile. AS the
head Of the procession approached they
faced a thousand leveled rifles, sergeants
standing at intervals 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 the other the petition.
the priest said in loud voice:
We are going to present petition to
the Emperor"
The colonel replied
'The road is barred"
March On" Says Brave Priest.
Unheeding the almost certain death in
the leveled rifles before him the brave
priest gave the order 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 II 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 Their Leaders
was among the first to fall with a bullet
in his chest. With a shout of rage the
| insurrectionlsts rusned 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 down a majority of
| Father Gopon's guard. Even then the
| attack.
Dead Lie in Heaps.
More yolleys were mercilessly poured
| into them and the road became a sham
bles. The dead lay in heaps. The ranks
| following the crowd began to break, but
| many women from the rear rushed for
ward with heartbreaking cries, seeking
| their own among the dead.
The fighting here came to an end, and
Lew ulIuuleS ldleE the regiment WHICH
| did the execution was withdrawn and
another was substituted
The police collected the dead, and the
wounded were taken to an improvised
| hospital at the Putiloff iron works. This
| was soon surrounded by men and wOm-
en-. who acted like children in the misery.
| They were forbidden to make INQUIRIES
| concerning the victims.
Only to Ask the Gar
| The people stood in crowds, wringing
their hands and crying:
we were only going to the Gar with
tather Gopon to ask for happiness. Why
| VIII the government not let us? They
| shoot and kill us for nothing"
| rather GOpOn. in the eantime. was
taken to the Alaffsky hospital with bull
! let IN his lungs. At the time of sending
this dispatch his condition was unknown.
Where Thousand Died
Another massacre under similar cir
cumstances, with a still greater list of
Victims, took place a little later at the
| AlOscOVsK level crossing. where the road
from KolpinoW leads to st. Petersburg.
| Here there was a sort of pitched bat
| tie between the vast crowd and tho
! troops, The desperate rey0lters, even
with their rude weapons, succeeded in
coming II close quarters and inflicted
some damage upon the troops. It was at
4
| 1000 We're killed and 1900 wounded
| There were serious conflicts at three OF
! tour more points before 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 wlnn a crowd
Of many thousands advanced upon the
Nicholas bridge they were stopped by two
| regiments OF cavalry and infantry.
200 Soldiers Throw Down Guns.
Don't fire; don't fire on workngmen
Throw down your arms cried the
| crowd. About 200 of the soldiers threw
their guns to the ground. Their officers
beat the mutineers numerically, with
| the result that the regiment made a
bayonet charge, killing and wounding
many.
Wherever the Cossacks were engaged
the work was of the bloodiest description
They fired a volley into the general crowd
| at the Admiralty park, 800 yards from
| the Winter palace, killing many. Tween
ty-siX children were among the dead at
| this point
| Growing Horror Comes Last
! SO the work of terror went on until 4
o'clock, when came the browning horror
| All attempts to resist or defy authority
had failed. st. Petersburg was counting
| its dead and summing up the events Of
| the bloodiest day in it's history The
streets in the center of the town were
filed with ordinary citizens, women and
| children. drawn solely by curiosity.
Most Of the slaughter mad taken place
at points a considerable distance from
| the palace and the main avenue of the
| city. The crowd was naturally greatest
at the palace end Of this great thorough
fare, which is one of the widest avenues
of Europe.
Charge in Dense Crowd.
Suddenly, without warning, another or
der was given to the troops surrounding
the palace. They were directed to charge
upon the dense crowds at the ends of all
the avenues opening Oh the great semi
circle in front Of the palace. The Cos
| sacks and the dowager empress's cavalry
guards sprang upon the people with
drawn swords. 1t was like the spreading
out Of a great fan Of steel
The populace was SO closely packed
that they could not flee with any speed,
and quickly the murderous horsemen
were among them, slashing right and left,
cutting, stabbing, and treading down all
alike-men. women and children.