The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1918-08-21

panies Of the more faithful policemen O,
the old type. Moving thus in solid square:
they enGeavored to break up the crowd and
disperse 1t along the alleys of the huge
park. Hysterical cries and exclamations
rent the air. The women expressed thei,
Indignation at the violence employed b,
the police and did not move A few rner
who stood a little distance away here anc
| there, also protested.
suddenly new order was given, spread
ing IKE Wildfire among the people, TIL.
crowd commenced to disperse quickly,
Again in the groups the women com
menced to rush through the streets to the
centre. where the Kaiser's palace is situ-
ated.
There all precautions had been taken
The entrances to the square, all the streets
ana bridges, were already occupied by the
police. The troops in small numbers
were ready. hidden in the yards near the
square
But the women insisted upon carrying
out their programme
We are unarmed! We are women.''
they declared. We are your mothers
Your wives We have not come our TO
stir up trouble, to make noise! You are
yourselves creating scandals! We Just
want to congratulate the Kaiser upon the
occasion Of the anniversary of his reign.
we want to express our best wishes to
him! If he is not in the palace just now
1t does not matter The walls of the
old palace will re-echo our words-and
the faint voices of the women will reach
Potsdam. Let us pass,'
And the women. young and DID, broke
through the lines of the confused rude
policemen. They rushed toward the pal
ace. Then they cried as with one voice.
full of tears
We have had enough of war! Enough
bloodshed. We want peace! We are
starving. Our children are starving and
n n Crir1aS hlnn6J
Emperor"
Bloody Emperor! Enough of war;
Three times they cried, and then became
silent. The hundred thousand women
stood waiting though to hear what an
swer would come from the palace Some
of them expected that the talkative Kaiser
would appear on his famous balcony and
reply to the call Of the mothers, wives and
orphans
But this did not happen Again the dark
lines of the police came forward Now
they were more resolute and rude as they
dispersed the crowds.
But here on the square, with houses on
all sides, it was harder to do this than
at the Tiergarten No sooner We're the
women driven away from one corner than
they gathered in another end OF the square
and delivered even more impa ssioned
speeches than before.
Thousands of men looked upon the un-
precedented gathering from the windows
Of houses facing the square Little by
little these men came out into the streets
and surrounded the women. as though to
protect them from the police.
Groups OF students came rushing from
the universities, where they also had gath
cred to celebrate the anniversary of the
Kaisers reign.
The police. feeling its utter helplessness,
at first used sticks freely, but the cries
of the women struck by the policemen
stirred the men. and they came to their
defence.
Then revolvers flashed in the hands of
the policemen. They pointed The revolvers
at the people, at the women.
Then a bugle was sounded.
The crowd did not believe that the troops
would fire upon women and children, and
it kept moving forward.
Suddenly a volley resounded. Cries Of
terror rent the air. Many women, wounded,
fell to the ground. Man, tainted. The
wounded and killed women and men, lay
upon the sidewalks and in the streets,
amid pools of blood.
The rest of the people ran through the
wide streets. stumbling upon one another.
sobbng.
Thus ended the celebration of the ami
versary OF the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II.
In June, 1918. in front of his palace.