to disperse the crowd, but failed, for the men and women in the crowd
complained that they were hungry and pleaded with the military for the
sake of their own families to stand by the people. It was easy to see that
these guardians of the peace were in trouble, they knew that every word
said was true, and what was more to the purpose, members of their own
families were in the crowd. An officer who was sent with his company to
shoot on the people told how that same morning his own sister took part
in the demonstration and called for bread for her children. This was no
exceptional case. But as soldiers they must do their duty and keep order.
Realizing that the stratagems of the day before failed in their purpose,
the Cossacks tried other tactics on this day. They fell behind the
procession, and discharged their pistols in the air and dashed at full
speed into the mob. Woe unto him who did not get out of the way. But they
all did; in a second there was not a person on the street. It is still a
wonder how it was all done so quickly. As soon as the horsemen passed, the
crowd dropped behind them and raising their hats cheered them. "Comrades,"
they said, "come over to us, you know that the government is bad, you know
how the soldiers have been killed through its incompetency, you know that
our wives and children are hungry," and more such pleas. The Cossacks and
the other soldiers who tried to keep order were caught, they begged the
crowd to break up and go home, they pointed out that they had to do their
duty and that somebody might get hurt. It was reported that in some places
the soldiers did fire and kill several persons. During Saturday, men were
sent, it is not clear by whom, to the different factories to persuade the
workers to join in a great demonstration on Sunday. The military commander
of the city telegraphed to the Emperor for orders and the latter sent word
to shoot, if necessary, and to put down the uprising at any cost, and that
accounts for the posters that were put up on Sunday morning warning the
inhabitants not to gather in the streets because the soldiers would shoot
to kill. This had happened before and was no joke, and many people would