The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1905-07-07
Subsection RUMOR
MUTlNEERS said To SHOWN The
White FEATHER.
It 10 Reported That 3oU Men Deserted
From the BattIeship kniaz Potem-
kline During Saturday and Asked
Mercy From Authorities, Leaving
Mutineers Short Handed to Fight.

st. Petersburg, July 3.-"The st.
Andrews flag is now flying from the
masthead of the Kniaz Potemkine."
An Odessa dispatch reports in these
words the surrender of the battleship
by her mutinOuS crew. and adds that
Potemkine with supply of provisions.
This was the first definite statement
received in st. Petersburg regarding
the surrender of the battleship, and
the dispatch, which leaves so many
details yet to be cleared up, is accept
ed here with caution, ard until it is
fully established that an adequate
guard has been placed aboard the bat
tleship and command restored to her
commissioned officers, apprehension
that the revolt will break out again
will not be ended.
During Saturday St. Petersburg was
without definite knowledge as to
whether the crew of the Kniaz Potem-
kline had returned to it's allegiance or
and perhaps mad spread to other ships,
and the inabnlIy of the government to
announce an end Of the uprising gave
rise to the darkest reports. The few
dispatches which arrived yesterday
through the official agency were evil
IDENTIFY carefully censored and lacked
reference to the mutiny, but the de-
tails they have about the hurried en-
placement of coast artillery in posi-
lions commanding the harbor and of
the revolt continued.
Altogether, it seems apparent that
the submission of the sailors of the
Kniaz Potemkine to Vice Admiral Krus
gers squadron on Friday was only
temporary and that the mutineers had
changed their minds after their re-
turn to the harbor and the departure
of the squadron.
Whether the crew of the Georgi
PobiedonOsetZ shared the disaffection
is not definitely known, but the Kniaz
Potemkine crew evidently vacillated
for long time as to whether they
would continue the long contest or
throw up the sponge.
1t is reported here that 800 men
deserted from the Kniaz Potemkine
during Saturday and threw themselves
on the mercy of the authorities, there
by leaving the mutineers too short
handed to fight and work their. ship.
The report continued that the Vechls
crew declined an invitation to come
aboard and Join the forces of the
Kniaz Potemkine, and that the surren-
der of the battleship therefore was in
evitable.
1t is not known what punishment is
in store for the mutinous sailors,
though it is reported that the govern
ment has decided to hang every fifth
man. The chief mutineers, however.
who were under the leadership of
former ensign named Makhslutin, es-
capped to ConstantinOple, and those re-
naming are probably only their tools.
CrOnstadt was fairly quiet yester-
day. The strike of the longshoremen
at one time seemed to be settled, but
the employers declared their inability
to pay the wages the commander of
the district had promised the work.
men, and the strike is still unended.
The events at Odessa, Libau and
Cronstadt increase the difficulty of the
general situation. Unless the mutiny
is checked by the most signal pun
ishment it is apt to prove contagious.
1t increases the urgency for national
assembly as the sole remedy to bring
the substantial men of the country
back to the government