Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1914-06-25

knew that once again he was, in
imagination, great noble whose word
was law throughout a province.
The streets were very still. Wait
ing in silence, we heard the clocks toll
out the hours of ten and eleven. The
police had been withdrawn; there was
nothing to bar the rioters. From our
position we could command view Of
either side of the great square.
The half-hour struck, and suddenly
a murmur rose from the south corner,
low and like the humming of bees.
Then came the rhythmical tread of
men, strangely muical, but growing
harsher and heavier as it neared US.
And from the north corner came other
sounds, but louder and more dis
cordant, for the Roumanians, less furi-
Gus than the Russians, lacked also
their cold stolidty. They were in
famed with vodka and their rage
found vent in cries and threats. Their
leaders could with difficulty quiet
them. The Russians, on the other
hand, were silent as savage wolves
that wait for the killing.
1t was ten minutes before the hour,
and now the streets beyond the Rus
sian corner were crowded with q
seething mass. | saw the dreadful
banners of the Black Hundreds raised
through the semiobscurity. The civil
governor had done his work well,
cli
the square, creeping from house to
house and from wall to wall. Op-
posite them, against the white walls
of their cathedral, the Roumanians,
still disorganized, broke into tu-
mutt of cries. The scouts ran back;
somebody fired, and then, with a con-
certed and spontaneous cry just as
river bursts it's ice barrier In spring,
the Russians swept forward to glut
their hate in the blood of their sup
posed enemies.
Leaders were swept aside. They
burst across the square, one living,
moving crowd, filling it from corner to
corner From the north side the Rou
manians heard the challenge; they
saw their enemies and were no less
mistaken. With yell they broke UP.
on them. In the middle of the square
the forces met
For an instant saw the white paw.
ing stones between the leading files;
then the two bodies dashed against
one another as two currents, and just
as conflicting streams toss up spray
so human bodies, forced forward by
those behind them, were hurled into
the air somcrsaultng upon the heads
of the fighters. They were too close
packed to fire. They fell upon each
other with claws and teeth. the air
was filled with an animallike yelp
ing ana the fierce screams of triumph
and grOanS of the stricken. The
square had become a moving mass
that sWayed hithcr and thithcr, forced
on, drawn back, whirling into eddiea
that spun and tossed up bodies and
opened and closed. Knives cleaned
and suddenly ! perceived n line OF
fire spring up and fringe the combat
ants Somebody had thrown the torch
that started the Conilagration.
The flames spread rapidly from
house to house. They flickered on the
fierce faces of the combatants. From
every street more and more came
streaming into the fray and knowing
not friend from foe, they fought blind.
ly and nsanely till the ground was
heapcd high with the bodies Of the
slain.
And then, when at last the Rouman.
ians had given ground, and the Rus
slams poured in upon their quarter
with torch and axe, when kishineff
seemed to have fallen upon itself to
strike blow at its own heart, Nikolai
gave the signal. We dashed into the
streets, running from house to house,
and from each recruits of our party
came pouring out At last we were
too many to fear any attack. even had
the combatants had time to notice us,
Nikolai and the committee leader led
the way, and we burst into Rabbi
Jacobs home, afame with ardor, mad
dened with our abortive hopes.
There were sounds of singing from
within. And, as we entered the large
central room which was used as a
place of private worship, our passions
died away
For he was seated upon a kind of
dais, surrounded, quite simply, by the
women OF his family and few neigh
pors, all unarmed. Men and women.
none seemed to fear, He was chant
ing prayer, and they, regardless Of
US all joined in the worship.
They neither looked up nor stirred.
Afterward learned that they had mis-
taken US for rioters, and having laid
hopes Of life aside, were waiting for
death to strike them, fully prepared,
But as each man entered, he fell into
silence; and presently, one by one,
each took up the burden of the song.
1t rose and fell in the plaintive
cadence of a world-old melody, drown
ing the fierce, distant cries of the muir
dering Russians now sacking the Rou-
manian quarter, until it's peaceful in.
huence fell upon our hot passions like
cain upon a parched field When that
song was concluded, tho leader Of
our band stood forth and very sheep
ishly, and In stammering accents
made his petition that the rabbi
should assume leadership of our
movement. The man on the dais lis.
tened IN silence, often looking from
the speaker to Nkolai and back
again. When all was silent he spoke
but to Nikolai,
"You are not Of our people" he
said. you say you have come here
to save us from massacre and to