The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-09-12
.SIEDLEC STREETS ALMOST DESERTED Wreck, Ruin and DeSoIatiOn Mark Scene of Riots SHOOTING IS CONTINUOUS
  Associated Press Correspondent Gives Graphic Description of Waste and Ruin Done In the Rus
 sian Town.
SHOOTING IS CONTINUOUS

Warsaw September 1-With the sane tion of the authorities, who provided an armed guard for the Mission, the Asso- ciated Press correspondent this afternoon visited Siedlec the scenes of the murder ous events of September 8, g and 1O The railway station at Siedlec when the corre- spondent arrived was crowded with Jews, among them were many starving women with infants in their arms. Almost on the moment there fell upon the ears of the frightened people the sound of a vol ley being fired in the town, which lies half a mile back of the station, a panic ensued, men trembling with fear and women implorlng the soldiers for mercy, anticipating the slaughter of their loved ones and themselves.
 Gendarmes on guard at the station entered the waiting room and roughly or dered the people to be quiet, assuring them that their alarm was needless.
 Proceeding to the town the oorrespon- dent traversed Warsaw street which pre- sented a desolate aspect, the stores and shops being closed and all of them show ing signs of having been plundered. Pic lures of saints were hanging outside the windows of many houses, mute appeals to the soldiery and looters to spare the in- mates. Everywhere in the street were to be seen soldiers ready to fire on the least provocation. The streets were filtered with Jews hats, torn clothing and dam aged carts.
 Severe damage was done on Pinkna street, where the houses were ridded with lat nd In, I1e ha been damaged with cannon shot. Cows and goats wandered through the streets aimlessly. At the Victoria hotel the din- ing room had been despoied of it's furn- shings and the doors of the guests rooms had been broken down and their con tents thrown into the streets and burned.
 Compelled to Turn Back.
 From this point the correspondent was obliged to turn back, shooting having commenced. He was made prisoner by soldiers. but shortly afterwards was re- leased by the governors order.
 Refugees state that Governor EngllSe was taken sick a week ago and that con- trol of affairs in Sledlec then passed into the hands of Colonel Tuchanowski, an anti-semtte. The people at once began to desert the town, experimenting an attack upon the Jews. It is asserted that paid provocative agents so contrived matters that on Saturday the soldiers began shooting in the streets and bombarded houses, the occupants being forced to fee. To quicken the flames soldiers threw oil upon the burning houses An army of ficer, stumbling upon wounded Jew killed him. II Is related that soldiers killed the Jewish proprietor of fruit store, put his body under a table and ate his pro- visions as they were spread on the table,
 Another refugee states that Saturday night the doctors at the Jewish hospital lighted the gas in that institution pre- paraory to operating upon the wounded which had been brought in who numbered seventy, when without warning the sol diers in the street opened fire upon the hospital killing two of the inmates.
 As a man was taking his wife and child to hospital they were fired upon by sol diers and the wife and child were killed A Jew ventured out of his house to bring some water for his thirsting chil- dren. As often as he reached the door with a pail of water soldiers compelled him to empty the pail to the ground. This was done eleven times The twelfth time the father appeared with water the officer of the guard washed his boots In the pail and made the children drink the fouled water.
 In many cases the soldiers spared the lives of Jews upon the payment of s25.
 By actual count 140 corpses were picked up in the streets, and it Is said that as many more are hidden in cellars. Only one Christian Is known to have been killed. and so far as can be learned no sol der was killed. The undlsciplned soldiery acted with utmost brutality all through the trouble.
 Here in Warsaw there are some fears of an outbreak.