The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-07-11
MASSACRE Of JEWS
At B|ALYSTOk
Ecilpsss in Horror All Previous
Russian 0utrages,
CARS GOVERNMENT IN PERIL

Wave of Strikes Again Sweeps Coun-
try, Loyalty of Troops is Every
where Doubted, While Terrible
Upheaval Appears Imminent.
st. Petersburg.-The political Sit
uation throughout Russia is far
more alarming now than at any time
for several months. The great Con-
stitutional Democratic party perhaps
the greatest conservative power now
left behind the trembling Govern
ment, shows unmistakable symptoms
of being ready to go over to the slde
OF the radical revolutionists.
The Constitutional Democrat'c
party is likely to come to an open
break with Government within re"
days. Apparently there will be no
conservative force left in the Empire
to give tacit support to the Cor
emykin Ministry.
Massacres of Hebrews are reported
as having started anew in several
different places. II is now believed
that from 600 to 1000 Hebrews were
slaughterel at Bialystok. There
seems to be a general wave Of strikes
again menacing the Empire, while
the loyalty Of the troops is every
| where doubted. Apparently the au-
| thorities are fearful Of another great
mutiny at Cronstadt.
The embargo on news from Blaiy-
stok was lifted, and correspondents
we're for the first time allowed to
telegraph directly from the sacked
CITY a picture of the scene of ruin and
desolation left in the wake OF the
mob According to frequent bull
! letins, order was restored and main
! tanned, in spite of the incentive 10
riots, in funerals which lasted all
day, but the atmosphere is super
charged, and a slight happening may
cause a. renewal of street fighting.
The authorities apparently realize
| this, and hope to avert catastrophe
by a strong show of force. On one
occasion the whole garrison was
called out, and the streets were
hacked with horses, foot and artll-
| lery until the danger was past.
The story told by the correspondent
| is a sickening one, but there are In
dications that he has been prevented
by the censorship from relating
chastity details about the condition OF
corpses, the bestiality Of the mob and
! the inability of the troops to cope
with excesses during the first days of
rioting. It is evident from the dis
patches that the excesses assumed
| the character of a three-corpered
| fight between the military, the mob
and armed members Of the Jewish
Bund, who instead of submitting pas
sively to slaughter, as their unarmed
co-religionists have done heretofore,
] carried the war into the enemy's
camp and fought braVely, through
without inflicting appreciable loss on
the troops, among whom no serious
casualties have been reported.
The mob began pillaging gun
smiths shops, and then systemati'
cally wrecked every house and shop in
the seven principal streets, WORKING
in detachments numbering from ten
to fifteen. The mob returned the
following day and burned what re-
mained.
It is difficult to estimate the num-
ber of victims The total is placed at
several hundred, and, according TO
| one account, 900 Jews were killed OF
wounded. Whole families were
murdered and the bodies were
thrown out of windows. The hospf-
tails were soon overcrowded and the
wounded had to be sent to neighbor-
ing towns.
Six thousand Jews are said to have
taken refuge in the forests.
Continuous butchery lasted for
| eight hours. Neither the soldiers nor
the police interfered.
The Governments blindness and
incapacity have again stirred the ma
ton to revolt. Over its whole length
and breadth the Empire is blotched
with disturbances and strikes, which
are bound to develop into general
uprising.
The authorities are powerless. The
troops are mutinous. Anarchy IS
everywhere. The Duma, the sole
beaconlight of hope, is on the point
of being eXtinguished.