RUSSIAN AFFAIRS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8049, 14 February 1906, Page 3

RUSSIAN AFFAIRS.

THE VLADIVOSTOK REVOLT. A (iIiAPHIC DESCiIUITrON, Mr Clyde Evans, a Gisborne boy. who is second ollicer of the steamer Sissnn, which was at Vladivostock during the recent rebellion, gives a graphic story of the disturbance. It commenced with the seizure of a pile of a steamer's cargo just landed, mostly spirits, which provided the revolutionaries with the necessary reckless courage to carry on I heir destructive work. Six thousand loyal troops drove the plunderers out of Market Square >\dh their bayonets, and several volleys uns fired, which infuriated Ihe mob. ihe troops then held one side of the sipiark and the rioters the other. By evening the place was an inferno. Tiie city was in Haines from end to end, and twelve hundred buildings were destroyed. The largest and most destructive lire was the burning of the naval yards and clubs. One could hear nothing but a continuous rattle of rillc shots as volley after volley was lired into the erovul, and the groans of the people.

The nulcrsv broke into and looted every shop. Russians in the Chinese quarters seized the Cliiuese and threw them into the burning buildings, in some instances binding them hand and fool. Two thousand Chinese were killed. Tin- banks were broken into and the contents destroyed, the civilians were panic .stricken, and rushed the .shipping fur protection. Mr Evans, landing in the morning under the British (lag, pilcously appealed to the women with children in arms to take them away. The streets were strewn with dead aud the ciarred remains of burned bodies, i I'uuken rowdies swaggered about '■ looking for trouble." Amongst the incidents witnessed was that of the soldiers turning on their oliieers and stoning six of them to death. The others escaped by rushing into the water and swimming out to Sampan. The Sissnn took awav Nil) refugees to Chci'oo.